µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï

Great Rivers Chicago is wrapping up and thousands of people have weighed in with their hopes and dreams and thoughts about the Chicago River. Regarding the massive planning process,ÌýFriends’Ìýexecutive director, Margaret Frisbie said,Ìý“I’ve been inspired to hear people speak about the river with passion and excitement."Ìý

While the sun wasn't shining but over 2,500 volunteers were at µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï's 24th annual Chicago River Day.ÌýFamilies, corporate teams, and community groups worked together at over 60 locations to pick up garbage (which is unsightly and harmful to wildlife), remove invasive plants, and spruce up river-edge trails.

"Mayor Rahm Emanuel's announcement of Current, a newÌýpublic and private partnership developedÌýto solve water challenges facing the nation and the globe, could lead to a healthier Chicago River system," said Friends' Executive DirectorÌý. "Ideally their work will addressÌýthe local challenges the river still faces and will create new technologies forÌýsuchÌýasÌýend of pipe sewage treatment, increased nutrient removal and recovery, and easy to install sewage effluentÌýdisinfection at Stickney."

In other excellent river news on Wednesday morning, John Quail, director of watershed planning, and Anthony, Cefali, policy and planning specialist, joined Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle when she introduced a new resolution in favor of Overflow Action Days, Friends’ new program designed to build program awareness of how we can reduce river pollution and flooding by taking action at home.

The river and Friends featured prominently in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's announcement for new investments to improve Chicago's Parks. The mayor thanked Friends for our tirelessÌýadvocacy for the river and the Chicago Riverwalk. Part of the Parks "Building on Burnham"Ìýplan includesÌýthe addition of river access at almost everyÌýmile from the North Side south to Little Village.

At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the ribbons will be cut and the switch thrown on to begin the process of sewage effluentÌýdisinfectionÌýat the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's (MWRD) O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant located on the North Shore Channel.ÌýµÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï and many partners worked tirelessly for more than a decade to reach this day which will have a dramatic impact on ambient water quality.

It is overwhelming to see this major benchmark in water quality improvements come to pass. It is the direct result of Friends’ advocacy and demonstrates it take a sustained effort to get things done.

Ìý

In the Chicago region and across the country, ospreys are making a comeback from the devastating impacts of pesticide use in the mid-1900s. µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï is in the midst of a three-year project to boost these birds' reproductive success by building a series of platforms to attract nesting pairs. Read on for a photo-filled description of the process.Ìý

When µÚÒ»³Ô¹Ï and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources released 195,000 juvenile channel catfish into the river we knew they were joining fish of their own kind and over 70 other speciesÌýdistributed downtown,Ìýup north, in the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, and all along the Little Calumet. Among the many native species are sport fish like large mouth bass and a variety of sunfishes.

The developers of Lathrop Homes are closer to digging and their plans revealed to Friends' Planning Committee in January show a natural river edge alive with opportunity for wildlife and for people to share the river. Last fall Friends walked the riverbank with Related Midwest designersÌýwho promised a soft river-edge alive with native flowers, shrubs, and trees along withÌýother habitat benefits.

On Friday, January 29 Friends installed the second of at least six planned osprey nesting platforms at the Chicago Botanic Garden just north of Dundee Road. ÌýThe Botanic Garden, which is hydrologically part ofÌýthe Skokie LagoonsÌýcomplex,Ìýis an excellent location for a nest.