River Reminiscent – 2005

In 2005, Friends opened the Michigan Avenue Fish Hotel on the Main Stem of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago. It was the first floating island to be installed in the Midwest and included fish lunkers that hung below the surface to add places for fish to rest and find protection. Designed to demonstrate the value of constructing habitat where fish can find food and shelter in urban environments where seawalls prevail, the Fish Hotel garnered international attention, won many awards, and led to the creation of The Jetty between Wells and Franklin on the Chicago Riverwalk downtown. The Jetty, for which Friends secured a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chi-Cal Rivers Fund grant, employs the same technologies as the Fish Hotel as well as limnetic curtains to add substrate, or surfaces, where aquatic organisms can grow.