Suburban Ecologists Save Squirrel During Canoe Trip on Fox River [VIDEO]

Scott Brejcha of Western Springs coaxed a squirrel in distress along the Fox River onto a life preserver and guided the squirrel to shore. Photo credit: Keith Jones

By Amie Schanezer

Two suburban ecologists got more than what they bargained for last week during an annual canoe trip on the lower Fox River.

Keith Jones and Scott Brejcha, both ecologists with V3 Companies in Woodridge, were paddling with a group of 20 others Friday during an invite-only trip sponsored by the Conservation Foundation along a stretch of river far south of Yorkville and north of Ottawa.

Jones and Brejcha were enjoying an especially scenic portion of the trip, which runs from Illinois 52 to Wedron, where sandstone bluffs are bleached white and make you “feel like you are not even in Illinois” when they spotted something thrashing in the water, Jones said.

Brejcha, a Western Springs resident, thought it was a muskrat. Jones, who lives in Plainfield, thought it was a mink.

Upon closer inspection, both learned it was a female squirrel that had likely fallen from the trees into the river.

“As we made our way over, we realized there was no way for her to make her way up because the sandstone bluff was so high,” Jones said.

The squirrel attempted to latch onto a rock but failed. Brejcha used his paddle to try and coax her to swim downstream.

“She swam for a little bit but was not having it,” Jones said.

Again, trying to coax her downstream, the squirrel climbed onto Jones’ paddle and scaled up the shaft of the paddle and into the canoe. She then made her way toward Jones.

“I put my paddle between me and the squirrel,” Jones said. “I thought we had an understanding. She was staring at me and I was looking at her but then she jumped toward me. My reflexes were faster and I swatted her into the river.”

But they didn’t give up on the rescue. This time, they used a paddle to guide a life preserver out to the squirrel. Brejcha coaxed the squirrel onto the preserver and Jones paddled the trio downstream where there group had stopped for a break.

“We landed and the squirrel jumped onto the ground and onto the log. She looked at everyone and then jumped into the brush,” Jones said.

Brook McDonald, the president/CEO of The Conservation Foundation, guided the trip down the Fox River on Friday and was waiting on shore when Jones and Brejcha paddled up.

“My reaction was how nice it was that they took the time to care about and rescue a wild animal that was about to drown,” McDonald said in an e-mail response. “ have never seen anything like this squirrel rescue. It just makes you feel good.”

Sandy Kaczmarski, a public relations/marketing manager for The Conservation Foundation, said the trips along the Fox River are set up for foundation members and organizations, such as V3 Companies, which work with the foundation.

“They can really see the river and experience it and see the potential on why is it so important to preserve the area,” Kaczmarski said.

Watch Brejcha and Jones save the squirrel: