FREP programs are free, open to the public

Reservations are not required, unless so stated

Wednesday, January 11, 2023   1 PM

FREP Membership Meeting, Annual Officer Elections & Program

Location:  The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way, Elgin 60120

Program: What our Fox River Watershed Partners are focusing on in 2023 and beyond

We have invited our fellow Fox River organizations to provide overviews and updates on their current and future activities. So much is being accomplished, it is time to share and celebrate in the new year.

Participating: Friends of the Fox River, Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, The Fabulous Fox! Water Trail, The Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club Valley of the Fox, and Fox River Study Group.

FREP Executive Committee will meet at 11 AM.

Slate of Officers for Annual Elections on January 12, 2023:

President - Jeff Mengler

Vice President - Nancy Williamson

Secretary - Lucas King

Treasurer - Elizabeth Hagen-Moeller

Nominations will be accepted from the floor on 1/12. If you are interested in serving in a position, please email info@foxriverecosystem.org

Wednesday, February 8, 2023  Noon - 1:30 PM

FREP Noon Network

Location:  Prairieview Education Center, at Silver Creek Conservation Area,

Crystal Lake, McHenry County Conservation Dist.

Program:   BiState Mussel Study



Presenter: Alison Stodola, Aquatic Biologist, Curator of Malacology,

           Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois

Photo from Mussel Monitoring Program's

 Jan 2022 publication The Clam Chronicle

Researchers with the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) are investigating populations of freshwater mussels in the Fox River watershed. Mussel populations have been studied in several large-scale projects in the past, but the most recent sampling efforts for the entire watershed were completed over 20 years ago.

The objective of the project is to compile species richness data, identify areas with unique mussel assemblages, and locate rare, endangered species. One such species is Rainbow (Cambarunio iris), also called Rainbow shell or Rainbow Mussel, which are small, colorful, striped mussels that use Smallmouth Bass and darter species as fish hosts. Historical records suggest that Rainbow were abundant prior to the industrial revolution, but they are now endangered in both Illinois and Wisconsin. Rainbow are believed to be extirpated in the Fox River watershed in Illinois and are found in only a few locations in Wisconsin.

Researchers from INHS and WDNR have sampled nearly 100 sites since 2020, and over 20 live species have been confirmed alive in the watershed. These data will be used to determine healthy sites for reintroduction and/or augmentation of populations of Rainbow or other vulnerable freshwater mussel species. Long-term research projects that investigate comprehensive changes in mussel communities are invaluable for understanding species shifts and adaptations in a changing environment. 

The next Fox River Summit is Thursday, March 16, 2023  

Burlington, Wisconsin

Link to website -- watch for details & registration



FREP will again be co-sponsoring a screening for the

One Earth Film Festival in March 2023.

Watch for details in the next Downstream and on our website

OEFF Website link



Happy New Year!! I hope this finds you all doing well and ready for the challenges of 2023. Hopefully progress in 2023 will not be as hampered by the pandemic as 2022 was.

I have written about some of FREP’s history and past accomplishments in my last couple of messages. Now that we’re in the new year, let’s begin to focus on our future together as watershed stewards.

A theme I’ve tried to weave into the messages over the last few years is: How do we make our watershed more resilient in the face of climate change. It will take all of us working together to be better stewards of the earth in many ways.

For our first meeting in 2023, we will start by hearing from several of our partner organizations who also share a Fox River focus. Friends of the Fox River, Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, the Fabulous Fox! Water Trail, the Fox River Study Group, The Conservation Foundation Fox River Initiative, and others will provide updates on their recent accomplishments and their plans for 2023 and beyond. These are all groups that we work very closely with on many things, and who join us in co-sponsoring our annual film screenings as part of the One Earth Film Festival. Please join us on January 11^th to hear from each of these groups as we plan our future priorities.

Looking ahead we will once again have an in-person Fox River Summit on Thursday March 16, 2023 in Burlington, Wisconsin – our 11^th annual. Details of the program will be available soon. We will also host an in-person One Earth Film Festival screening – probably on March 9^th or 10^th, and most likely back at Waubonsee Community College in Aurora. Watch our web page for details on both annual events and plan to participate.

