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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,Ìýthough...and this Halloween is the perfect time to help them out.

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New areas of the Riverwalk µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏopenÌýto the public today, giving downtown guests a first look at the Jetty, Water Plaza, and Riverbank. ÌýFriends' executive director Margaret Frisbie talks with ABC7.

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

Friends’ nest installation project and other restoration efforts are helpingÌý birds find reproductive habitat where there used to be none. ÌýTake a look at this recent article on DNAinfo that highlightsÌýhow 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?ÌýFriends' staff who were present aren't convincedÌýthat the medium sizedÌý was a muskrat, but we do know that river otters are making a comeback.Ìý

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

While there are a lot of good reasons not to swim in the Chicago River system, they are becomingÌýa 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 piece regarding a potential swimming event that ran last week.ÌýAlso check out Friends' comments on why you should NOT jump in just yet.

One of µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï's longest and most loyalÌývolunteers, Tom Nelson, who sadly passed away last winter, was heralded in the Chicago Tribune because of his spirited style and dedicated to the Chicago Jazz.

NelsonÌýmet his wife, Laurie, at the Chicago Jazz Fest and on their first big date he brought her down the Chicago River in a big inflatable raft which he ended up bringing to Jazz Fest, using it asÌýa couch toÌýenjoy the sounds of jazz in the magnificent park.

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The Columbia College Chronicle the need for investment and collaboration to make the rivers that flow through the Chicago and the collaboration through Great Rivers Chicago and the "Our Great Rivers" plan that was released this summer.

On August 27, 2016 David St. Pierre, the executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), the agency in charge of our sewers and stormwater, and the biggest discharger to our waterways, jumped into the Cal-Sag ChannelÌýdownstream of the Calumet sewage treatment plant to prove that he believes the water is clean enough for swimming.

St. Pierre’s jump, inspired by Steve Buchtel, executive director, Trails for Illinois, who jumped in with him (to benefit the Cal-Sag Trail), marks a moment in history that should be celebrated with brass bands and confetti.