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(Above) A special ceremonial twine laced with origami paper fish is cut to open the doors to the Chicago River Museum on August 21. (Left to right) Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago; Kari Steele, president of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River; MWRD Commissioner Kimberly Neely Du Buclet; and Gia Biagi, Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner. (Click on images to view larger versions.) 24-Aug-20 – A “dramatic turnaround” of the health of the Chicago River has resulted in 77 species of fish now calling the river home. At a grand reopening ceremony of the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum on Friday, Friends of the Chicago River said the river is now “teeming with wildlife due in large part to hard-fought water quality victories and significant restoration efforts.” “When the Bridgehouse Museum first opened its doors, fishing and paddling on the Chicago River system was novel and swimming unthinkable,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River. “The river was fenced off, fragmented, and polluted. But today, the river is healthier than it has been in 100 years and despite continued impacts of sewage and stormwater pollution and the climate crisis, it is alive with wildlife and people who now consider it a truly valuable natural resource and who want to work with us to protect it.”
According to Frisbie, fish populations and number of species have gradually increased over the past 30 years, while invasive species have declined. She says in 1974, there were just ten fish species. New exhibits explore how people and wildlife connect with Chicago River After a series of private events, the Chicago River Museum will officially open to the public on September 3. Friends of the Chicago River says new exhibits at the museum explore the improved connectivity of the river for people and wildlife, effects of climate crisis on the river system, creation of a blue-green corridor of interconnected green spaces, Clean Water Act, and nature-based green infrastructure. McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is located on the Chicago Riverwalk in the southwest corner of the DuSable Bridge on Michigan Avenue. With pandemic safety protocols, the museum is open on Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Fridays from noon to 7:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum will close for the season on October 31. |
