Here’s How to Join In

This website, the official It’s Our River Day website, lists all the events across the state.

If you are group interested in organizing an It's Our River Day event here's how:

1. Designate a lead contact in your community or organization for It’s Our River Day.
2. Determine your event — see the suggestions in this brochure for ideas. Your event should take place on the third Saturday in September.
3. The community contact will need to provide event information to the Lt. Governor’s Office by printing, filling out and sending the Event and Contact Sheet below to the address at the bottom of the sheet, or contact our offices at 217-782-6830 or 312-814-5220.
4. Your event will be listed on the official It’s Our River Day website from information provided by the lead contact to the Governor‘s office in Step 3.
5. Publicize your event locally.
6. Get out and Celebrate It’s Our River Day!

Event and Contact Sheet

Need some ideas?

Below are some ideas to get you started planning an event.   Check into the organizations listed for state and local chapter information.  Some may already have events planned on It’s Our River Day.   They can provide help and resources.  

Recreation

Take a friend fishing:
http://www.ifishillinois.org/
http://www.ilfishing.com/

Take a kid fishing:
http://www.aa-fishing.com/il/illinois-kids-fishing.html

Organize a bike ride -- find at least one stream along the way
League of American Wheelman (link:  http://www.bikelib.org/index.htm )

Organize a canoe/kayak ride List of Illinois paddling clubs  
(link: http://www.illinoispaddling.org/clubs.html ) 

Contact your local Forest Preserve District if you have one in your county for ideas and resources.

Parks, Forest Preserves and Natural Areas in Illinois:
http://www.kidzooie.com/parks.html#northwest

Check out your Local Park District:  http://www.ilparks.org/

Ideas on how to connect children with nature:  http://www.childrenandnature.org/

Education

IDNR activity books and posters on aquatics, reptiles, amphibians, etc.
(link:  http://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/ActivityBooks.htm )

Organize a learn to bird hike near a stream or lake.  Contact one of these organizations for assistance:

Illinois Audubon Society   (link:  www.illinoisaudubon.org)

Audubon Illinois  (link:   http://www.audubon.org/states/index.php?state=IL)

Illinois Ornithological Society (link:  http://www.illinoisbirds.org/)

IDNR Bird trunk  (link:  http://dnr.state.il.us/education/birdtrunk.htm)

Learn how to take a bird survey of a park or natural area near water with Illinois Audubon Society – Count Your Birds  (link to:  http://www.illinoisaudubon.org/countyourbirds.html)

Learn about Wetlands.  Organize a wetland plant identification hike

Illinois Wetlands (link to IDNR page:  http://dnr.state.il.us/Wetlands/ )

Wetland FAQ from The Wetlands Initiative (link:  http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/TWIfaqs.html )

Illinois Native Plant Society  (link:  http://www.ill-inps.org/ )

IDNR Wetland trunk:  http://dnr.state.il.us/education/classrm/wetlands.htm

Invite someone to speak on water quality issues.

Prairie Rivers Network (link:  http://prairierivers.org/about/ )

Contact IEPA to borrow an Enviroscape, an interactive tabletop model demonstrating the effects of nonpoint source pollution, runoff and best management practices  (link to Barb Lieberoff’s e-mail:   barb.lieberoff@illinois.gov )

Learn how to be a citizen scientist.  Discover Illinois RiverWatch  (link:  http://www.ngrrec.org/river_watch.htm )

Learn about wetlands:

http://www.projectwet.org/

http://www.projectwild.org/ProjectWILDK-12AquaticCurriculumandActivityGuide.htm

http://www.wetcity.org/

Invite a speaker from the Illinois Natural History Survey to your event or organization:  http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/outreach/speakersbureau/speakerslist.html

Conservation

Participate in a river clean-up near you:

Friends of the Illinois River   www.friendsoftheillinoisriver.org

Friends of the Chicago River  www.chicagoriver.org

Friends of the Fox River Home Page - Friends of The Fox River

Friends of the Wabash River

Friends of the Cache River  http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/CypressCreek/friends.html

Storm Drain Stenciling.  Contact Prairie Rivers Network  http://prairierivers.org/about/ )

Get information on how to organize a stewardship day at a natural area.  Contact the Volunteer Stewardship Network link:  http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/illinois/volunteer/art9844.html )

Check into some ideas for a community service project for a youth group:
http://www.epa.gov/teachers/community-svc-projects.htm

The Water Drop Patch Project –  The Water Drop Patch Project inspires Girl Scouts to learn about water quality and to take action in their communities to protect and restore local water resources, including their local rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands and ground water.
http://www.epa.gov/adopt/patch/

World Water Monitoring Day is also celebrated on September 18 – for information on how to participate go to: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/