Potters Marsh is not just a place – it is a river restoration success story. Located within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the construction of Lock and Dam 13 downstream of the refuge area in the late 1930s drastically affected this unique backwater area. Sediments and silt accummulated behind the dam, filling in and seriously degrading wetlands, backwater lakes and marshes. Selected in the early 1990s to be restored under the Army Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Management Program program, Potters Marsh once again provides essential habitat for wintering fish, scores of migratory birds and other wildlife.

Join Prairie Rivers Network and Refuge staff on Saturday, June 30 to explore Potters Marsh by canoe. There will be two programs, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., and 1:00-4:00 p.m. Participants must be 12 years of age (accompanied by an adult) or older. Canoes and life vests will be provided or participants can bring their own equipment. This event is free, but space is limited. Preregistration is required. Canoes and life vests will be provided or participants can bring their own equipment. For additional information, contact Cecily Smith, csmith @ prairierivers.org, 217.351.0927.

Prairie Rivers Network Thanks our Charity Running/Walking Team, Volunteers, and Sponsors

Our 16 member team ran and walked a total of 252.7 miles in 45.32 hours at the Illinois Marathon, and raised $9,654 from 185 donors to help protect clean water and healthy rivers.

Jean, Gen, Vickie, Michael, Brian, Elliot, Rob

A special thank you to our top three fundraisers: Jean, Rob, and Beverly

Lucy Bannon – half marathon – 2:08

Lisa Bayer – 10K – 1:08

Elliot Brinkman – marathon – 3:10

Eunsuk Chei – half marathon – 3:52

Jean Flemma – half marathon – 2:15

Beverly Hertle – half marathon – 4:01

Michael Kammin – 5K and marathon – 0:27 and 3:44

Rob Kanter – marathon – 4:06

Genevieve Long – half marathon – 1:57

Brian Nudelman – half marathon – 2:30

Vickie Nudelman – 10K – 1:17

Nancy Pagaduan – 5K – 0:38

John Popovics – marathon – 3:01

Janet Rasmussen – half marathon – 4:01

Cecily Smith – 5K and 10K – 0:51 and 2:02

Nathan Unsworth – 5K and marathon – 0:32 and 3:39

Thank You Volunteers

Thank you to all the volunteers who cheered and handed out water to the marathon runners at Prairie Rivers Network’s water hydration station at mile 23.

Thank You Sponsors

Please support business that help protect our rivers and streams.

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.

Start Planning Now for Earth Day on April 22nd!

Earth Day is a great opportunity to make a difference, educate yourself, and renew your commitment to being a good steward!

We have put together a list of some of the many Earth Day activities taking place here in Illinois. If you see something missing, please let us know! We will add all Earth Day events and opportunities to our online calendar.

CHAMPAIGN URBANA

Boneyard Creek Community Day

Ages: all

When: 9am-12pm Saturday April 14, 2012

Where: Check in is at Scott Park starting at 9 am

Protect our local creeks and lakes to ensure a healthier community by picking-up litter, removing non-native plants, and installing stormdrain medallions. Register online and check out the website for information on what to bring and wear.

Sierra Club’s Natural Yard Care Workshop in Champaign

Ages: Adults

When: 9am-12pm Saturday April 21, 2012

Where: Champaign Public Library

Details: Free. No registration required.

Join us for tips on how to care for your yard without harming the environment. The hosts and topics include:

Theresa Meers (Parkland Horticulture Department) – eco-conscious lawn care

Cathy Bilow (Grieder’s Nursery) – kid conscious lawn care

Jamie Ellis (Grand Prairie Friends) and Stacy James (Sierra Club) – landscaping with native plants

Earth Day Celebration  Urbana Champaign

Ages: All ages

When: 1 – 3 pm Saturday April 21, 2012

Where: Anita Purves Nature Center

Cost: Free

Earth Week at UIUC

The University of Illinois Champaign–Urbana and  Students For Environmental Concerns (SECS) will be hosting events to celebrate Earth Week, April 16-20. Click here for a tentative schedule and event details.

WESTERN ILLINOIS

Sierra Club Volunteer Opportunities

When: 10am-12pm Saturday April 21, 2012

Where: Great River Road from Godfrey to Grafton

For more information: Call (618)462-6802 or e-mail Christine Favilla christine.favilla_at_sierraclub.org

There are many events throughout the year but Saturday April 21, 2012 features the Great River Road clean-up. The clean-up will focus on the 11 miles from Godfrey to Grafton up the streets and riverside. Help drop supplies every mile, shuttle volunteers, clean up the road of trash and debris on both sides of the road!

