In this episode of Inside, Out & About we explore the confluence of nature and art with acclaimed artist Ben Miller and Friends of the Chicago River Executive Director Margaret Frisbie. Miller works in a unique painting style with a rod and reel in a process he calls "fly cast painting." In the spring of 2022 Friends of the Chicago River hosted Miller at our McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum, located on Chicago's iconic Riverwalk, where Miller toiled for hours angling his line toward a Plexiglas canvas some 20 feet away to create a stunning portrait of the Chicago River.

In this episode of Inside, Out & About we are joined by Mary Pat McGuire, associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and director of Water Lab. McGuire talks about the relationship between water and pavement, and the vital need to rethink our overreliance on impervious paved surfaces. She details how we can undo the harmful environmental effects of paved surfaces by reducing their area, which creates positive impacts for human and ecological health, aesthetics, and resilience instead.

Our Inside, Out & About series is expanding in its second year to feature people whose work inspires action and advocacy for the natural world; advancing ideas and strategies of how we can all work together to and improve and protect the river system for people, plants, and animals.

The featured guests on the first episode of this year's series are the recipients of our 2021 River Commitment Awards. These individuals are exceptional leaders on behalf of the river system who inspire others to get involved to improve and protect it.

Solorio Academy High School chemistry and environmental science teacher Greta Kringle - the 2019 recipient of our Educator of the Year award - successfully uses the Chicago River as a teaching tool to help her students learn science develop a sense of stewardship for the river and its wildlife. In this episode, Kringle discusses her passion for teaching, the environment, and her active engagement in our premier education program the Chicago River Schools Network.

Traversing through the Palos Preserves of southwest Cook County, Illinois – the largest concentration of preserved land in the Forest Preserves of the county– is beautiful Crooked Creek. A winding tributary to the Cal-Sag Channel, which is a part of the Chicago River system, Crooked Creek and the surrounding land are fertile habitat for dragonflies and damselflies, including the endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly. It is also home to many fish species including largemouth bass, bluegill, and pumpkinseed.

In this episode we take you on a journey to Whistler Woods in south suburban Riverdale, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The 137-acre forest preserve along the Little Calumet River is an excellent site to see a wide diversity of bird species and to explore the historic Major Taylor Trail named for Marshall "Major" Taylor, who was an African-American bicycle racer and civil rights advocate. Taylor was one of the first African-American athletes to become a world champion in any sport. He was known for many years as the fastest bicycle rider in the world.

Wampum Lake forest preserve is located in south suburban Cook County near Thornton, Illinois. At 412-acres it includes the Wampum Lake Nature Preserve, a mosaic of sand seep, freshwater marsh, dry-mesic upland forest, wet floodplain forest and an eroding bluff community located along Thorn Creek which runs through the west side of the preserve and flows to the northwest side of the lake. The lake itself has nearly one mile of shoreline. The site includes a mix of creekside habitat, savannah, woodlands and floodplain forest and also has natural springs that create wet, marshy areas in the woods, particularly in spring.

In this episode, Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, interviews Kim Roman Natural Areas Protection Specialist for the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, and Maggie Jones, Conservation Programs Manager at Friends of the Chicago River.