Adopt A River
Through Adopt A River, Friends mobilizes and supports individuals, community groups and other organizations in environmental stewardship along the Chicago River. Through their efforts, the adopters improve wildlife habitat, prevent erosion, promote flood reduction, naturalizing riverbanks and developing safe places for community members to gather and enjoy nature.
These groups formally adopt a section of the river where they work on projects that are the most meaningful and important in their community, though some groups prefer to have more structured guidance from Friends. The Sunlight Initiative is one way Friends helps adopters decide how to best care for their site. Three specific restoration goals for on-the-ground improvements have been identified through the Sunlight Initiative. First, adopters work to thin the upper tree canopy of the riverbank to let sunlight penetrate to the ground. Second, the community group adopters remove invasive plant species that inhibit growth of healthy ground cover. Finally, the riverbanks are replanted with a variety of native plant species that have deep roots to begin stabilizing the severely eroded riverbanks.
Past work by Adopt A River groups includes:
- Stormdrain stenciling
- Nature trail restoration
- Riverbank stabilization
- Removal of invasive and thick brush
- Reestablishment of healthy, native plant species
Currently, Friends is working on a major restoration project at Clark Park. The project was made possible with the generous support of REI. In partnership with the Clark Park Advisory Council, the Chicago Park District and others, major renovations will take place at this North Side park well into next year.
Cynthia Fox, Friends’ manager of stewardship and volunteers leads Adopt A River. Cynthia Fox’s contact information can be found at the contact page.
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