Urban Rivers
Description
Urban Rivers is a nonprofit organization working to transform urban waterways into wildlife sanctuaries.
It builds artificial floating gardens filled with native wetland plants inside existing waterways, restoring habitat for fish, birds and turtles where seawalls once removed natural riverbanks. It installs floating boardwalks so people can access these habitats. Its best known project is the Wild Mile, the world’s first floating eco-park, built on the Chicago River.
The organization studies and monitors river health, working with universities on plant life, water chemistry and aquatic species. It also runs a waterway robotics program to remove trash and a project to reproduce native mussels that improve water quality. It hosts free field trips, tours and summer programs, including an environmental justice education program, aimed at communities of all backgrounds.
Urban Rivers targets historically degraded stretches of the Chicago River, seeking to improve environmental quality and access to nature for marginalized communities. It was founded in Chicago in 2014, originally as the Naru Project, after concerns about pollution in the Chicago River’s South Branch, known as Bubbly Creek. It operates in Chicago, Illinois.
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