Volunteer: Odd JobsDon't see an opportunity that fits with your schedule? There are often small jobs, especially around the Wild Mile, that could use an extra hand or two. It might be assembling furniture, shoveling gravel, or even swabbing the (goose) poop deck. Some volunteers have also found specific ways to regularly assist the Wild Mile's research and other missions. If you are interested in getting emailed whenever one of those small tasks comes up, just respond to this opportunity. In the "Response Notes" you could include the type of work you are interested in, since knowing what volunteers we have can influence what projects we start. You could also include general times and days of the week you tend to be free, since that could change when we schedule opportunities. If you are closer to our projects at Bubbly Creek on the Southside or River Park up north, let us know and we can add you to a list so you are sure to get an email if/when projects come up at those locations. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Don't see an opportunity that fits with your schedule? There are often small jobs, especially around the Wild Mile, that could use an extra hand or two. It might be assembling furniture, shoveling gravel, or even swabbing the (goose) poop deck. Some volunteers have also found specific ways to regularly assist the Wild Mile's research and other missions. If you are interested in getting emailed whenever one of those small tasks comes up, just respond to this opportunity. In the "Response Notes" you could include the type of work you are interested in, since knowing what volunteers we have can influence what projects we start. You could also include general times and days of the week you tend to be free, since that could change when we schedule opportunities. If you are closer to our projects at Bubbly Creek on the Southside or River Park up north, let us know and we can add you to a list so you are sure to get an email if/when projects come up at those locations. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Flexible Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Education FacilitatorEducation is central to our mission to connect community members of all backgrounds to the Chicago River, and one of our most popular educational opportunities are field trips! We offer free field trips to any school or youth group who asks -- Field trips always begin with a tour of the park (led by either staff or out docent-trained volunteers) before splitting into small groups for ~20 minute station rotations. This is where we need your help! With so many students, we need help leading activity stations centered around ecology and nature. Stations can include seed bomb making, exploring aquatic habitat and macroinvertebrates, cleaning the river by picking up trash, and more. All stations are straight forward and fun to teach, so you can pick your preference! If you love education, engaging students with the environment, or just want to hang out with some cool folks, sign up today! Most of our field trips occur in the Spring and Fall. We will update this opportunity with new field trip dates as they are scheduled. In addition to these field trips, we'll use this opportunity to post any public programs we might need help with. Monthly fishing events, partner events, etc... Please be sure to read the description of each event before signing up! If you have any questions, please feel free to email rangers@urbanriv.org or maddie@urbanriv.org Feb 28th: CAC Engineering Fest 10-3: We will have a drop-in style station focused on the engineering behind the floating wetlands. Description: "Kids build lego models of the garden units that make up the Wild Mile. They will be challenged to design units that specifically attract birds, insects or mammals. An additional challenge will be to design structures that create a floating eco-park for humans" *This is at Willis Tower; Programs Manager will help coordinate transport etc. March 19th:Waters Elementary at River Park. 3 rotating activities, probably macroinvertebrates, handheld microscopes, and trash pick up. *Note that this is at River Park and not the Wild Mile. Volunteers can meet at the launch/dock on the west side of the river here. April 18th: Healthy Kids Day at YMCA: As part of their Water Works Water related career exploration programming for 16-24 yr olds, we will be tabling and doing a station activity on Buoyancy. The Tabling aspect should aim to highlight the careers that make up urban rivers; and also highlight the river rangers program The Buoyancy activity will relate to our floating wetlands and connect to swimming which is a big component of their program. *Note that this is at Lakeview YMCA Volunteers will need to take materials to the location at 3333 N Marshfield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Education is central to our mission to connect community members of all backgrounds to the Chicago River, and one of our most popular educational opportunities are field trips! We offer free field trips to any school or youth group who asks -- Field trips always begin with a tour of the park (led by either staff or out docent-trained volunteers) before splitting into small groups for ~20 minute station rotations. This is where we need your help! With so many students, we need help leading activity stations centered around ecology and nature. Stations can include seed bomb making, exploring aquatic habitat and macroinvertebrates, cleaning the river by picking up trash, and more. All stations are straight forward and fun to teach, so you can pick your preference! If you love education, engaging students with the environment, or just want to hang out with some cool folks, sign up today! Most of our field trips occur in the Spring and Fall. We will update this opportunity with new field trip dates as they are scheduled. In addition to these field trips, we'll use this opportunity to post any public programs we might need help with. Monthly fishing events, partner events, etc... Please be sure to read the description of each event before signing up! If you have any questions, please feel free to email rangers@urbanriv.org or maddie@urbanriv.org Feb 28th: CAC Engineering Fest 10-3: We will have a drop-in style station focused on the engineering behind the floating wetlands. Description: "Kids build lego models of the garden units that make up the Wild Mile. They will be challenged to design units that specifically attract birds, insects or mammals. An additional challenge will be to design structures that create a floating eco-park for humans" *This is at Willis Tower; Programs Manager will help coordinate transport etc. March 19th:Waters Elementary at River Park. 