St. Charles, Event supported by The River Corridor Foundation on Saturday Sept. 19th from 9:00-11:00 AM
St Charles, IL – Local organizations are again coming together to clean up litter along the Fox River. The River Corridor Foundation, in partnership with The Conservation Foundation and the St Charles Park District is hosting a cleanup event as part of “It’s Our Fox River Day” on September 19th. “It’s Our Fox River Day” is an annual event coordinated by Friend of the Fox River on the third Saturday of September and is now designated by multiple municipalities and counties. On this day, river cleanups and community celebrations will happen in towns along the Fox River from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Ottawa, Illinois.
The Fox River is the heart of St Charles and Kane County and ties our communities together. Now the Fox has its own day of honor, and cleaning it is a good way to show appreciation. St. Charles’ cleanup will start at Ferson Creek Park (off State Route 31 in St. Charles, IL 60175) Check in begins at 8:30am. Advanced registration is encouraged. Register today for The River Corridor Foundation’s St Charles clean up.
Register here for the St. Charles Cleanup
The River Corridor Foundation has hosted this evert since 2019, when just 40 volunteers came to help clean debris from the shoreline. Since then, participation has grown year over year, with more than 100 volunteers supporting the St Charles cleanup in 2025. We expect to exceed 100 volunteers this year with YOUR help! This annual river cleanup is a great opportunity for community engagement and will raise public awareness of the trash that accumulates in our waterways.
“Thanks to our partnership with The Conservation Foundation and the St. Charles Park District, we’ve been able to grow this event year over year,” shared Laurel Moad, President of the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles. “We’re grateful for the volunteers who continue to join us to clean-up our shorelines and pull debris from the water. Our success is measured by our joint efforts to have a healthier Fox River. I look forward to this event every year!”
The dedicated staff of our partners will support paddlers, larger debris transportation, and disposal of aggregated trash gathered by volunteers. The paddling clubs are welcome to join the St. Charles cleanups to tackle litter from on the water. With their support, we can access some of the hard-to-reach islands and shorelines considered litter hotspots.
Trash bags and collection tools will be provided. Volunteers are asked to provide their own gloves. Experienced canoeists and kayakers are welcome to bring their own boat and put in at launch sites.
Contact Laurel Moad l.moad@att.net with specific questions or to coordinate a large group of volunteers at one of these cleanups.
To see all opportunities available and groups participating on this day, visit Friends of the Fox River’s It’s Our Fox River event page.
