Fish of the Chicago Region is Focus of Next Speaker Series Event
The Spotted gar, thought to be extirpated from the river, was re-discovered in the North Shore Channel in 2014.
Our final Happy Hour Speaker Series event at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum will explore the nearly 200 species found in northern Illinois, and parts of Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Join us Thursday, September 18, at 5:30 p.m., for Fishes of the Chicago Region: A Field Guide with authors Francis M. Veraldi, Stephen M. Pescitelli, and Philip W. Willink.
Prominent ecologists who are widely recognized as leaders in their fields, Veraldi a fish biologist and restoration ecologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pescitelli is a retired stream specialist at the Department of Natural Resources, and Willink is an academic researcher for the Illinois Natural History Survey following service with the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History.
Their go-to guide includes stunning imagery, descriptions, distribution, status, and more—and illustrates how fish don’t follow boundaries. The book documents 164 fish species from 31 families and the important habitats, some quite rare, needed to thrive.
More than researchers for the agencies for which they served, all three of these important scientists have worked with Friends of the Chicago River on a great variety of habitat improvements projects including the Chicago River Fish Hotel, the first floating islands in the Chicago River; the invention and installation of 400 channel catfish nesting cavities; dam removal leading to the elimination of the North Branch Dam in Chicago, the Winnetka Road Dam in Winnetka, and the Tam O’Shanter Dam in Niles; and the Shallows Project which was featured on WGN TV this week (see the story above)
In addition to the lecture Friends now regularly offers guided tours of the Bridgehouse Museum with our trained staff to learn the history of the Chicago River. Tours are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Book your tour online HERE. The Bridgehouse Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday through October 25.
