About
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Film
Purpose, Passion and Perseverance: Urban Rivers Is Creating a Sustainable Model for Cities Worldwide
8 mins
published
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“For a long time, Zach and I were just two dudes with a business card,” Nick Wesley, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Urban Rivers smiles. “When I think back to those times compared to where we are now, it just goes to show if you believe in something, perseverance matters.”
Nick and his colleague Zachary Damato are the founders of Urban Rivers, an innovative nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the Chicago River from an avoided, polluted waterway into a clean, accessible wild space for the community.
The team’s success can be noted through their contribution to the creation of The Wild Mile, which exists not only as a large-scale vision for the river to become a thriving ecosystem, but perhaps even more importantly as a proven model for sustainable urban river restoration.
In the latest installment of the “Operation Restoration” film series [at the top of this page], we’re given an exclusive glimpse into the individuals driving this extraordinary venture, discovering how their passion and perseverance sparked a wave of citizen-led initiatives now gathering global attention.
Read on to see Nick and Phil Nicodemus, Research Manager at Urban Rivers, explain the past, present, and future of their mission to transform concrete jungles into wildlife sanctuaries.
Phil Nicodemus (left) and Nick Wesley (right) are joined by volunteer Owen LaGuardia (centeR) on The Wild Mile. ©Brian Nevins / 11th Hour Racing
PAST: A century of industrialization
Once upon a time, the Chicago River, running through the heart of the city, was a vibrant natural ecosystem where people could interact with nature. A century of industrialization later, the picture is now vastly different.
Originally dug to 18 feet deep, the canal bed now sits just five feet below the water’s surface due to layers upon layers of sediment and historical pollution. It's kind of like a museum, but not the type you’d like to visit.
“As the city of Chicago evolved, the natural spaces surrounding the river got turned into concrete spaces contributing to the development of the city,” Phil explains. “The fusion between urban habitat and open space didn’t exist, and the waterways were essentially redundant to the population––even deliberately disconnected from neighborhoods.”
Phil is a keen kayaker, and he remembers paddling down what is now The Wild Mile many years ago and spotting a plant growing defiantly in a muddy drainage pipe coming out of the seawall. It reinforced his belief that real change was possible.
“I just thought: wildlife wants to be here,” he remembers. “We don’t have to force it, we just have to allow it.”
Phil Nicodemus
"I just thought: wildlife wants to be here. We don’t have to force it, we just have to allow it.”
Wildlife and greenery is returning to the Chigaco River. ©Brian Nevins / 11th Hour Racing
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PRESENT: 2,500 giant floater mussels by 2025
Fast forward to the present day and thanks to Nick, Phil, and the whole Urban Rivers team’s passionate approach to instigating change, hundreds of volunteers have been inspired to come aboard and help make a difference.
“We just found it insane that nothing was really being done,” says Nick. “I remember the early days, and we would find ourselves bogged down with permit applications. There was always someone telling us it can’t be done.
“That was a frustrating time, but we persisted, and with every small step forward, it reinforced our belief that it could be done, we just need to put in the effort.”
These specialized floating garden "bunkers" can hold up to 300 mussels. ©Brian Nevins / 11th Hour Racing
These specialized floating garden "bunkers" can hold up to 300 mussels. ©Brian Nevins / 11th Hour Racing
Volunteers are now out on kayaks three shifts a day, four days a week, picking up trash and logging the data. Since 2020, with support from the Dupage County Forest Preserve's Urban Stream Research Center, Urban Rivers has also released over 1,500 giant floater mussels into The Wild Mile.
These mussels, monitored in specialized floating garden "bunkers" that can accommodate up to 300 mussels each, help filter the water and improve its clarity; in turn, this encourages wildlife and plants to return to occupy the river bottom. Installing mussels in bunkers like this has shown a 5-10% annual growth rate and an impressive 80-90% survival rate. With support from 11th Hour Racing’s grant program, Urban Rivers plans to release an additional 2,500 giant floater mussels by 2025.
The team is incredibly proud of their progress but also keen to highlight the work of many other individuals and organizations that have helped pave the way for today’s progression.
“It’s a continuum,” says Nick. “We are standing on the shoulders of giants, we are benefiting from all the work the water reclamation district in our city has done, as well as other individuals advocating, for example, against sewage dumping. Everything we are doing today is thanks to those people.”
Nick Wesley
"We just found it insane that nothing was really being done."
Volunteers are out on the water four days a week picking up trash and logging the data. ©Brian Nevins / 11th Hour Racing
FUTURE: Breathing life back into our cities
The project might have started with the vision to clean up the Chicago River, but today it has led to a wider impact than the team could have hoped for or predicted.
Their work has now been featured in global media outlets such as National Geographic, NBC, the Chicago Sun Times, CBS and more. The initiative is spreading quickly, and cities around the world are sitting up and taking notice.
“What we are seeing is that we have created something of value to other cities. That’s the future,” explains Phil. “Every week, we get inquiries from cities around the world about the work we’re doing.
“Cities copy each other; they want models that are proven to mitigate risk, and that’s what we have. There’s always a ‘can’t,’ but the question is, are you willing to look beyond that and prove it can be done?”
Like most things sustainability related, it isn’t a lack of willingness the team has observed but rather the lack of direction that is the issue. Decision makers want sustainable solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change, and Urban Rivers have provided a tangible and achievable way forward to allow wildlife to breathe life back into our cities.
“The solution is here now,” concludes Phil. “There’s no reason to revert back to a hundred years of concrete inactivity!”
Phil Nicodemus
“What we are seeing is that we have created something of value to other cities. That’s the future."
Operation Restoration is a five-part film series that highlights five of 11th Hour Racing’s remarkable ecosystem restoration grantees. Through the eyes of those on the front lines, we share their passion, determination, and the impact of their work in restoring the planet’s balance.
Watch “Operation Restoration: RIVER,” as well as the full series, on YouTube today.
Hero image credit: ©Brian Nevins / 11th Hour Racing
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