River Advocacy
Friends’ public policy and planning work mobilizes river supporters and provides a “voice” for the river on behalf of all those whose quality of life benefit immeasurably by it.
Clean Water and Healthy Fish
Right now, Friends is working to change the water quality standards for the Chicago River to protect the people who use it and the fish and other creatures that call it home. For more information on this critical effort, link to Clean Water and Healthy Fish to the right.
Action Plan for the Chicago River: Getting Specific
Strategies for a Cleaner, Healthier, More Vibrant Chicago River
In 2006, Friends held six all-day meetings (one for each of the six topics: public access, water quality, aquatic habitat, riverbank habitat, riverbank naturalization and land protection that brought together over 50 subject-area experts. This group represented a variety of non-profit groups, public institutions, private sector consulting groups and state agencies. The resulting recommendations, which include supporting a variety of recreation opportunities and developing restoration projects within the context of the river system, are now available. (3MB PDF)
In addition, Friends’ Friends’ Chicago River Matrix, (88K PDF) which outlines public access, water quality, aquatic habitat, riverbank habitat, riverbank naturalization and land protection for each stretch of the river, is also available.
Open Space Plan
Another example of our advocacy work is the Open Space Plan. The Open Space Plan was developed by Friends, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and a host of other stakeholders as a tool for protecting open space in the northern suburbs. The protection of open space is important with regards to the Chicago River because it helps protect wildlife habitat, and also helps reduce stormwater runoff pollution, flooding and erosion.
Every parcel of open space in the northern suburbs is outlined and classifies by importance of goals such as habitat protection and stormwater management.
The ground-breaking Open Space Plan was composed in 2004 as a tool for municipalities and planning agencies in the rapidly urbanizing northern suburbs of the Chicago River watershed. It outlines every parcel of open space in the northern suburbs and classifies them by importance in terms of specific goals such as habitat protection and stormwater management. The plan was created so that it is adaptable to many different focuses. For example, one organization can apply it to habitat protection while another can focus on flood reduction . It has already been used by municipalities to guarantee that as development occurs, it occurs responsibly.
Friends’ manager of watershed program, John Quail leads this effort. His contact information can be found at the contact page.
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