By Gary Swick, FOFR President Returning to familiar but different landscapes is commonplace for life in the natural world. Most bird species migrate in the fall; their return in the spring is both an investment in what was there last fall and a gamble that what is needed for survival will still be accessible. The … Read more
By Jack MacRae The perennial winner for the Longest Life Span Award in the North American Butterfly Category is our old friend the mourning cloak. This is one of the few local butterflies that hibernates as an adult. They have a sweet trick that extends their life span to an impressive 11 months! Sweet, Deep … Read more
By Gary Swick, President Resilience and Hope In nature, winter is a time of conserving resources, relying upon storage, and enduring scarcity and hardship. Surviving winter requires physical resilience and hope. We have just emerged from a natural and cultural winter like none of us have ever experienced. As we travel the long crossover from … Read more
By Gary Swick, FOFR President Spring emergence During a Midwestern winter, nature is not dead but merely conserving energy. It is challenging for humans experiencing frigid temperatures and deep snow cover to understand that soon signs of life will vigorously emerge from the roots of plants and the insect eggs lying in the soil. Likewise, … Read more
By Snappin’ Jack MacRae It’s not too difficult to find a few big old snapping turtles in January and February if you know where to look (under the ice), and have an adventurous streak. Warm clothes are a bonus. During the winter, when local ectothermic animals (e.g., amphibians and reptiles) are undergoing hibernation (or, brumation if you want … Read more
By Gary Swick, President Restoring the Systems Working with unified efforts and a sense of collaboration, we can move forward together while we navigate a global pandemic, overcome our national social injustices, and address climate change on all levels. We have challenges ahead but our own successes with the Fox River watershed’s protection and restoration … Read more
By Jack MacRae Everyone should be able to identify the northern cardinal. The boys are bright, bright red. Their faces are black. The girls are a fetching tawny brown with red highlights. Both sexes are crested and have thick red beaks. But cardinals are much more than just another pretty bird. Dumpster Diving Bird History During the early … Read more
By Gary Swick, President 2020 has been a spectrum of angst ranging from a dumpster fire, to a period of darkness, to great hope bestowed upon 2021 as the light. The holiday season is a festival of light from many different cultures’ traditions. All these traditions symbolize getting through the tough time of short days, … Read more
By Pat Brady, DivvyBack Tired of talking about voting? You betcha. However, I’m talking about the powerful vote each of us has to make environmental change in the world. If you don’t like the Earth warming up or our waters polluted, you can “vote” for change through your purchasing behavior. The emotionless marketing engine of … Read more
By Gary Swick, President There is no ignoring that the recent election demonstrated that we are the (not so) United States of America. We are deeply divided, but on really just a few issues. Can we come together for a unified approach toward these common issues? Well the Fox River has a few lessons for … Read more