Friends
of the Chicago River
407 S. Dearborn
Suite 1580
Chicago, IL
60605
Many municipalities share
the watershed of the North Branch of the Chicago River
in Illinois. In Cook County there was no coordinated effort
to manage their effects on the river. Therefore, stream
banks were eroding, habitat was degrading, and the water
quality was declining. The Friends of the Chicago River
(Friends) are developing a specific action plan with the
forest preserves and municipalities. This had been completed
in Lake County by the Lake County Storm Management Commission,
but is still ongoing in Cook County.
Friends met with 7 municipalities
in Cook County to determine issues and opportunities.
A detailed assessment of the conditions of the river has
been completed: a consultant performed a stream walk,
and fish and macroinvertebrate sampling data have been
collected by the IL DNR, the IL EPA, the Chicago River
School Network, the IL River Watch, and the Metropolitan
Water Reclamation District. Implementation is beginning
in Lake County through the funding of projects that address
wetland restoration, retrofitting storm water outfalls,
and other best management practices (BMPs).
What do you consider
the key to your success?
Working closely with partner
organizations, and making the project a collaborative
effort.
How would you outline the steps in organizing your project
to advise another group on a similar project?
The handbook called Voices
of the Watershed was written. Call the Friends of
the Chicago River for copies.
What
have been the effects of this effort on your organization’s
work?
The
effort has resulted in the development of good working
relationships with key watershed stakeholders in the headwaters.
Better communications with the municipalities, park districts,
and forest preserves has resulted in the expansion of
the organization’s restoration and education programs.
How has the project affected your community?
The project provided a focal
point for conservation minded people and a non-controversial
rallying point for some of the communities. It provided
people with volunteer opportunities.
What particular stumbling blocks, challenges, or defeats
did you encounter?
Progress can move slowly
with government agencies. Friends had to be persistent
in developing good relationships with key staff.
How many people were involved?
Although it is difficult
to estimate, probably several hundred.
How many people-hours were spent on the various aspects
of the project?
Hundreds-- There are 3 full-time
staff working on the project. There is also the staff
of the Lake County Storm Water Management Commission.
There were also countless hours put in by others (partners,
government and municipal agencies, the park districts,
and private organizations).
How was public involvement motivated and facilitated?
Presentations
were given to garden clubs, historical societies, and
civic organizations. Canoe trips and conferences were
held. A brochure was widely distributed. Two types of
workshops were held (one for engineers and developers
and one for golf course managers).
The outreach was targeted
more to specific audiences than to the general public.
Some of the projects have received good publicity. Publicity
will be wider when implementation begins.
How was public education a component of your program?
Since
1996, Friends has been directing the Chicago River School
Network, which is a well-developed educational program
for K-12 students. Currently, 154 teachers and 54 schools
are active in the program. It involves teacher training
for curriculum development for a variety of subjects relating
to the river, not just science. The network has been more
successful in Cook County than Lake because Chicago (Cook)
schools need more resources than those in the suburbs
(Lake).
Conservation design workshops
were developed for engineers and planners and for golf
course managers. There are 40 golf courses in the watershed.
What was the primary means of communication?
Individual
and group meetings, workshops, phone, email.
What resources were available/acquired/tapped into?
60%
of the funding came from the Section 319 non-point grant
program (of the Clean Water Act). It’s required that 40%
of this funding be matched by other sources. Funding also
came from foundation and corporation grants and government
agency in-kind contributions. It’s essential to have a
wide variety of funding such as the 1999 grant from GLAHNF.
What level of media exposure were you able to obtain and
how did it affect your efforts?
About
a half dozen news articles in local papers in both counties,
but it has not been that helpful to the project
Additional
Information:
Related Project:
The Somme Prairie Recovery Plan, covers a two-acre sub
watershed and nature preserve located in Northbrook. Managers
are finding ways to reduce erosion into a tributary. The
solution is to reduce the amount of storm water entering
the tributary (episodic inputs of large volumes of storm
water cause erosion, 'flashiness') by utilizing small
scale BMPs on individual properties. BMPs include designing
rooftop gardens on large commercial flat-roofed buildings,
planting native plants in drainage areas, incorporating
native vegetation and water gardens into private landscapes
to keep water where it falls. This situation points out
one of the difficulties arising from the lack of coordination
among municipalities that impact the river. Friends is
working to bring the parties together to coordinate actions
that affect the river.
Friends
of the Chicago River
407 S. Dearborn
Suite 1580
Chicago, IL
60605
