Josh Yellin is a Chicago native, NRES grad, and an entrepreneur who is passionate about rivers -- especially urban rivers. He recently co-founded a non-profit called Urban Rivers (www.UrbanRiv.org). We are excited to briefly share his story on the important work being done by Urban Rivers in the Chicagoland area.
“I have been connected to rivers all my life, growing up near the DuPage River. I later lived and worked alongside rivers in Montana and Alaska. In 2010, I returned to Chicago and kayaked on the Chicago River. The river, once teaming with fish and serving as a critical habitat for wildlife, disturbed me. I saw signs of life, but it certainly wasn't flourishing.
The Chicago River, like many urban rivers, was engineered to be functional as a heavy trade and transportation route. The river was lined with steel seawalls that prevent the growth of most emergent vegetation. A variety of plants currently sprouting out of the cracks in the steel and concrete alongside the river, as well as modest groups of geese and ducks all tightly packed on small docks and pilings, are a reminder of the wildlife that once abundantly inhabited this region.
For my Master’s research, I conducted a pilot study in the Chicago River by constructing an artificial floating island and evaluating its efficacy as fish habitat. The results of this study were encouraging, as fish were found beneath the artificial floating island significantly more often than nearby sampling areas (an uncovered part of the river and a nearby dock). With my results in-hand and a year of floating island experience under my belt, I wanted to upscale my project and do more to make a positive impact on the Chicago River and its wildlife.
I was lucky enough to find a few other like-minded individuals, and the four of us co-founded Urban Rivers in 2014. Over the past two years, we have worked diligently to obtain all necessary permits, align partners, draft designs, apply for grants and raise funds to install a 600 linear foot artificial floating riverbank in the Chicago River by May 2017. In addition, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) has made a generous in-kind donation to conduct professional fish surveys (via electroshocking) four times per year for four years, both before and after we make our installation, which will give us critical pre- and post- installation data. Our grand vision is to build a one-mile long urban wildlife sanctuary in the Chicago River on the east side of Goose Island by 2020. We hope our project will serve as a pilot and inspiration to other cities who wish to improve wildlife habitat on those waterways as well. We need your help spreading the word about our efforts. If you’re interested in getting involved with Urban Rivers, our research, our outreach, or floating island installation, please reach out to me at josh@urbanriv.org.”
