Wildlife Cameras

We understand colloquially that naturalized and restored sections of river tend to host much a greater abundance and diversity of wildlife than those with less wildlife-friendly infrastructure. However, until recently, we’ve had no way to quantify these differences on a region-wide level. In late 2023, we put together a team of River Ranger volunteers dedicated to systematizing the management of our motion-sensing wildlife cameras and the content they capture. These volunteers have a goal of optimizing camera placement and settings to capture as much of the river’s wildlife activity as possible across three key locations (The Wild Mile channel, South Branch near Bubbly Creek, and North Branch at River Park).

The photos, once collected, are categorized by volunteers based on the animals they contain. These photos will eventually become quantitative data that helps us better understand the habits of different species that make their home in the Chicago River!

If you want to get involved, you can check out our photos and help us categorize them!