December’s holiday season brings friends, family, and others together to celebrate a joyful time of gathering, feasting, and sharing gifts. It is a time of kinship and community. We openly welcome each other into our spaces. We set aside differences and focus on our commonalities. A sense of community helps us thrive spiritually, and we … Read more
Culturally, we are entering a giving season. Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday, and religious holiday extravaganzas lie ahead. They are all performed with good intentions, as part of our traditional celebrations, and filled with gratitude. Our give-and-take exchanges are culturally oriented. Often the waste resulting from over-producing food, gift creation, and wrapping and decorations are problematic. In … Read more
I was hiking down the main trail to the Fox River observation platform in the Hoover Forest Preserve (one of my favorite outdoor activities) near Yorkville just a couple of weeks ago in early October when I heard several unfamiliar calls emanating from the crowns of some tall white oak trees about half-way from the … Read more
Since the very beginning of the organization in 1991, Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) has been advocating for dam removal. The mission of the Friends of the Fox River is to preserve, restore and protect the Fox River Watershed’s resources by connecting people with nature through education, research, restoration and advocacy. Restoring the health … Read more
The weather cooperated for a fantastic multi-faceted event. It’s Our Fox River Day (IOFRD) is a celebration of what the Fox River offers us every day in ecosystem and municipal services. Hundreds of folks joined in at over 50 different events to participate in their version of offering thanks to our Fox River. Thank You … Read more
I’ve always loved to come across a Green Heron when I’m on the river fishing or hiking in a riverside forest preserve. These interesting herons are less frequent sights than their larger cousins, the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret in our area. These beautiful birds have been on the decline over the last … Read more
Join us Saturday, September 16th for It’s Our Fox River Day! We will be celebrating 50 years of restoration and the resulting recovery. Organize and host your own event or participate in one that fits your interest. Giving Back It’s Our Fox River Day (IOFRD) is pronounced “I offered” – a day intended to be … Read more
My sister and l recently took a ride out to the site of the Little Rock Creek Bald Eagle nest that I have written about in this space previously. While the eaglets had fledged a few weeks ago, I was hopeful that one or two of the juvenile eagles or their parents might be paying … Read more
Right now aquatic plants are thriving in our watershed! It is said that you can never step in the same river twice, since it is always flowing and thus changing. Weather conditions change with the seasons in temperate climates like ours. Plants and animals have developed their successful strategies to be in synch with the changes. Not blooming or … Read more
As I write this article in early July, I’m celebrating the beginning of a wonderful Independence Day weekend for our country, but also the emergence from the nest of a new-year-class of Bald Eagles. They are making their debut in the skies over the Fox River watershed! I have been closely following the progress of … Read more
