This year has seen incredible contributions to the river system, and we recently had the honor of naming our 2016 River Commitment Award winners.

On Thursday, November 3 Friends of the Chicago River, the only organization solely dedicated to improving and protecting the Chicago River, released a statement suggesting that there were many ways to celebrate the Cubs’ victory but they would not like to see dyeing the river among them.

Yesterday, this river-edge forest preserve site gained its 1,000th shrub, giving us plenty to celebrate.

Bat Week kicks off today, showcasing how great these furry little flyers are for the planet, the economy, and local plants. Bats are facing some serious survival threats, though...and this Halloween is the perfect time to help them out.

New areas of the Riverwalk open to the public today, giving downtown guests a first look at the Jetty, Water Plaza, and Riverbank.  Friends' executive director Margaret Frisbie talks with ABC7.

The Chicago Riverwalk is more than just a great lunch spot with a spectacular view...it's also a terrific way to connect with nature and local history.  Get inspired with this video.

Friends’ nest installation project and other restoration efforts are helping  birds find reproductive habitat where there used to be none.  Take a look at this recent article on DNAinfo that highlights how important the river is to ospreys and countless other bird species.

Our efforts to tag and track turtles at restoration sites along the North Branch and in the Calumet have really paid off. Read more about this exciting development here.

What's this little critter? Friends' staff who were present aren't convinced that the medium sized brown animal swimming at Goose Island was a muskrat, but we do know that river otters are making a comeback. 

According to wildlife biologists from the Forest Preserves of Cook County, they have been seen downtown and in several forest preserves along the Chicago, Calumet, and Des Plaines rivers. 

While there are a lot of good reasons not to swim in the Chicago River system, they are becoming a fewer and Friends is pleased to be developing ideas and partnerships that will help make the river safe and more accessible every day. Check out the Chicago Sun-Times piece regarding a potential swimming event that ran last week. Also check out Friends' comments on why you should NOT jump in just yet.