FREP Holiday Gathering

We had a great time on December 13th at our annual get-together. We started with a flashlight-lit tour of of Campton Township's Gray Willows Farm. Once again, guide Josh Nelson walked backward, in the dark, nearly 2 miles, while he shared about the layout and updates to the property. Our thanks to Rob Linke for again hosting as we shared food and conversation in his home after the hike. Unfortunately, it became too wet to finish the event off with a bonfire, but the evening was delightful.

Thank you to all who have already responded to the statements

for 2022-23 membership renewal. We are at 94% of last year's dues total now and just need a last push to finish out!

Indian Creek

Watershed-based Planning



December 2022 Update

CMAP staff are wrapping up the dataset of best management practice (BMP) ideas submitted through the public engagement website and via stakeholder meetings and conversations. BMPs include urban and agricultural “on-the-ground” projects, local plans and policy updates, public education and outreach activities, and water quality monitoring recommendations. The on-the-ground/construction-type BMPs will be modeled by the project’s consultant, Geosyntec, to estimate how much phosphorus, nitrogen, solids, bacteria, and chloride can be reduced going to Indian Creek and the Fox River. This “pollutant load reduction” estimate, along with planning level implementation cost estimates for all the BMPs identified in the Indian Creek planning area, are among U.S. EPA’s “nine minimum elements” required in a watershed-based plan. The final plan will also include a framework for implementing the plan’s recommendations over the next ten years by outlining a general implementation schedule, criteria for determining progress, and monitoring recommendations to evaluate effectiveness, as well as by providing a list of grant funding and technical assistance providers. An interim final draft of the Indian Creek Watershed-based Plan was submitted to Illinois EPA on November 30, with the final version slated for submittal by year’s end.   

Above: A wintertime view of Indian Creek downstream of High Street in Aurora. 

  Photo by Holly Hudson

For project updates, documents, maps, and announcements, visit https://foxriverecosystem.org/fox/indian-creek. 

To see the BMP ideas submitted by stakeholders through the public engagement website, visit https://engage.cmap.illinois.gov/indian-creek-watershed-based-plan. If you have any questions about the project or would like to provide any input, please contact Holly Hudson at CMAP: hhudson@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8700.  

The Core Development Team is excited to announce the application for designation into the National Park Service National Water Trails System was submitted

on Nov. 2^nd.

Between now and June 2023, the National Park Service will complete an in-depth review of our 100 page application. If it meets all the criteria, the application will be sent on to the Secretary of the Interior, Debra Haaland, for her review, and then subsequently forwarded to President Joe Biden’s office for approval.

Powerpoint presentations from Aug.10, 2022

Tour of the Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville   

  USRC Website

 Presenters: Everett Krause & Andres Ortega

Video of June 8, 2022 FREP Noon Network

Program: Kane County’s Countywide Drainage Mapping Initiative –

Where Does Your Water Go?

Presenter: Rob Linke  P.E., CFM Sr. Water Resources Engineer & Wetland

Specialist, Kane County Dept of Environmental & Water Resources

Chicago Wilderness has announced they are officially the Chicago Wilderness Alliance. They've expanded their efforts in Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and rural Illinois, and are emphasizing their work to diversify partnerships. 

Visit their website to learn more HERE

Friends of the Fox River offers their new 2023 electronic calendar. It is interactive and you may enter your own special dates and appointments. If you aren't already a "Friend" of Friends of Fox River, visit their website to download the calendar and also take the opportunity to support them/sign up for their e-newsletter at this LINK



Some of the calendar photographs will be available for sale as full-size prints by the photographers, details for purchase will be included in the photo credits.

Becky Hoag, Communications Manager

Fox River Ecosystem Partnership

630-482-9157 info@foxriverecosystem.org

Please email Becky if you have an email to add to our mailing list or content to add to the next monthly Downstream.