Winter Wildlife ❄️🦫
New water quality research, holiday party, and MATCHED DONATIONS!
Donations Matched Today and Tomorrow!!!
Our friends and Stantec and Open Water have collectively pledged to match donations up to $11,500 between now and the end of the day on Giving Tuesday (that’s tomorrow!!!!)
With your help, we’re trying to meet the match - help us raise a total of $23,000 by the end of Giving Tuesday! We can now accept more kinds of contributions, including from Donor-Advised Funds and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions.
Still not convinced? Consider this - If you make a recurring donation of any amount, we’ll add you to a super-exclusive monthly newsletter with all our wildlife photo, like the adorable goslings above!
New Research on Wetland Nutrient Uptake!
We’re excited to share a new body of work on the uptake of nutrients by our artificial floating wetlands! Building on a pilot study from 2018-2019, a more substantial dataset of water chemistry analysis shows substantially higher nutrient uptake by the floating wetlands - a very positive contribution to the ecological balance of our urban waterways! You can read the full paper here, or click the button below to hear a summary from our very own director of research (and co-author of the study)!
Holiday Party - December 9th
Join us at Off Color for an end-of-year celebration on December 9th! We'll be sharing pizza and beer, reminiscing on the best memories of 2025, and bestowing awards upon this year's most dedicated volunteers. Please RSVP so we can get an accurate headcount, and WEAR YOUR UGLIEST SWEATER!!!
“Yumm” by James Sanchez, 2024 Photo Contest"
2025 Photo Contest - Submissions Open
Did you take any cool pictures this year? Yes? Awesome - submit them to our 2025 Urban Rivers Photo Contest! We’ll be choosing photos in the categories of people, wildlife, and landscape, in addition to an overall winner. There WILL be a prize (we haven’t found one yet but we promise we’ll scrounge up something worth your time). From polaroids to iPhone photos, we welcome all sorts of submissions!
Submit your photos by Monday December 29th in order to be considered!
December Events Calendar
S’mores, tours, and trivia! Event descriptions and RSVP links can always be found on the events page of our website.
Wild Mile Walking Tour: December 3rd, 5:30pm
Wild Mile S’mores Night: December 3rd, 6:00 - 7:30pm
Urban Rivers Holiday Party: December 9th, 6:00 - 8:00pm
Trivia Night with Plant Chicago at Marz Brewing: December 10th, 6:00pm
Office Insights
Though many river creatures retreat into hibernation or faraway migratory homelands for our chilly midwestern winters, many stay active! These true Chicagoans will be regular sights along the river all winter long. If you want to stay up-to-date on their lives, make a recurring donation of any amount, and we’ll add you to a special monthly newsletter of all our best wildlife camera content!
Bulldozer Beavers
Ida Beav Wells, along with her North Side counterparts, will be snow-plowing all winter. Their thick coats keep them warm, and their breeding season runs through late March.
Coyotes…On Ice!
As the river freeze over, they become natural freeways for frisky coyotes! Urban coyotes are active year-round, but are especially easy to see while gearing up for their late-winter mating season.
Gaggles of Raccoons
One of the most well-adapted animals to urban life, it’s common to see riverside raccoon families year-round. They’re especially fond the nooks and crannies formed by abandoned boats, sunken docks, and degraded seawall.
Dogs That Were Built for This
If your furry friend is a polar breed, chances are they’ve been waiting for this all year. Don’t be surprised if they want to make the most of a snow day!