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

3rd Annual Earth Day Celebration Paddle 2012 in Morris

When: 11am Sunday, April 22, 2012

Where: William G. Stratton State Park  701 E. Illinois Ave, Morris, IL (map)

Cost: FREE if you bring your own equipment, but $39-49 if you need to rent. Limited rentals are available, so rent yours today!

It’s about 7 miles and will take 3-4 hours depending on how awestruck we get by our great Earth along the way!

Fox River Clean Sweeps

Join Sierra Club and other local groups as we continue a 10 year tradition of clearing the Fox Riverbanks of winter’s debris. Check back for updates.

Aurora Area

When: 9am-12pm, April 21, 2012

Where: Meeting place: Orchard Ave. This small street is just east of IL RT. 31/Lake Street in Aurora near the intersection of Lake St. and IL Ave or just west of the IL Avenue Bridge. Watch for Green SC signs at entrance of parking lot. You can’t miss us if you cross the bridge from either direction.

Elgin Area

Check back for details.

Earth Day 2012 in Geneva

When: 11am-3 pm, Saturday April 21, 2012

Where: Peck Farm Park 4038 Kaneville Road, Geneva,IL60134

Cost: FREE

Go green at Peck Farm on Earth Day. There will be rain barrels for sale, bicycle tune-ups, the Geneva Green Market, a Bicycle Rodeo, free paper shredding, green education, electronic recycling, local merchants and more!

McHenry County Conservation District and the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County Event

The event is held both indoors and out and will go on rain or shine!

When: 11am–4pm Saturday, April 21, 2012.

Where: Prairieview Education Center, Crystal Lake

• Puppet shows

• Join in a guided nature hike

• Live music

• Help out on a restoration service project.

• Get your Earth Day 2012 Patch. Youth group members can do activities and earn the patch at a reduced cost.

• Enjoy hands-on games, crafts and storytelling

• Over 20 Environmental Exhibitors

CHICAGOLAND

23rd Annual Earth Day Parks and Preserves Clean Up Chicago

When: 9am-12pm Saturday April 21,2012

Where: Multiple locations throughout Chicago

With events hosted across Chicagoland, there are endless opportunities from litter pick up to graffiti removal and community gardening. Check out www.earthdaychicago.com for specific locations and to register for the event.

Celebrate Earth Day in Humbolt Park

Where: Humbolt Park

When: 12-2 pm

After the activities at various parks and locations throughout Chicago, stop by Humbolt park from 12-2 pm

Run or walk in Chicago’s 3rd Annual Earth Day 5k

When: 8 am Saturday April 21, 2012

Where: 1400 North Sacramento Blvd. Chicago, Illinois

Registration Closing Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2012   11:59 PMUS/Central

Cost: $20 for those under 11-18, and $30 for adults.

Presented by Merchants Banc, the Earth Day 5k is committed to hosting a green event and making it a goal this year to reduce the carbon footprint of the event itself.

To celebrate Prairie Rivers Network’s 45th Anniversary we give you 45 ways to connect with, care for, and learn more about Illinois’ rivers and streams.

JANUARY

• Hang up your calendar and check out ways to connect with, care for, and learn more about Illinois’ rivers for the rest of the year!

FEBRUARY

• Join Prairie Rivers Network’s Illinois Marathon team and run (or walk!) for your rivers.

• 14 - Show us your love. Sign up for RiverWeb, our news and Action Alert network, and be an active voice for rivers.

• Cut down on your use of single-use plastics; use recyclable lunch and produce bags and bring your own grocery bags. Check out just some of the many options at http://www.chicobag.com/ or learn how to make your own

• Visit the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in Alton, IL.

MARCH

• Commit to not drinking bottled water. Tap water is better regulated than bottled & generates less waste!

• 16 - Submit your essay for the Mississippi River Essay Contest.

• Become a Certified Illinois RiverWatch “Citizen Scientist” by attending one of 11 training sessions throughout the state.

“To become a volunteer, certified RiverWatch “Citizen Scientist,” please register for one of the following Training Workshops. Workshops are conducted from 9 am – 4 pm. Registration is $50 and must be paid in advance. For more information, click here.”

• Visit the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge in the Cache River watershed near Ullin, IL – a Ramsar Site Wetlands of International Importance.

