Chicago-Calumet River Summit: In Defense of Biodiversity

Tags: Attend, Ticketed events, and River education

Chicago-Calumet River Summit: In Defense of Biodiversity

Friday, January 30, 2026

  • 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | VIP brunch (separate ticket required)
  • 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Summit program
  • 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Cocktail hour & Chicago River Blue Awards Ceremony

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

224 S Michigan Ave #1000, Chicago, IL 60604

Tickets:

  • Standard: $110
  • VIP Brunch add-on: $40
  • VIP Brunch only: $75
  • Limited discounted tickets available (email tmurray@chicagoriver.org for details)

Get your tickets here!

 

Join us at the Chicago-Calumet River Summit, Friends of the Chicago River's flagship policy event! The 2026 Chicago Calumet River Summit: In Defense of Biodiversity will provide an opportunity for environmental and planning professionals, policymakers, advocates, researchers, and students to explore our collective role in advancing systems change for a more biodiverse future.

Biodiversity loss is an existential threat that poses a risk to all life on earth, not just wild ones. As federal protections such as the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act are threatened, and as climate change, pollution, and habitat fragmentation continue to degrade our natural environment, communities are stepping up with innovative solutions to safeguard species, habitats, and resilient ecosystems. 

Find out more at In Defense of Biodiversity, where thought leaders and practitioners will spotlight the urgent need to defend our cornerstone environmental protections while sharing collaborative, multi-benefit approaches that protect and promote biodiversity for our river system and beyond. Defending biodiversity means defending climate resilience, clean water, and the cultural and ecological heritage that sustains us all.

Featured Speakers and Topics:

VIP Brunch Panel:

  • Adam Bianchi, General Superintendent, Forest Preserves of Cook County; Margaret Frisbie, Executive Director, Friends of the Chicago River; John Murray, Interim Executive Director, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Superintendent and CEO, Chicago Park District; and moderated by Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Environment Reporter for Grist and WBEZ Chicago – A leadership conversation on the growing environmental crisis and how public agencies play a vital role in protecting wildlife and the waters and landscapes on which they depend.

Summit Speakers (nonexhaustive):

  • Juan Carlos Bravo, Associate Director, Transnational Initiatives, Wildlands Network
  • Austin Happel, Research Biologist, Shedd Aquarium
  • Catherine O’Reilly, Conservation Program Coordinator, Energy Resources Center, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Jen Walling, Executive Director and CEO, Illinois Environmental Council
  • Phil Willink, Co-author of Fishes of the Chicago Region and Academic Researcher, Illinois Natural History Survey

The full speaker lineup will be announced soon.

Get your tickets here!

Special thanks to our sponsors:

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSOR

 

CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS

See here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities or email tmurray@chicagoriver.org with inquiries.