Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.
This month, we spoke with Gary Swick, educator and president of Friends of the Fox River.
Listen to the full interview
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River and flows over 200 miles from southern Wisconsin to Ottawa, Illinois. Swick has advocated for the river and used it as a classroom since joining the Friends of the Fox River in 1991.
“The Fox River was categorized as an impaired waterway in the early 2000s, and that is synonymous to a plant or animal getting the status of an endangered species. That means that it’s a mandate to save that and address that,” Swick said. “We’re educating and building a stewardship ethic with young people and hoping that they’re going to carry that forward.”
Learn more about the featured organizations:
- Friends of the Fox River
- Fox River Study Group
- Illinois Sierra Club (Valley of the Fox)
- Conservation Foundation
- Prairie State Conservation Coalition
- Prairie River Network
- Illinois Environmental Council
- Wild Ones – Illinois Chapter
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Great Lakes Moment: Rouge River Revived
Great Lakes EPA office reaffirms 2030 cleanup goal for Detroit River, other contaminated sites
Featured image: Using rivers as classrooms. (Photo Credit: GLN)