APRIL

• Celebrate National Poetry Month by enjoying poems about rivers, or write your own!

quiet river flows

distinctly beautiful

firm in its resolve

– Kim Knowles, Staff Attorney

 Water

Everything on the earth bristled, the bramble
pricked and the green thread
nibbled away, the petal fell, falling
until the only flower was the falling itself.
Water is another matter,
has no direction but its own bright grace,
runs through all imaginable colors,
takes limpid lessons
from stone,
and in those functionings plays out
the unrealized ambitions of the foam.
-Pablo Neruda

• 14 – Pitch in at the Boneyard Creek Cleanup and Community Day in Champaign.

The event was cancelled, due to weather, in 2011 but is on for 2012! Check the website closer to the 27th or contact Cecily Smith at csmith@priairerivers.org for more information.

• 22 - Celebrate Earth Day with renewed effort to REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE and REBUY.

• Renew your membership with Prairie Rivers Network – our effectiveness depends on our strength in numbers!

MAY

• Show your support by “liking” our Facebook page!

How? 1.Log onto facebook or create a free profile 2.Search for Prairie Rivers Network  3.Click on the Join Group button in the right-hand corner

• 12 - Celebrate Chicago River Day

• Plant a rain garden!

• 20 - Participate in the 55th Annual Des Plaines River Canoe and Kayak Race.

JUNE

• Check out our River Recreation web pages for information on where to play in and around rivers in your part of the state.

• Fish, float or camp at Illinois’ only National Scenic River: The Middle Fork of the Vermilion near Danville, IL

• Watch The Story of Stuff online. Consider what you can do to REDUCE.

• Hike Bell Smith Springs. You will understand why advocates have fought so hard to protect this beautiful place.  For a map click here.

JULY

• 4 - Compost your leftovers! According to the EPA, 27% of U.S. municipal solid waste is from food. Here is a great resource for getting started with backyard composting. 

• Visit the Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Refuge near Rock Island.

• Test your tap water. Compare the results to water quality reports from your local water provider.

• Learn how the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River was saved, leading to the birth of what would become Prairie Rivers Network.

AUGUST

• Photograph your favorite river spot and send it to Prairie Rivers Network, or post it on our Facebook page.

• Visit, bike or hike the Great River Road National Scenic Byway along the Mississippi River in Illinois.

• Foster your children’s appreciation for clean water: check out our list of 10 Ways to Connect with Water.

• Take a tour at the Volo Bog Interpretive Trail/Center in Lake County.

SEPTEMBER

• Watch an environmental film or documentary, such as Bag It; King Corn; Tapped; Coal Country; The Meatrix; Living a Nightmare; Crude; No Impact Man; Thirst.

• Bike the Fox River Bike Trail.

• 17 - It’s Our River Day! Find a river cleanup event near you.

• Explore the Project WET’s Discover Water website www.discoverwater.org with your children (or even by yourself!).

OCTOBER

• 5 - Attend Prairie Rivers Network’s 14th Annual Dinner and help celebrate our 45th anniversary.

• Visit the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and the Confluence Tower, both located in Hartford, IL.

• 17 - Recognize the Clean Water Act’s 40th birthday by calling your Congressional Representatives and letting them know you want them to protect clean water.

• Water and energy consumption are linked – using less energy reduces strain on our water supplies. Learn how you can save energy, save money, and reduce your impact. 

NOVEMBER

• Read one of the many fascinating books about the history of Illinois’ people and rivers – here are some of our favorites:

1. Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild by Lee Sandlin

2. River-Horse: a Voyage Across America by William Least Heat-Moon – According to Cecily Smith, a sober, but stuff-you-should-know one like a modern day Silent Spring.

3. Living Downstream by Sandra Steingraber

4. The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water by Charles Fishman, a great one on water supply.

• Visit the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (Dubuque, IA)

• 22 - Give thanks for clean water by renewing your support for your state advocate for clean water and healthy rivers : PRAIRIE RIVERS NETWORK!

• Count the number of Illinois Rivers you have visited and send us your pictures!

DECEMBER

• “It’s good to recycle your junk mail. It’s even better to stop getting it.” Visit: http://stopjunkmail.org

• Visit a nature center in your area. Enjoy mosquito-free hiking in winter!

• Spend cold days inside becoming a watershed expert. Visit the EPA’s Watershed Academy and get certified for FREE.

•25 - Participate in the Audubon Society’s yearly bird count.

Thank you to all of you who attended our 13th Annual Dinner in October. The chance to gather with like-minded river friends, old and new, is one of the highlights of the year for our staff and board members.

Please visit our flickr site for more pictures of our staff, board of directors, members and friends celebrating our rivers at the Annual Dinner.