By Pat Brady, DivvyBack “So dense was the original forest, it was claimed, that a squirrel might travel from the Atlantic to the Mississippi from tree limb to tree limb without ever touching the ground.” -Folklore Try searching your favorite search engine for “1 trillion trees”. You’ll find a surprising list of support for the … 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 Pat Brady, DivvyBack Managing Partner “Figures don’t lie but liars figure” is a piece of modern wisdom passed on through the pen of Mark Twain. I wonder what he would say about our modern world today? There is no lack of ironies so I suppose he would have a great time. Let’s see if … 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 Jack MacRae Witch Hazel might sound like a cousin of Samantha Stevens. But botanically, it is really an attractive understory shrub found in naturally wooded areas. Their attractive, rounded-oval form makes them popular around the globe. Illinois is home to the Virginia variety, Hamamelis virginiana. It can grow to 10-15 feet in our area and has roundish, toothed … Read more
By Pat Brady, DivvyBack Managing Partner We all know that nothing in life is perfect, except maybe Manny’s Reuben sandwich with chicken noodle soup. Outside of that, and particularly in the area of laundry detergent, there just isn’t anything that I can describe as perfect. Why Is That? Well, first, let’s define what a perfect … Read more
By Jack MacRae Ornithologists have learned a great deal about dark-eyed juncos, those cute, gray and white snowbirds that visit us from the north. We know their size, color, diet, and – most interesting – we know what they do. Their migration patterns, flocking activity, and feeding habits make them neighbors you should meet! It’s Warmer Here … Read more
By Gary Swick, President Infant Species As the COVID-19 pandemic infiltrates the human space on the planet, many things well known in nature are surprising us. We humans are relatively an infant species here on the 4-billion-year-old Earth. We are still just learning nature’s laws and the consequences that come from ignoring them. Like infants … Read more
By Gary Swick, President We are very fortunate that in this watershed we are governed by a democratic system. The decisions that are made that influence the health of the Fox River and its tributaries come from research, discussion, and policy enacted by elected representatives. From the board members of the Friends of the Fox … Read more
