The special event recognized awardees for their exceptional efforts on behalf of our mission to protect and restore the river system for all people, water, and wildlife.

Wild River Resolutions connects people to the species living in and along the river while spotlighting simple, everyday actions that support a healthy, biodiverse, and accessible river system for all people, water, and wildlife.

Friends of the Chicago River welcomed a delegation from Chicago’s sister city of Warsaw led for a memorable cultural exchange, river exploration, and conversations about the important role rivers play in healthy, resilient cities.

The group visited the Lathrop Homes riverfront, which opened in 2019, to discuss design and management best practices and other lessons learned from this relatively recent, but well-established river edge landscape.

Since 1996, the CRSN has connected more than 650,000 students and 2,000 teachers with the river system through hands-on learning, science experiments, and field trips to the river.

Throughout the evening, we’ll recognize outstanding members of our river community with our annual River Commitment Awards.

The polystyrene ban supports Friends’ Litter Free Chicago-Calumet River program and efforts to reduce the waste stream to reduce litter in and along the river which harms people and wildlife.

On a river cruise with SOCAP 2026, members of Friends’ leadership team shared a series of stories highlighting the many years of effort, community partnerships, public policy and planning outcomes, and strategic leadership that resulted in a river clean enough for swimming.

Join Friends and its partners for lunch and a discussion about what the project has uncovered, what opportunities lie ahead, and to share your perspective to inform the ongoing effort to shape the future of what we hope will be renamed the Illinois Prairie Canal.

Chicago is one step closer to reducing plastic pollution.