Volunteer: Wild Mile Garden MaintenanceIt takes a lot of work to keep a rich diverse ecosystem on these floating wetlands. Our main task in the gardens will be to maintain balance, and stop any invasive or weedy-native plants from taking over and establishing a monoculture. Saturday July 11th - 2:00 to 5:00 - Garden Maintenance - Weeding and trimming/transplanting Juncus rushes. Most Thursdays - 4:30 to 7:30 PM - A reoccurring time for evening gardening at the Wild Mile. Staff may or may not be available for guidance, so if you have never walked on the gardens before, you can stick to the edges of the gardens and work from the walkways. If you do go out on the gardens, wear a life vest and radio, and move slowly so you don't put your foot through a hole or squish a young non-weed plant. Feel free to only come for part if you can't stay for the whole thing. Note that this will overlap with the Thursday workshop series, so be mindful not to disturb the workshops, maybe by only gardening farther north on the Wild Mile while they are going on. Many Saturdays - 10:30 to 1:30 - This will be a somewhat regular Wild Mile shift, unless there is an event that needs the full Wild Mile. Note that it overlaps with the other Wild Mile volunteer maintenance work, so just like Thursdays staff may not be available the entire time for guidance, but once you are confident you know what Jewelweed is, you'll be fine. * Feel free to come by for part of a shift if you can't be there the whole time * No previous garden experience is required! Here is a quick reference weeding guide, with our most common weeds and some of the lookalikes they are often mistaken for. There are a few tweaks we'll need to make before we print and laminate copies, but it's already a good primer. * Dress in clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and it's a good idea to bring your own water bottle, but otherwise we should provide any necessary tools, including rubber boots if you'd like to keep your shoes dry. Most volunteers pull weeds without gloves, but if you prefer to use them, clean ones are sometimes in short supply and bringing your own pair is helpful.
Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program It takes a lot of work to keep a rich diverse ecosystem on these floating wetlands. Our main task in the gardens will be to maintain balance, and stop any invasive or weedy-native plants from taking over and establishing a monoculture. Saturday July 11th - 2:00 to 5:00 - Garden Maintenance - Weeding and trimming/transplanting Juncus rushes. Most Thursdays - 4:30 to 7:30 PM - A reoccurring time for evening gardening at the Wild Mile. Staff may or may not be available for guidance, so if you have never walked on the gardens before, you can stick to the edges of the gardens and work from the walkways. If you do go out on the gardens, wear a life vest and radio, and move slowly so you don't put your foot through a hole or squish a young non-weed plant. Feel free to only come for part if you can't stay for the whole thing. Note that this will overlap with the Thursday workshop series, so be mindful not to disturb the workshops, maybe by only gardening farther north on the Wild Mile while they are going on. Many Saturdays - 10:30 to 1:30 - This will be a somewhat regular Wild Mile shift, unless there is an event that needs the full Wild Mile. Note that it overlaps with the other Wild Mile volunteer maintenance work, so just like Thursdays staff may not be available the entire time for guidance, but once you are confident you know what Jewelweed is, you'll be fine. * Feel free to come by for part of a shift if you can't be there the whole time * No previous garden experience is required! Here is a quick reference weeding guide, with our most common weeds and some of the lookalikes they are often mistaken for. There are a few tweaks we'll need to make before we print and laminate copies, but it's already a good primer. * Dress in clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and it's a good idea to bring your own water bottle, but otherwise we should provide any necessary tools, including rubber boots if you'd like to keep your shoes dry. Most volunteers pull weeds without gloves, but if you prefer to use them, clean ones are sometimes in short supply and bringing your own pair is helpful.
Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Education Facilitator
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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 11th, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Back 2 School Bash at Montgomery Ward Park to celebrate the end of summer. Facilitators will bring materials for seed bombs and make them at a table with families walking up. This will be a short activity where you explain how to make the seed pods and tell people to throw them into waterways or open fields while getting the kids to think about what seeds need to grow. 200 children are anticipated. *Note this event is not at the Wild Mile. This event is at Montgomery Ward Park at 630 N Kingsbury Street. You will need to pick up materials from the UR office before this event August 13th, 9:45 am to 1 pm: Peggy Notebaert Camps field trip at the Wild Mile. Stations include mussel surveys, macro-invertebrates, and seed pods. August 19th, 9:45 am to 1 pm: UIC College of Education event for future educators. Newly admitted students to the college of education at UIC will join us at the Wild Mile to learn more about how to incorporate environmental actions as future educators. We will be doing litter clean up and nature journaling. August 22nd, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm: Union Impact field trip. *Note this event is not at the Wild Mile. This field trip is at Park 571 at 2754 S Eleanor St. Chicago, IL, 60608 August 23, 9:45 am to 12:00 pm: The Honeycomb Project field trip at the Wild Mile. Stations will include macro-invertebrates, seed pods, and nature zines. Small groups of families will rotate through stations. August 25th, 9:15 am to 11:30 am: Montessori field trip at the Wild Mile. Stations will include trash pickup, nature journaling, and plant ID. There will be about 15 students. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program
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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 11th, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Back 2 School Bash at Montgomery Ward Park to celebrate the end of summer. Facilitators will bring materials for seed bombs and make them at a table with families walking up. This will be a short activity where you explain how to make the seed pods and tell people to throw them into waterways or open fields while getting the kids to think about what seeds need to grow. 200 children are anticipated. *Note this event is not at the Wild Mile. This event is at Montgomery Ward Park at 630 N Kingsbury Street. You will need to pick up materials from the UR office before this event August 13th, 9:45 am to 1 pm: Peggy Notebaert Camps field trip at the Wild Mile. Stations include mussel surveys, macro-invertebrates, and seed pods. August 19th, 9:45 am to 1 pm: UIC College of Education event for future educators. Newly admitted students to the college of education at UIC will join us at the Wild Mile to learn more about how to incorporate environmental actions as future educators. We will be doing litter clean up and nature journaling. August 22nd, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm: Union Impact field trip. *Note this event is not at the Wild Mile. This field trip is at Park 571 at 2754 S Eleanor St. Chicago, IL, 60608 August 23, 9:45 am to 12:00 pm: The Honeycomb Project field trip at the Wild Mile. Stations will include macro-invertebrates, seed pods, and nature zines. Small groups of families will rotate through stations. August 25th, 9:15 am to 11:30 am: Montessori field trip at the Wild Mile. Stations will include trash pickup, nature journaling, and plant ID. There will be about 15 students. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60625 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Tree Ambassador ProgramHey Rangers, or should I say Treehungers? If you are someone who loves trees and loves chatting with people about trees, this is the opportunity for you! We are part of a grant aimed at increasing tree canopy in Chicagoland in collaboration with the Morton Arboretum. By becoming Tree Ambassadors we will canvas areas in the following neighborhoods to put in tree requests with the city on city parkways. We will be in parts of Pilsen, McKinley Park, Back of the Yards, Little Village, Bridgeport and Chinatown. During Canvas Shifts you can expect to learn how to use the Chicago 311 App in order to submit Requests; Talk to residents about the ecological, economic and social benefits of trees. If you have any questions please reach out to our Programs Manager, maddie@urbanrivers.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Training: August 10th 6-7:30 at the Wild Mile August 13th 6-7:30 at the Wild Mile Canvas Shifts: Fridays 5-7 in the Bubbly creek Area * Each week I will email folks that sign up our location for that week's Friday. We will move around neighborhoods but will always aim to be 10 minutes driving or biking from Bubbly Creek. