Last weekend, the village of Algonquin held the eighth annual “It’s Our River Day” celebration and clean-up at downtown Cornish Park.  It was a lovely Saturday afternoon for more than 20 organizations to gather at the Fox River to educate the public about water quality and conservation, recreation opportunities, and more.

Around 150 people took advantage of the warm and sunny day to participate in the event, after thunderstorms the previous two days had caused the Fox River to rise to just below flood stage.

The celebration featured several new activities and presentations this year. The ALITH Fire District did a water rescue demonstration and the McHenry County Conservation District brought live native animals, including a Red-tailed hawk.

Caption: The ALITH Fire District demonstrated techniques for rescuing someone trapped near a dam or being carried along with the current.

Wilderness Inquiry offered canoe rides to visitors, and the Sierra Club sponsored a river clean-up along the shores throughout Cornish and Buffalo Parks.

Overall “It’s Our River Day” was a great event due to the support of many different people and organizations. A big ‘thank you’ goes out to the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County for organizing the celebration, the village of Algonquin for hosting the event and disposing of the garbage and recycling collected, the Sierra Club for coordinating the river clean-up, the organizations that participated and gave presentations, and all the people who attended the event and participated in the clean-up efforts. Mark your calendars for Sept. 17, 2016!

The Kane County Division of Environmental & Water Resources distributed educational materials at “It’s Our River Day.”