From Jaguars to Osprey: Watch the River Summit on YouTube

The 2026 Chicago-Calumet River Summit is now available to watch on Friends of the Chicago River’s YouTube channel, offering the public access to the region’s premier river-policy event and its timely theme, In Defense of Biodiversity.

Nearly 100 local, regional, and international experts including the new top leadership from the Chicago Park District, Forest Preserves of Cook County, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, gathered for the summit to exchange ideas and advance solutions to the growing threats facing our health, flora and fauna including climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, and weakened environmental protections.

Featured speakers:

  • A leadership panel featuring Adam Bianchi of the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Margaret Frisbie of Friends of the Chicago River, John Murray of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa of the Chicago Park District, moderated by Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco of Grist and WBEZ.
  • Dexter Patterson of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters and the University of Wisconsin–Madison and co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, delivers a keynote conversation exploring how inclusive approaches to conservation can broaden public engagement and build a stronger, more resilient movement.
  • A science-focused panel moderated by Kristine Lorenzo of Friends of the Chicago River features Austin Happel of the Shedd Aquarium, John Quail of Friends of the Chicago River, and Phil Willink of the Illinois Natural History Survey to examine measurable improvements in fish diversity and to imagine the next phase of the river’s restoration.
  • Catherine O’Reilly of the University of Illinois Chicago Energy Resources Center discussed right-of-way policies, conservation benefits agreements, and prioritization tools that support equitable, high-impact urban habitat settings.
  • Juan Carlos Bravo of The Wildlands Network highlighted efforts to restore cross-border habitat corridors across the U.S.–Mexico region, from re-establishing jaguar pathways to advancing wildlife-safe infrastructure and binational partnerships, noting that conservation requires the ability to imagine a different future.
  • Sunny Nelson of the Lincoln Park Zoo connects global biodiversity research to local conservation action, showing how insights on genetic diversity and climate-driven threats inform everyday work in Chicago.