Chicago River Day: 25th Anniversary

When Friends first founded Chicago River "Rescue" Day in 1992, 25 dedicated volunteers worked a single site and cleared one ton of garbage. Twenty-five years later, Chicago River Day has grown and we've achieved major water quality milestones. We even dropped the "Rescue", because our great natural resource has become safer, cleaner, and healthier.

Yet, our work is far from over.

With the EPA and Clean Water Act in danger, now is the time to take action. Join our biggest community-wide clean-up event of the year for meaningful hands-on activities that directly benefit the river and local wildlife.

25th Anniversary Highlights:

• 2,000+ volunteers clearing 20 tons of trash at over 60 geographically diverse sites
• Litter-clearing canoes on the North Shore Channel, kicking off our Litter Free campaign to remove plastics and disposable waste from areas with limited walking access
• Gullyfixing activities at the Cook County Forest Preserves
• This year's mascot: the endangered massasauga rattlesnake, featured on the official River Day t-shirt (free with registration). Our river-edge restoration work ensures that at-risk native species have a place to thrive.

Share what the Chicago River and River Day mean to you! Post your favorite memories and photos on our Facebook page with hashtag #ShareYourRiverStory

We're also partnering with musician Jack Johnson on the All At Once social action campaign and auctioning off a pair of tickets for his Chicago summer concert. Stay tuned for details.

Whether you're North or South Side, city or suburban, there's a river-edge site for you. Help us make our river healthy and accessible for all the people and wildlife that use, live, and love it.

Choose your Chicago River Day site and register here. Please contact Maggie Jones at (312) 939-0490 ext. 18 with any questions.

See you on the river!