Volunteers in St. Charles continue Fox River’s resurgence from ecological disaster

The indigenous Meskwaki, referred by early French explorers as The Fox, believed the first humans were sculpted by the creator out of the same red clay forming the banks of the river now bearing their name. From Waukesha, Wisconsin, downstream 202 meandering miles to Ottawa, Illinois, volunteers gather annually providing stewardship and appreciation for the river that continues to provide.

From kids discovering nature's wonder to elder volunteers who have traversed the riverbanks for decades, more than 130 volunteers gathered along the St. Charles shoreline picking up plastic and litter. The Corridor Foundation of St. Charles hosted the sixth annual Fox River Cleanup, in partnership with The Conservation Foundation and the St. Charles Park District. Similar cleanup efforts took place all along the river as part of the "It's Our Fox River Day" on Sept. 21.

Volunteers in St. Charles targeted nine sites along the river including Norris Woods Nature Preserve, with some taking to boats to collect trash in the water.

With garbage picker and trash bag in hand, Benjamin Gallagher, a fourth grader from Woodridge, said he volunteered with his Cub Scout Pack 511 because enjoying nature and protecting it go hand in hand.

"I'm making sure the animals don't eat this stuff," Gallagher said. "It's nice to keep our planet clean and it's a kind thing to care for it. If you walk along a trail, it's easy to bring along a garbage bag."

Stacey Patterson, a leader in the Cub Scout pack, said she volunteered with her whole family because she believes fostering an appreciation for the environment begins at an early age.

"Being conservation minded is one of our key principles," Patterson said. "Having positive nature experiences like cleanups, hikes and camping allows the kids to learn to value the natural environment."

Far from the bountiful ecosystem that attracted the Meskwaki to hunt the plentiful bison gathering along its riverbank, the Fox River was described as an ecological disaster just a few short decades ago.

Visiting volunteers at Ferson Creek Forest Preserve in St. Charles, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said it's tremendous seeing how the community's hard work over the years has helped restore the river's natural beauty.

"When I moved here more than 40 years ago, people warned me don't buy property down by the Fox River because it stinks from untreated sewage being dumped in and leaky septic tanks," Foster said. "Over the last 40 years, that's changed dramatically. The Fox River has gone from being an industrial dumping ground to an important center of the communities up and down the river."

Foster attributes the dramatic turnaround to the Environmental Protection Agency meeting with the communities and businesses along the river to implement tertiary sewage treatment, a precise extra level of treatment ensuring higher contaminant removal before any water is released into the environment. He said the huge difference in the water quality has mirrored the increasing biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Foster said even though some community members originally opposed a bike path along the riverbank because it involved the public acquisition of some private property, generations have come to appreciate the wildlife and nature experienced by these paths. He said the benefits it's provided to the local economies has helped people understand the value of the ecology of the region.

"It's part of everyone's duty to leave the world in a better condition than they received it," Foster said. "That's the duty of every generation. When there's money required to repair environmental damage, the government has a role to do that. It's good use of federal and local taxpayer money. Together with volunteer organizations providing the sweat equity, it makes the river a little more usable, a little friendlier and something that we're all more proud of."

Rich Anderson, secretary of the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles, said he takes immense pride being told its little area along the Fox River has had the most volunteers of the event.

"I lived along the river and operated the paddlewheel riverboats launching from Potawatomi Park for 30 years," Anderson said. "When I was a kid, you never saw blue herons or bald eagles or anything like that. Once the water treatment plants were upgraded and a lot of the manufacturing pollution was stopped being put into the river, those animals became pretty common again."

Anderson said through dedicated protection of the restored ecosystem they can ensure the river remains a huge resource for the community.

"Look around. This section of the river is one of the most scenic," Anderson said. "There's big mature trees everywhere and we have kept minimal development."

State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said after reading about the event he was inspired to volunteer and help the environment.

"It's fantastic, especially when the young people come out because they're learning how important it is that we keep the area clean and take care of what we have," Ugaste said.

Ugaste said you can tell how important the river is to communities such as St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia by the thoughtful care they put into their waterfront developments.

"It's important to the communities in so many different ways," Ugaste said. "There are communities that still get their water from the river. Keeping it clean is important so they have clean water. It also helps our local economy because people come from all over to spend time along the riverfront in those communities."