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Hey Rangers, or should I say Treehungers? If you are someone who loves trees and loves chatting with people about trees, this is the opportunity for you! We are part of a grant aimed at increasing tree canopy in Chicagoland in collaboration with the Morton Arboretum. By becoming Tree Ambassadors we will canvas areas in the following neighborhoods to put in tree requests with the city on city parkways. We will be in parts of Pilsen, McKinley Park, Back of the Yards, Little Village, Bridgeport and Chinatown. During Canvas Shifts you can expect to learn how to use the Chicago 311 App in order to submit Requests; Talk to residents about the ecological, economic and social benefits of trees. If you have any questions please reach out to our Programs Manager, maddie@urbanrivers.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Training: August 10th 6-7:30 at the Wild Mile August 13th 6-7:30 at the Wild Mile Canvas Shifts: Fridays 5-7 in the Bubbly creek Area * Each week I will email folks that sign up our location for that week's Friday. We will move around neighborhoods but will always aim to be 10 minutes driving or biking from Bubbly Creek. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60608 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: *Kayak Cleanup Training*This training is required for our kayak river cleanup opportunity ands covers a wide variety of safety topics, including best paddle practices, environmental and water traffic hazards, safety equipment usage, and more. We will also cover checking out equipment and other processes for our cleanup shifts. Note, this is an entirely on-land training session. Our safety information is pretty front-loaded, so please be on time. Attendees more than 10 minutes late will not have their training counted. Training sessions are hosted on the Wild Mile boardwalk. The address is 905 W Eastman St, park entrance at the end of the culdesac. * Note that we only have one training scheduled for August, and that it's on a weekday during normal working hours. This is partly because we have a limited number of kayaks and therefor limited clean-up shifts. Pretty much the only shifts that don't completely fill up right away are weekday shifts during the day, so we are hoping that the people available for this training will also be available for those shifts with openings. Sorry for the limited schedule! We'll have additional training opportunities each month through September. * Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program This training is required for our kayak river cleanup opportunity ands covers a wide variety of safety topics, including best paddle practices, environmental and water traffic hazards, safety equipment usage, and more. We will also cover checking out equipment and other processes for our cleanup shifts. Note, this is an entirely on-land training session. Our safety information is pretty front-loaded, so please be on time. Attendees more than 10 minutes late will not have their training counted. Training sessions are hosted on the Wild Mile boardwalk. The address is 905 W Eastman St, park entrance at the end of the culdesac. * Note that we only have one training scheduled for August, and that it's on a weekday during normal working hours. This is partly because we have a limited number of kayaks and therefor limited clean-up shifts. Pretty much the only shifts that don't completely fill up right away are weekday shifts during the day, so we are hoping that the people available for this training will also be available for those shifts with openings. Sorry for the limited schedule! We'll have additional training opportunities each month through September. * Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Kayak River Clean Up - Wild MileKayak the Chicago River at the Wild Mile to pick up trash! Removing trash improves water quality, habitat quality, and creates a more beautiful river for all. It’s a great way to kayak for free and directly improve your local ecosystem. Volunteers are provided with the kayaks, life jackets, radio for safety, and all necessary trash collection equipment. Trash collected is recorded in a Litter Task Force log so we can inform research and future policy about what kinds of trash end up in our river system. IMPORTANT NOTES: *Volunteers must attend one of our in-house kayak safety training before participating. You can view and sign up for upcoming sessions here. *Because trained volunteers kayak without our staff present, volunteers must be 18 years or older to sign up for this opportunity. *In order to reduce no-shows, we are releasing kayak shifts one month at a time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Kayak the Chicago River at the Wild Mile to pick up trash! Removing trash improves water quality, habitat quality, and creates a more beautiful river for all. It’s a great way to kayak for free and directly improve your local ecosystem. Volunteers are provided with the kayaks, life jackets, radio for safety, and all necessary trash collection equipment. Trash collected is recorded in a Litter Task Force log so we can inform research and future policy about what kinds of trash end up in our river system. IMPORTANT NOTES: *Volunteers must attend one of our in-house kayak safety training before participating. You can view and sign up for upcoming sessions here. *Because trained volunteers kayak without our staff present, volunteers must be 18 years or older to sign up for this opportunity. *In order to reduce no-shows, we are releasing kayak shifts one month at a time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 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: Odonate Monitoring11:00-2pm The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum runs the Illinois Odonate Survey (IOS) to keep tabs on our dragonfly and damselfly friends, which flock to the Urban Rivers floating wetlands each summer. There's been talk in previous years of having the 3 major Urban Rivers floating wetland locations be valid observation sites that can be traversed in paddlecraft while monitoring. If some of our volunteers are interested in becoming IOS monitors at those sites, we want to support them. Sunday Aug 9- 11:00-2Pm River ParkWednesday July 29 -5:00-7:00pm Wednesday Aug 5 -5:00-7:00pm Saturday Aug 8 - 11:00am-2:00pm Wednesday Aug 19 -5:00-7:00pm Sunday Aug 23 - 11:00am-2:00pm Mac has also assembled these very accessible resources to help people get started identifying dragonflies and damselflies. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program 11:00-2pm The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum runs the Illinois Odonate Survey (IOS) to keep tabs on our dragonfly and damselfly friends, which flock to the Urban Rivers floating wetlands each summer. There's been talk in previous years of having the 3 major Urban Rivers floating wetland locations be valid observation sites that can be traversed in paddlecraft while monitoring. If some of our volunteers are interested in becoming IOS monitors at those sites, we want to support them. Sunday Aug 9- 11:00-2Pm River ParkWednesday July 29 -5:00-7:00pm Wednesday Aug 5 -5:00-7:00pm Saturday Aug 8 - 11:00am-2:00pm Wednesday Aug 19 -5:00-7:00pm Sunday Aug 23 - 11:00am-2:00pm Mac has also assembled these very accessible resources to help people get started identifying dragonflies and damselflies. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Large Volunteer Group Assistant (Garden or Kayak)Urban Rivers is often joined by large volunteer groups, usually at the Wild Mile. Sometimes these groups are from fellow nonprofits and sometimes from companies organizing volunteer days for their employees. When the groups want to divide up, with some volunteers helping pick up litter on kayaks and others helping in the gardens simultaneously, it's difficult for Urban Rivers staff to assist both groups at once. That's where regular Urban Rivers volunteers could be really helpful. Here is what you could do: In the gardens, the main tasks are making sure volunteers are weeding the right plants and that everyone is wearing a life vest and generally being safe if walking on the gardens. It would be helpful if you already have a pretty good eye for our weeds, but if you want to do this and are still inexperienced, just email stephen@urbanriv.org after signing up for a shift. We can usually meetup 20 minutes or so before the group arrives to go over the current needs in the gardens. OR (You don't need to do both) On the kayaks, the main tasks would be making sure people are staying safe, answering questions, and getting people back around when they should be. It would be helpful if you've spent a lot of time out there volunteering for kayak clean-ups before. Ideally, you'd have taken one of the kayak rescue classes, but that's not required. Here are the up coming volunteer days that we could use help with: Wednesday July 22nd 8:45 to 11:15 - Aspen Institute at the Wild Mile Group of about 20 with a focus on kayaking and some gardening Friday July 24th 8:45 to Noon - Zenobe at the Wild Mile Big group somewhere between 35 and 50 people doing gardening, kayaking, and seed bombsIf we can find the right volunteers, we might try a new setup where the tour is replaced by having the group immediately break up into 3 parts, and having those 3 groups rotate through 3 volunteer stations (Kayaking, gardening, and seed bombs). The content that would have been explained on the tour could be explained at the beginning of each of those 3 stations.Saturday August 1st 2:00 to 4:00 PM - Fulbright Association at the Wild Mile At most 20 participants doing some light gardening after a tour Please note that most of these volunteer days start with a tour of the Wild Mile. If you want to attend that tour, you are more than welcome to. If not, setting up some kayaks or boots for gardening might be helpful during that time, or just feel free to show up 30 minutes or so after the start time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Urban Rivers is often joined by large volunteer groups, usually at the Wild Mile. Sometimes these groups are from fellow nonprofits and sometimes from companies organizing volunteer days for their employees. When the groups want to divide up, with some volunteers helping pick up litter on kayaks and others helping in the gardens simultaneously, it's difficult for Urban Rivers staff to assist both groups at once. That's where regular Urban Rivers volunteers could be really helpful. Here is what you could do: In the gardens, the main tasks are making sure volunteers are weeding the right plants and that everyone is wearing a life vest and generally being safe if walking on the gardens. It would be helpful if you already have a pretty good eye for our weeds, but if you want to do this and are still inexperienced, just email stephen@urbanriv.org after signing up for a shift. We can usually meetup 20 minutes or so before the group arrives to go over the current needs in the gardens. OR (You don't need to do both) On the kayaks, the main tasks would be making sure people are staying safe, answering questions, and getting people back around when they should be. It would be helpful if you've spent a lot of time out there volunteering for kayak clean-ups before. Ideally, you'd have taken one of the kayak rescue classes, but that's not required. Here are the up coming volunteer days that we could use help with: Wednesday July 22nd 8:45 to 11:15 - Aspen Institute at the Wild Mile Group of about 20 with a focus on kayaking and some gardening Friday July 24th 8:45 to Noon - Zenobe at the Wild Mile Big group somewhere between 35 and 50 people doing gardening, kayaking, and seed bombsIf we can find the right volunteers, we might try a new setup where the tour is replaced by having the group immediately break up into 3 parts, and having those 3 groups rotate through 3 volunteer stations (Kayaking, gardening, and seed bombs). The content that would have been explained on the tour could be explained at the beginning of each of those 3 stations.Saturday August 1st 2:00 to 4:00 PM - Fulbright Association at the Wild Mile At most 20 participants doing some light gardening after a tour Please note that most of these volunteer days start with a tour of the Wild Mile. If you want to attend that tour, you are more than welcome to. If not, setting up some kayaks or boots for gardening might be helpful during that time, or just feel free to show up 30 minutes or so after the start time. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Kayak Facilitator at Bubbly CreekCome help us facilitate free kayaking out of Park 571! We need volunteers to help inexperienced participants of all ages get in and out of kayaks, sign in, and stay safe on the water. We could also use some enthusiastic river-lovers to chat with participants about our organization and our mission while they wait for an open boat. Helping folks into boats is a physically demanding task, so if you’d rather stick to one of the other roles, please let us know when you reserve a spot! No kayaking experience is needed, but please let us know in advance if you're new to kayaking! **It is important that this event is fully staffed and has enough volunteers. If you are unable to attend a shift that you signed up for, you must unregister for this event. Failure to do so will make you ineligible for this shift in the future. We expect you to show up for this shift if you sign up for it. ***If you are able to volunteer but need to leave a shift early, email claire@urbanriv.org so that we can properly plan around this. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Come help us facilitate free kayaking out of Park 571! We need volunteers to help inexperienced participants of all ages get in and out of kayaks, sign in, and stay safe on the water. We could also use some enthusiastic river-lovers to chat with participants about our organization and our mission while they wait for an open boat. Helping folks into boats is a physically demanding task, so if you’d rather stick to one of the other roles, please let us know when you reserve a spot! No kayaking experience is needed, but please let us know in advance if you're new to kayaking! **It is important that this event is fully staffed and has enough volunteers. If you are unable to attend a shift that you signed up for, you must unregister for this event. Failure to do so will make you ineligible for this shift in the future. We expect you to show up for this shift if you sign up for it. ***If you are able to volunteer but need to leave a shift early, email claire@urbanriv.org so that we can properly plan around this. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60608 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Bubbly Creek Garden MaintenanceDuring the the public kayaking that Urban Rivers co-hosts with Shedd Aquarium we will shuttle gardening volunteers to the Bubbly Creek floating wetlands whenever possible. The main tasks will be pulling weeds and plugging gaps with native plants as needed. Please note that these shifts are at Bubbly Creek, and not the Wild Mile. We'll meet by the Eleanor Boathouse and load volunteers into the Green Pontoon boat around 3:30. Also note that the public kayaking event will be going on during this time, and we'll try to stay out of the way of it. If you arrive late and don't see gardening volunteers loading at the dock, you can let someone at the Urban Rivers table know so they can radio over that someone needs to get picked up, but it could be a bit of a wait. Finally, in the past sometimes volunteers could catch a ride on the boat from the Wild Mile to Bubbly Creek. This year we've been transporting all the kayaks on the boat during that trip, and between that and the staff/interns on the boat for that event and all the other supplies, there won't be room on the boat to transport gardening volunteers from the Wild Mile. Sorry that's not a transportation option this year! Please move slowly on these islands. There are occasionally small gaps in the structure of the gardens you can get your foot through. We'll try to let you know where those are, but the muskrats could always tear a new one no one knows about. As always, dress in clothes you don't mind getting wet/dirty, and bring a water bottle. