Newsletter

Earth Day Every Day

April is Earth Month, and Earth Day is officially on April 22nd. The concept of Earth Day is to recognize human dependence upon earth systems and to honor our mother, Earth. This tradition has been around for fifty-two years. In 1970, the developed world was just beginning to realize the impacts of our consumptive culture. … Read more

male Indigo Bunting by Tom Schrader

“Blues” Along the Fox

It’s July and with COVID easing, summer festival season is here! Many municipalities up and down the Fox River Valley have celebrated Independence Day and the beginning of the summer season with public events centered around good music and refreshing food and drink. However, the musical blues aren’t what I’m referring to in the title … Read more

Fox River near Silver Springs July 2020 by Tom Schrader

Reflections on the Fox

By Tom SchraderLifelong Fisherman and Past Friends of the Fox River President Hello fellow citizens of the Fox River watershed!  I have lived in the southern part of our watershed (near Aurora) for my entire 60 years here on Earth.  I have always loved nature, particularly the water, and the plants and animals that live … Read more

Gary Swick and Otter Creek Middle School

Finding Our Way in a Changing Landscape

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

Meet Your Morning Cloak Neighbors

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

In Search of Signs of Spring

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

Spring and Friends of the Fox River Are Ready to Bloom

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

1024px-Snapper2 By Rob Duval Own work CC BY-SA 40

Meet Your Submerged Neighbor

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