Born to be Wild, A Call to Action
Friends’ inaugural Born to be Wild celebration of the Chicago River system and its wildlife successfully wrapped up November 5, 2020 with Rivers Empyrean, a mystical musical experience with Fifth House Ensemble.
“The impetus of the Born to be Wild celebration was to build awareness of our wonderful wildlife species and the need to protect them,” said Margaret Frisbie, Friends’ executive director. “Wildlife species are vanishing across the globe at an alarming rate due to human activity. We must all consider how we live, what we do, and how we can protect them before it is too late.”
The celebrations kicked-off October 25, 2020 with a week-long Chicago River scavenger hunt hosted by Friends' Tributary Committee and were capped-off November 5 with the close of a successful online silent auction and concert.
Maggie Jones, conservation programs manager at Friends, and Stephen DeFalco, director at the , hosted an interactive program October 27 – – connecting participants with amazing animals through live feeds, as well as sharing insights about some of our wild neighbors and the environment we share with them. An evening of revelry was enjoyed at the Chicago River Masquerade Virtual Cruise October 29. The unique virtual tour was designed by Chicago Detours and party goers donned bold and beautiful party dress and masks.
Thank you to all our supporters who made the inaugural Born to be Wild a tremendous success.