3 rotating activities, probably macroinvertebrates, handheld microscopes, and trash pick up. *Note that this is at River Park and not the Wild Mile. Volunteers can meet at the launch/dock on the west side of the river here. April 18th: Healthy Kids Day at YMCA: As part of their Water Works Water related career exploration programming for 16-24 yr olds, we will be tabling and doing a station activity on Buoyancy. The Tabling aspect should aim to highlight the careers that make up urban rivers; and also highlight the river rangers program The Buoyancy activity will relate to our floating wetlands and connect to swimming which is a big component of their program. *Note that this is at Lakeview YMCA Volunteers will need to take materials to the location at 3333 N Marshfield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60625 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Fix-it Friends: Weekly Maintenance MeetupMidday every Saturday for the next couple months before real winter sets in, some volunteers will meet up to take care of all the little maintenance tasks around the Wild Mile. Here's a few of the types of tasks we may be tackling: Preparing the new office/lab/classroom space Tearing apart and updating some of the early experimental floating wetlandsReplacing any cracked boards on the Wild Mile walkwaysRevamping the way the kayak rack is laid out in the shipping containerBuilding aerator/blower systems or anything else Nick comes up with to move duckweed alongAdjusting anchor chains on floating wetlands
Feel free to drop by for just part of the time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Midday every Saturday for the next couple months before real winter sets in, some volunteers will meet up to take care of all the little maintenance tasks around the Wild Mile. Here's a few of the types of tasks we may be tackling: Preparing the new office/lab/classroom space Tearing apart and updating some of the early experimental floating wetlandsReplacing any cracked boards on the Wild Mile walkwaysRevamping the way the kayak rack is laid out in the shipping containerBuilding aerator/blower systems or anything else Nick comes up with to move duckweed alongAdjusting anchor chains on floating wetlands
Feel free to drop by for just part of the time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Bird MonitoringDid you know there are bald eagles in downtown Chicago? Help us spot all of the fantastic (and even some of the lame) birds on the Chicago River so we can have a better understanding of our ecosystem. Volunteers choose a weekly time to observe birds from one of our three garden locations. All you need is an hour, our monitoring worksheet, and an enthusiasm for birds - no previous birding experience required! To help get you started and explain our birding process, click here to watch this brief 15 minute training video that explains the why/where/when/how of birding with us. P.S. all birding resources are under the "Resources" section of the volunteer website for you to reference at any time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Did you know there are bald eagles in downtown Chicago? Help us spot all of the fantastic (and even some of the lame) birds on the Chicago River so we can have a better understanding of our ecosystem. Volunteers choose a weekly time to observe birds from one of our three garden locations. All you need is an hour, our monitoring worksheet, and an enthusiasm for birds - no previous birding experience required! To help get you started and explain our birding process, click here to watch this brief 15 minute training video that explains the why/where/when/how of birding with us. P.S. all birding resources are under the "Resources" section of the volunteer website for you to reference at any time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Flexible Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Camera CrewThere is so much of the Chicago River that we want to explore and share, and we need your help to do it! We have several types of cameras we work with, including Wildlife Camera Traps, 360 Camera, GoPro, and Drone, and currently have two key ways folks can get involved: Photo Observations: Help us review a backlog of photos and document your observations. This can be done in the Urban Rivers office or from the comfort of your own home — all you need is a computer. Here is a tutorial to get you started. Wildlife Camera Maintenance: Become a regular camera manager by showing up to reposition cameras, swap batteries, and offload and replace SD cards. This group meets here in the office (1440 N Kingsbury St.) every Saturday from 1-3 PM. On the first Saturday of the month, we'll sometimes meet in a coffee shop instead. While new volunteers are welcome to just start showing up, once per season we'll try to have a special onboarding/training Saturday for new Camera Crew volunteers. If you are registered for this opportunity here, you'll get a message when we schedule the next one. No previous photography experience required! The most helpful contribution a volunteer can make is consistency, ideas, and a willingness to learn! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to let us know: rangers@urbanriv.org. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program There is so much of the Chicago River that we want to explore and share, and we need your help to do it! We have several types of cameras we work with, including Wildlife Camera Traps, 360 Camera, GoPro, and Drone, and currently have two key ways folks can get involved: Photo Observations: Help us review a backlog of photos and document your observations. This can be done in the Urban Rivers office or from the comfort of your own home — all you need is a computer. Here is a tutorial to get you started. Wildlife Camera Maintenance: Become a regular camera manager by showing up to reposition cameras, swap batteries, and offload and replace SD cards. This group meets here in the office (1440 N Kingsbury St.) every Saturday from 1-3 PM. On the first Saturday of the month, we'll sometimes meet in a coffee shop instead. While new volunteers are welcome to just start showing up, once per season we'll try to have a special onboarding/training Saturday for new Camera Crew volunteers. If you are registered for this opportunity here, you'll get a message when we schedule the next one. No previous photography experience required! The most helpful contribution a volunteer can make is consistency, ideas, and a willingness to learn! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to let us know: rangers@urbanriv.org. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Flexible Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |