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 April 29th 1:00-5:00 PM - Rakuten at the Wild MileIncludes kayakingThursday April 30th 12:00-4:00 PM - Docusign at the Wild Mile Thursday May 7th 9:00-12:30 - Chaberton at the Wild MilePlanning to kayak Please note that all 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, but if not, 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 April 29th 1:00-5:00 PM - Rakuten at the Wild MileIncludes kayakingThursday April 30th 12:00-4:00 PM - Docusign at the Wild Mile Thursday May 7th 9:00-12:30 - Chaberton at the Wild MilePlanning to kayak Please note that all 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, but if not, 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 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. PLEASE BE ON TIME - our safety information is pretty front-loaded, so 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. 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. PLEASE BE ON TIME - our safety information is pretty front-loaded, so 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. 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: 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------April April 22: North Shore Field Trip at Wild Mile. 20ish kids, Plant ID and Seed Pods. 12:30-2:30 April 22: Latin School Field Trip at Wild Mile. 60kids, Macros, Plant ID and Journaling . 9-11 April 25: Goeth Field Trip at Wild Mile; 30 kids and caregivers. Birding, Plant ID and Seed Pods. 9:30-12:30 April 26: Honeycomb Project Field Trip at Wild Mile; 15 kids and caregivers. Plant ID and Seed Pods. 10am-12 April 28: Trinity High School Field Trip 10- 12. 20 students We will be doing Macros, Plant ID Nature Journaling. May 2nd: BEAVER Festival 11-2 at Nichols Park fieldhouse. We will be doing the Lego Activity to get kids thinking about Beavers as engineers and our Work on the Wild Mile as similar. ***OFFSITE May 3rd: Current Water Tour@ Wild Mile. General tour and Nitrogen Cycling activity. Joe and I (Maddie will be leading this May 4: OPRF Field Trip at Wild Mile. 40 kids, Camera trap ID, Trash Pick Up, Seed Pods. 10-12 May 5: Crawford Field Trip at Wild Mile. 25 kids, Macros, Seed Pods. 8:30-11 May 6: SOS Field Trip at Wild Mile. 30 kids, Marcos, Birding, Seed Pods. 10-12 May 7: OPRF Field Trip at Wild Mile. 40 kids, Camera trap ID, Trash Pick Up, Seed Pods. 10-12 May 15: Hibbard Field Trip at River Park. 30 kids, Microscopes, Buoyancy. 9-12 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. May 24: Honeycomb Project Field Trip at Wild Mile; 30 kids and caregivers. Plant ID and Seed Pods. 10am-12 May 26: Field Trip at Wild Mile; 30 kids. Macros, Microscopes ID and Seed Pods. 9:30-12 May 27: World Otter CELEBRATION @ Wild Mile. Will need a general info tabling; and a otter education tabling. We may also need help with S'mores. 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------April April 22: North Shore Field Trip at Wild Mile. 20ish kids, Plant ID and Seed Pods. 12:30-2:30 April 22: Latin School Field Trip at Wild Mile. 60kids, Macros, Plant ID and Journaling . 9-11 April 25: Goeth Field Trip at Wild Mile; 30 kids and caregivers. Birding, Plant ID and Seed Pods. 9:30-12:30 April 26: Honeycomb Project Field Trip at Wild Mile; 15 kids and caregivers. Plant ID and Seed Pods. 10am-12 April 28: Trinity High School Field Trip 10- 12. 20 students We will be doing Macros, Plant ID Nature Journaling. May 2nd: BEAVER Festival 11-2 at Nichols Park fieldhouse. We will be doing the Lego Activity to get kids thinking about Beavers as engineers and our Work on the Wild Mile as similar. ***OFFSITE May 3rd: Current Water Tour@ Wild Mile. General tour and Nitrogen Cycling activity. Joe and I (Maddie will be leading this May 4: OPRF Field Trip at Wild Mile. 40 kids, Camera trap ID, Trash Pick Up, Seed Pods. 10-12 May 5: Crawford Field Trip at Wild Mile. 25 kids, Macros, Seed Pods. 8:30-11 May 6: SOS Field Trip at Wild Mile. 30 kids, Marcos, Birding, Seed Pods. 10-12 May 7: OPRF Field Trip at Wild Mile. 40 kids, Camera trap ID, Trash Pick Up, Seed Pods. 10-12 May 15: Hibbard Field Trip at River Park. 30 kids, Microscopes, Buoyancy. 9-12 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. May 24: Honeycomb Project Field Trip at Wild Mile; 30 kids and caregivers. Plant ID and Seed Pods. 10am-12 May 26: Field Trip at Wild Mile; 30 kids. Macros, Microscopes ID and Seed Pods. 9:30-12 May 27: World Otter CELEBRATION @ Wild Mile. Will need a general info tabling; and a otter education tabling. We may also need help with S'mores. 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: 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: Wild Mile Event FacilitatorAs the demand for events on the Wild Mile grows, we are re-working our programs structure to include volunteer leadership! Events such as musical performances, workshops, and S'mores nights require supervision by someone familiar with setup, takedown, and safety procedures We'll eventually be transitioning to entirely volunteer leadership for select programs, and feedback from our volunteers and community members will play a huge role in shaping our new structure. If you've been looking to connect with the community and take on leadership through Urban Rivers, this is your chance! No experience is required, but this opportunity will especially benefit from consistency. While in our transitional period, the posted shifts will double as training opportunities for Rangers less familiar with our events! Wednesdays: S'mores Night or CatJam Thursdays: Wild Mile Workshop Series Saturdays: Small concert Want to lead a program that doesn't exist yet? Email maddie@urbanriv.org - let's chat. ------ Special Events: ------------------------ Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program As the demand for events on the Wild Mile grows, we are re-working our programs structure to include volunteer leadership! Events such as musical performances, workshops, and S'mores nights require supervision by someone familiar with setup, takedown, and safety procedures We'll eventually be transitioning to entirely volunteer leadership for select programs, and feedback from our volunteers and community members will play a huge role in shaping our new structure. If you've been looking to connect with the community and take on leadership through Urban Rivers, this is your chance! No experience is required, but this opportunity will especially benefit from consistency. While in our transitional period, the posted shifts will double as training opportunities for Rangers less familiar with our events! Wednesdays: S'mores Night or CatJam Thursdays: Wild Mile Workshop Series Saturdays: Small concert Want to lead a program that doesn't exist yet? Email maddie@urbanriv.org - let's chat. ------ Special Events: ------------------------ Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program Opportunity Type: Volunteer Date: Multiple Shifts Available Zip Code: 60642 Allow Groups: No |
Volunteer: Odonate MonitoringThe 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. Program: River Ranger Volunteer Program 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. 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 |