River Cleanup Sites Named in North Suburbs For May 11 Chicago River Day

Thousands of volunteers are expected to participate in Chicago River Day, an annual cleanup event scheduled for May 11 at some 65 sites across the Chicago area, including nearly two dozen in the northern suburbs.

The event, now in its 27th year, is free but participants must pre-register at http://bit.ly/chicagoriverday.

No experience is necessary and tools will be provided. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. All participants receive a free t-shirt. This year, Friends is keeping trash for later analysis from seven locations, including the Dammrich Rowing Center in Skokie. The analysis is a way to better understand what kinds of litter are in the 156-mile Chicago River system, where the trash comes from, and how it moves.

The project is part of the Friends-initiated Litter Free Task Force Committee that includes representatives from Waste Management, Mars Wrigley Foundation, REI Co-Op, Friends and Loyola University biology professor and aquatic biologist Timothy Hoellein, Ph.D., an expert on litter and its effects on aquatic life.

"There has been significant improvement in water quality and the general health of the river," said Friends' Executive Director Margaret Frisbie. "But litter remains a stubborn problem. Litter in the Chicago River system poses a threat to wildlife, which can become entangled in it or swallow it, as well as adversely affect water quality and plant life, and mar the beauty of the river."

Here are the North suburban locations for Chicago River Day:

Evanston

Canal Shores

Evanston Ecology Center

Glenview

Techny Basin

Blue Star

Glenview Woods

Highland Park

Highland Park Country Club

Highland Park Shopping Center, (corner of Staples parking lot)

Prairie Wolf Forest Preserve

Lake Forest

Middlefork Savanna

Skokie River Nature Preserve

Lincolnshire

North Park

Lincolnwood

Lincolnwood Centennial Park

Morton Grove

Miami Woods

Niles

Bunker Hill

North Chicago

Greenbelt Forest Preserve

Northbrook

Somme Woods East

Chipilly Woods East

Northfield

Watersmeet Woods

North Chicago

Greenbelt Forest Preserve

Skokie

Skokie Sculpture Park

Dammrich Rowing Center

Winnetka

Skokie Lagoons

Friends of the Chicago River is an award-winning nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve and protect the Chicago River for people, plants and animals. With over 10,000 members, volunteers, and online advocates, Friends works to make the river greener and more accessible, while building awareness of the benefits that a clean, healthy river can bring to the surrounding community. Friends of the Chicago River is working to make the Chicago River one of the world's great metropolitan rivers. For more information please visit www.chicagoriver.org.