WRD Environmental Results Gallery, Habitat
Chicago River "Fish Hotel," Chicago, IL
Client Profile
Friends of the Chicago River is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of the Chicago River for the benefit of people and wildlife, laying the foundation for the river to be a beautiful, continuous, easily accessible corridor of open space in the Chicago region. The “Fish Hotel” is one of Friends’ habitat and education projects.
Goals
- Create a habitat that will return aquatic life to a downtown stretch of the Chicago River that has been inhospitable to wildlife
- Provide an opportunity for people to become more aware of the river, learn about it and connect to it in new ways
Sample Results
- The first known “Fish Hotel,” a safe haven for urban wildlife
- Within hours of installation, several species of fish arrived at the habitat, with a variety of other aquatic wildlife following suit
- Extensive press coverage and multiple awards that have raised the profile of Friends of the Chicago River
- A valuable marketing and fundraising tool
- An educational resource that Friends uses to help tell the story of the river’s ecosystem
- An innovative design that not only exceeded client expectations but is a model for additional sustainably designed, floating habitats envisioned for other parts of the river
Learn more about Friends of the Chicago River.
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