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Wild Mile

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Wild Mile

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Amazon
Area: 5888268 km2
Countries:
Brazil; Peru; Suriname; France; Colombia; Guyana; Bolivia; Venezuela; Ecuador
Cities:
Santa Cruz; Manaus; La Paz
PFAF ID:
HydroBasin Level:
Baseline Water Stress:
Water Quality Stress:
Sanitation Access Stress:
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Quick Info

Countries: United States of America
Regions: St.Lawrence
Project SDGs:
Includes Sustainable Development Goals from the project and its locations.
Water Quality (SDG 6.3)
Protect and Restore Ecosystems (SDG 6.6)
International Cooperation and Capacity Building (SDG 6.a)
Stakeholder Participation (SDG 6.b)
Project Tags:
Includes tags from the project and its locations.
Nature-Based Solutions
Progress to Date: 1. 160 River Rangers activated 2. 11,000 square feet of gardens have been installed along with mussel habitat and bat traps. 3. Field Trips launching in 2021 4. Four research projects executed by graduate students 1. Volunteers Engaged (River Rangers) 2. Habitat Installed 3. Youth Education Hours 4. Research Projects Executed
Services Needed: Policy advocacy
Communications & outreach
Financial support
Desired Partners: Business
Business Association
City
Investor
Financial Institution
Language: English
Start & End Dates: Jan. 01, 2016  »  Ongoing
Project Website: www.urbanriv.org
Contextual Condition(s): PHYSICAL: Inadequate infrastructure, DATA: Limited data access and/or availability to understand river basin conditions, Other
Additional Benefits: Better / more data on river basin conditions, Long-term partnership(s) created, Raised awareness of challenges among water users, Other
Beneficiaries: Other utilities, Environmental users (e.g., fishers, recreational users), Local communities / domestic users
Planning & Implementation Time: More than 3 years
Financial Resources: More than $500,000 USD
Primary Funding Source: public
Project Challenges: RESOURCES: Lack of financial resources, RESOURCES: Lack of technical resources
Project Source: User
Profile Completion: 97%

Project Overview

Urban Rivers is creating a wildlife-first, mile-long river park located in the North Branch Channel of the Chicago River known as ‘The Wild Mile’. Our park boasts a series of floating gardens & trees, habitat installations, access points, and educational initiatives with the aim of creating a robust wildlife sanctuary in the heart of Chicago. Since 2016, we’ve added over 11,000 sq. ft of floating habitat. In 2021, our team installed 400 feet of a floating pathway that in…

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Urban Rivers is creating a wildlife-first, mile-long river park located in the North Branch Channel of the Chicago River known as ‘The Wild Mile’. Our park boasts a series of floating gardens & trees, habitat installations, access points, and educational initiatives with the aim of creating a robust wildlife sanctuary in the heart of Chicago. Since 2016, we’ve added over 11,000 sq. ft of floating habitat. In 2021, our team installed 400 feet of a floating pathway that includes an educational platform for students to host their classes. Since we began working on the Wild Mile in 2016, we’ve surpassed many challenges and now with partners that include the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Shedd Aquarium, Molson-Coors, Patagonia, REI, National Geographic, and others, we are prepared to expand the Wild Mile and create a world-class destination for all.

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Basin and/or Contextual Conditions: PHYSICAL: Inadequate infrastructure, DATA: Limited data access and/or availability to understand river basin conditions, Other
Project Benefits: Better / more data on river basin conditions, Long-term partnership(s) created, Raised awareness of challenges among water users, Other
Indirect or Direct Beneficiaries: Other utilities, Environmental users (e.g., fishers, recreational users), Local communities / domestic users
Months & Implementing: More than 3 years
Financial Resources: More than $500,000 USD
Primary Funding Source: Public funding
Challenges: RESOURCES: Lack of financial resources, RESOURCES: Lack of technical resources

Missed Opportunities

The ability to continue building out our floating walkway trail with habitat along with more habitat product development.

Project Narrative

Over the past five years, Urban Rivers has been working to build the Wild Mile, a park dedicated to transforming a mile-long section of concrete and steel-laden Chicago River into an urban wilderness destination for all to enjoy. The Wild Mile will be lined with innovative design elements, backed by Urban River’s own experiments and ecological research. These elements, such as floating gardens, floating forests, and specifically designed underwater elements that act as aquatic habitat, improving water quality, increasing species diversity, and boosting the overall health of the river. Our novel approach to this project – prioritizing the health and wellbeing of the river and its inhabitants – has resulted in a clear demonstration of the value of truly wild spaces, to the environment and the communities in which they are located. Since its inception, the vision for the Wild Mile has been to create a simple, elegant, solution to several of the issues persistent in the Chicago River, and in urbanized waterways in general. The Wild Mile will take an abandoned eyesore, and turn it into a robust ecological resource for the benefit of all, in an area where open space is at a premium. Each city has a particular relationship with its waterway; no two rivers are alike.Therefore, while the challenges on a large scale may be the same, the solutions on a local level must be both creative and flexible in order to provide the maximum benefit, in an efficient way. We expect the Wild Mile to become a truly unique park that will breathe life back into the remnants of Chicago’s industrial past, and serve as a blueprint for revitalization in other neighborhoods in Chicago, and urban areas throughout the world.

Partner Organizations


The mission of Urban Rivers is to transform city waterways into urban wildlife sanctuaries to reconnect people of all backgrounds to nature in new and innovative ways. We are beginning that mission with our flagship project in Chicago; The Wild … Learn More

Zachary Damato
Primary Contact  
Leonardo Rodriguez
Member  

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