by Gary Swick Rivers and their tributaries usually have seasonal cycles of spring and fall flooding, with a “low flow” condition in summer. Flooding has benefits to the natural river system through nutrient distribution and scouring of sediment. The land areas that absorb the flood conditions are referred to as flood plains. Land use planners … Read more
by Gary Swick, FOFR President For a non-profit organization, finding financial support for their important work is always a challenge. Friends of the Fox River (FOFR) has a long and strong reputation for incredible achievements from volunteer efforts. FOFR is now at a point where we are expanding our services, programming, geographic influence, membership capacity, … Read more
By Pat Okonek, Board Member, FOFR One of my favorite hobbies is fishing, especially fly-fishing. I took it up as a youngster and had the good fortune of growing up next to a river. Besides lots of actual fishing, I learned how to “read” rivers and learn how fish behave and relate to their environment through … Read more
by Jack MacRae During the summer of 1969, a blues musician from the swamps of Louisiana named Tony Joe White had monster hit. Polk Salad Annie spent 3 months on the Billboard Hot Top 100 Chart, peaking at #8. The song told of Annie, a “wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman” who made the alligators look … Read more
by Gary Swick, FOFR President Life is a process of transformations. All organisms go through stages that are ultimately driven by sex and conclude in death. Understanding this can help us to cope with the events of our lives. Our lives, our endeavors, and the river, all have seasons. This is the season of new … Read more
Article written for the April 2017 “Bravo Magazine” by Dean Tripp Our Fox By its very nature a river belongs to more than one people, place and time. Our Fox is no exception. The water flowing into and out of it is a resource we can’t create or destroy; we can only attempt to manage … Read more
by Gary Swick- I hear folks are anxious to get started on their yard maintenance. This is a season of increased threats to local water quality from poor yard management decisions. Many residential properties are close to a street drain that goes directly to a local stream or the Fox River without any treatment. When … Read more
From our President, Gary Swick ~ That hole in the street with the metal grate that is next to the curb is a “storm drain.” Its intended purpose is to prevent flooding in streets during storm events. It must not be used as a disposal of anything. Most manufactured now are stamped with “Dump No Waste, Drains to … Read more
Friends of the Fox River continued its water willow planting initiative. Thanks to all of our volunteers this year, the planting project was a big success!
By Cindy Skrukrud Clean Water Advocate, Sierra Club (Illinois Chapter) The Fox River Study Group, a multi-stakeholder group (Friends of the Fox River, Sierra Club, Fox River (Elgin area) and Fox Metro (Aurora area) water reclamation districts, Kane County, Fox River towns, Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, Illinois EPA) has engaged the Illinois State Water Survey … Read more
