Urban Rivers

Spring is right around the corner! Swing by the Wild Mile to check out all the lovely new growth! Or at least, everything that hasn’t already been mowed down by the muskrats :)

River Ranger shoutout! A few weeks ago, Rangers Joe, Claire, and Ben brought Joe’s AWESOME Lego-Wild-Mile activity to the engineering fest. Kids built their own floating eco parks using Lego native plants, garden modules, and even 3D-printed river critters!!

This activity has been iteratively improved upon after being painstakingly crafted by Joe over a year ago. It debuted at last year’s engineering fest, and we’re so pumped to have been able to bring it back, better than ever!!

📸 #1: Sergio Mantilla/CAC

Some fascinating, awesome work done to track the movement of fishes throughout the river system!

Obligatory green river post!! (Do NOT talk to us about the main branch 🫠)

For those of you enjoying fool’s spring… DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE!!!! We’re not there just yet!!

Fortunately, the Wild Mile (and all the lovely wildlife it hosts) are weathering the chilly season just swimmingly. We frequently get asked - “what happens to the floating wetlands in the winter?” The answer is that they behave like any other midwestern ecosystem; storing energy in their root system and seeds, while continuing to provide food and shelter for the animals that overwinter in our lovely city. The docks and pontoons are built to last, and continue to provide a buoyant platform for our year-round ecosystem, even when the river freezes over!