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program During the the public kayaking that Urban Rivers co-hosts with Shedd Aquarium we will shuttle gardening volunteers to the Bubbly Creek floating wetlands whenever possible. The main tasks will be pulling weeds and plugging gaps with native plants as needed. Please note that these shifts are at Bubbly Creek, and not the Wild Mile. We'll meet by the Eleanor Boathouse and load volunteers into the Green Pontoon boat around 3:30. Also note that the public kayaking event will be going on during this time, and we'll try to stay out of the way of it. If you arrive late and don't see gardening volunteers loading at the dock, you can let someone at the Urban Rivers table know so they can radio over that someone needs to get picked up, but it could be a bit of a wait. Finally, in the past sometimes volunteers could catch a ride on the boat from the Wild Mile to Bubbly Creek. This year we've been transporting all the kayaks on the boat during that trip, and between that and the staff/interns on the boat for that event and all the other supplies, there won't be room on the boat to transport gardening volunteers from the Wild Mile. Sorry that's not a transportation option this year! Please move slowly on these islands. There are occasionally small gaps in the structure of the gardens you can get your foot through. We'll try to let you know where those are, but the muskrats could always tear a new one no one knows about. As always, dress in clothes you don't mind getting wet/dirty, and bring a water bottle. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60608 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Load Up for Bubbly CreekJoin us to load up kayaks on our boat for Bubbly Creek Community Kayaking! We need a few volunteers to help us move our kayaks and gather other materials needed for our Bubbly Creek programming. Whether you are in the area on your lunch break or would like to join us earlier in the day before you volunteer at the Bubbly Creek event, if you could help us out for a bit to move some kayak, that would be great!! **Please note that we are unable to transport anyone to Bubbly Creek. If you are planning on volunteering with us later in the day, you will need to get yourself to Bubbly Creek on your own. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Join us to load up kayaks on our boat for Bubbly Creek Community Kayaking! We need a few volunteers to help us move our kayaks and gather other materials needed for our Bubbly Creek programming. Whether you are in the area on your lunch break or would like to join us earlier in the day before you volunteer at the Bubbly Creek event, if you could help us out for a bit to move some kayak, that would be great!! **Please note that we are unable to transport anyone to Bubbly Creek. If you are planning on volunteering with us later in the day, you will need to get yourself to Bubbly Creek on your own. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: CAT Jam FacilitatorCAT Jam Chicago is a local music community that hosts open jam nights in the city. During the summer, they host events every Wednesday at the Wild Mile. CAT Jams are every Wednesday from June - September 7 - 10 pm. Facilitators will help to answer questions, get chairs out for participants, make sure everything is put away at the end of the night, and help with anything else that they might need. Feel free to bring an instrument and join in at the jam! Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program CAT Jam Chicago is a local music community that hosts open jam nights in the city. During the summer, they host events every Wednesday at the Wild Mile. CAT Jams are every Wednesday from June - September 7 - 10 pm. Facilitators will help to answer questions, get chairs out for participants, make sure everything is put away at the end of the night, and help with anything else that they might need. Feel free to bring an instrument and join in at the jam! Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Fishing FacilitatorHelp us run our public fishing events on the Wild Mile! From late April to early November, we'll be hosting public fishing events on the Wild Mile. They're geared towards first-time fisherpeople, so we need LOTS of knowledgable volunteers to help them manage fishing gear, safely unhook and handle fish, and learn cool river facts. No experience is required in order to volunteer as a facilitator. The events are 10am - 2pm, but we recommend coming early to get a briefing from our volunteer leaders (Evan and Jeremy) - especially if you are less familiar with fishing! They'll show you the ropes, and make sure you're comfortable working with participants. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Help us run our public fishing events on the Wild Mile! From late April to early November, we'll be hosting public fishing events on the Wild Mile. They're geared towards first-time fisherpeople, so we need LOTS of knowledgable volunteers to help them manage fishing gear, safely unhook and handle fish, and learn cool river facts. No experience is required in order to volunteer as a facilitator. The events are 10am - 2pm, but we recommend coming early to get a briefing from our volunteer leaders (Evan and Jeremy) - especially if you are less familiar with fishing! They'll show you the ropes, and make sure you're comfortable working with participants. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
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: 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 |