Friends’ mission is to protect and restore the Chicago-Calumet River system for people, water, and wildlife. Wildlife habitat projects strive to benefit all the animals in a community, but some projects focus on certain species at risk due to habitat loss and degradation.

Working with scientists from the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Friends identified several river-dependent animals present in the river system whose reproductive success could benefit from our help. In partnership with the Forest Preserves, Friends has installed maternity colony structures for bats, nesting platforms for ospreys, and cleared hundreds of acres of nesting habitat for turtles. 
Click here to learn about all of Friends’ on the ground projects which help improve wildlife habitat throughout the watershed.

Click here to learn more about Chicago-Calumet River watershed ecology and wildlife.

Current Wildlife Monitoring Opportunities

To support our wildlife projects and evaluate their success, Friends conducts volunteer monitoring programs for our habitat initiatives. Our main current opportunity is for volunteers to monitor osprey nesting poles. If you are interested in becoming an osprey monitor, sign up today as a Chicago River Eco-Warrior. We send out requests for help to CREW members in the spring as support is needed.

No experience required! Friends provides all the necessary information for interested volunteers. People under 18 must monitor with an adult. Volunteers commit to at least one location to monitor at least twice per month during the breeding season (April to August). Osprey nesting poles are located at:

• Skokie Lagoons Forest Preserve
• Erickson Woods Forest Preserve
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Whistler Woods Forest Preserve
• Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve

We are especially in need of volunteers to monitor Whistler Woods and Beaubien Woods.

Current Wildlife Monitor Resources

If you are an Osprey monitor, please fill out the online Osprey Monitoring Observation Form. A printable version of the form is here if needed to assist while making notes in the field and can be emailed to Friends at friends@chicagoriver.org if you are unable to use the online form.

Additional Monitoring Opportunities

Friends supports the scientific studies done by partners throughout the watershed. Check out these other opportunities to study and monitor plants and wildlife:

• Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute Bat Monitoring data and volunteering
• Peggy Notebaert’s Calling Frog Survey
• Contribute plant and wildlife sightings to iNaturalist
• Contribute bird observations to an international data set at eBird
• Contribute plant observations to the Chicago Botanic Gardens’ Budburst project