The winning essay from Prairie Rivers Network’s “Our Upper Mississippi River: Connection, Inspiration, Transformation” essay contest!

Rebecca Gearhart

By Rebecca Gearhart

The gentle way that the Mississippi River flowed past my childhood home did not change much during the 1970s and 80s when I lived there, and its presence was a source of stability when everything else seemed to move too fast. The river figures prominently in my earliest memories, and “foofoo,” the name I called it, was one of the first words in the unique vocabulary that I spoke. Having the river in my life was a privilege that I can honestly say my younger sister and I were aware of while growing up. This is because our parents consciously positioned our activities indoors and outdoors so that we could not only see the river, but watch it. My mother’s favorite place in the house was the bay window in our living room, where she perched each morning while she sipped her coffee. My father’s morning spot was the hot tub he built on our deck over-looking the river, in which he read the daily paper—even in the winter. {Continue Reading »}

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Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22, 2012

We’ve compiled a list of opportunities for you and your family to celebrate and respect the home we share with all other living things. Let us know how you honor Earth Day – share your story or photos with us on Facebook.

Find an event in your area.

TAKE ACTION: Help us stop the carp!

In a recent poll, 77% of Chicagoans supported an integrated approach to stop Asian carp by restoring the natural divide between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins, cleaning up the water, and improving transportation and recreation. The good news is – this can be done.

Sign our petition and then help us spread the word to keep the momentum going!

How do we keep coal ash rolling toward safer disposal in an election year?

Legal action, that’s how! Earlier in April, Prairie Rivers Network and partners filed a lawsuit to force the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its rule-making process and finalize public health safeguards against toxic coal ash.

Read the full press release here.

Taxes were due yesterday (we hope you already knew that)!

Is our government spending our money wisely when it comes to large infrastructure and restoration projects on the Upper Mississippi River?

The good news is “yes,” and the bad news is “no.”

Find out why in our latest blog post: Your Tax Dollars and the Army Corps of Engineers!

Thank you to our Boneyard Community Day co-sponsors and participants!

The Boneyard Creek cleanup in Champaign went very well on Saturday – we had over 100 participants, a fantastic turnout given the rain started 8:30 and ended after 10! Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to help pull plastic and other garbage out of the Boneyard Creek and its watershed.

See if you were caught by the News Gazette’s photographer!

Say thank you to the Boneyard Creek Community Day sponsors!

Water: It really is the most important part, right?

It is not too late to be part of the Illinois Marathon excitement! Volunteer at our mile 23 water station; hydrate and cheer on the marathon runners.

Sign up here!

Announcing our new speakers bureau!

Have you always wondered exactly how we protect drinking water and habitat? Do you want to know more about coal pollution, factory farms, sand mines, pharmaceuticals, or rain gardens? Or, would you like to know how your community can protect your local water and habitat resources?

We have a talented staff with years of expertise who are willing to speak to your group.

See our list of topics and contact us about setting up a speaking engagement!

Donate, Join, or Renew Your Membership

In celebration of our 45th Anniversary, our board of directors will match dollar-for-dollar new and increased donations this year up to $10,000.

Never donated before? Can you give just $5 a month to support clean water and healthy rivers?

Click here to support our work.

By Robert Hirschfeld

A highly-anticipated report clearly demonstrates that it is possible to separate the artificial connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins and prevent the transfer of invasive species through the Chicago River system.

Authored by the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, “Restoring the Natural Divide”  re-envisions the Chicago River as a system which not only prevents the transfer of aquatic invaders such as Asian carp, but also better serves its functions of moving people and goods and managing stormwater, while improving water quality. {Continue Reading »}

BY BRIAN PERBIX

Prairie Rivers Network was dismayed to learn last year that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is using taxpayer money to market a one-sided view of coal to students as the safe and clean fuel of the future.

“From the Coal Mines to the Power Lines”  is a K-12 curriculum that offers teachers detailed lesson plans to incorporate coal into every subject area. Teachers are invited to learn how to use this program at the annual Coal Education Conference - a state sponsored, all expenses paid professional development retreat for teachers at Rend Lake Resort where agency staff and coal industry representatives sing the praises of coal.

It may not surprise you that state sponsored coal education materials provide no information about how coal mining, burning, or waste disposal threaten our clean water. Sadly, the materials also coach teachers to question whether human use of fossil fuels is contributing to global climate change.

Illinois is one of three states that uses taxpayer money to produce and distribute coal marketing materials under the guise of legitimate education.

With our partners in the Heartland Coalfield Alliance, Prairie Rivers Network has asked the Governor’s office to immediately halt the distribution of the state sponsored coal curriculum and to cancel the annual Coal Education Retreat. So far we have received no indication that either the DCEO or Governor Quinn will put our children’s science education ahead of coal industry interests.//

Help Keep Propaganda Out of Our Kids’ Schools

Please sign our petition calling on Governor Quinn to stop selling coal to our kids!

Banner Marsh HREP, Illinois (Credit: Jerry Milam)

With spring’s longer and warmer days, many of us are getting out to enjoy Illinois’ multitude of  diverse rivers and streams.  These winding  waterways are often the closest, perhaps the only, bit of natural landscape that many Illinois residents have for recreation and rejuvenation.

A few of us might still be stuck inside, scrambling to finish our tax returns. This year, whether you are writing a check to, or waiting for a check from, Uncle Sam, you may wonder how your tax dollars are being spent, and if they are being spent wisely, when it comes to protecting Illinois’ rivers. {Continue Reading »}

Join in the excitement of the Illinois Marathon!

Prairie Rivers Network is hosting a water station at mile 23 of the Illinois marathon.

We’re looking for volunteers to join staff and members of our board of directors in handing out water and cheering the marathoners on to the finish line.

If you can commit to joining us from 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28th, please sign up here. Select “Prairie Rivers Network” from the drop down list and enter the password “prn2012″.

You will receive our Run for Your Rivers tech running shirt.

Our charity running/walking team has raised $5,150 for clean water and healthy rivers. Help cheer them on to the finish line.