Chicago EXPLORING NATURE & CULTURE

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HAPPY FOOD • BIO BLITZ What is ChicagoWilderness? Chicago Wilderness is some of the finest and most significant nature in the temperate world, with a core of roughly 200,000 acres of protected natural lands harboring native plant and animal communities that Chicago is a quarterly are more rare – and their survival more globally WILDERNES S magazine that celebrates the rich threatened – than the tropical rain forests. natural heritage of this region and tells the inspiring stories of the people CHICAGO WILDERNESS is an and organizations working to heal unprecedented alliance of 154 public and private and protect local nature. organizations working together to study and www.chicagowildernessmag.org restore, protect and manage the precious natural ecosystems of the Chicago region for the benefit of the public. www.chicagowilderness.org O P P O S I T E : S p e a r s

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o CHICAGO WILDERNESS o d

s A Regional Nature Reserve ,

C o o k

C o u n Living Locally t y .

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n my view, it is indeed a bit of a stretch to make the the airport is built, we will never reclaim that land – for f a l l connection between farming and the conservation of farming or nature. Ron Engel captures these issues elegantly f o biological diversity. Prior to the steel moldboard in his essay on page 30. l I i a g plow, farmers had a terrible time trying to ‘break’ the This is the challenge of Chicago Wilderness. To have e

o rich prairie turf. The cast iron plows settlers brought rich nature and a robust economy, to have places that peo - f

C with them from the east were designed for the thin New ple want to live and the food, jobs, education, and h i c England soils. Here in the transportation to sustain a g o Midwest, the rich prairie soil, those lives, we in this region

W formed over thousands of years will need to preserve both i l d e by the deep root systems of farms and natural areas. We r n e tall grasses and wildflowers, will need to work toward s s

clung to the plow blades. In large macrocomplexes of cul - i s

r the mid 1830s, John Deere, a tivated lands and natural i c h blacksmith in Grand Detour, lands, both contributing i n

Illinois, and John Lane, a essential ingredients to a b r o blacksmith in Yankee healthy sustainable future. n z

e Settlement in Homer The premise, the grand s

a Township, independently used hope, of Chicago Wilderness P n h d steel from broken saw blades o is that we can do things dif - t

o e : a to make a plow that could J ferently here, that we can o r t h h n

break through the prairie. imagine a society bound by a

W t e o i n n Thus was the once unimagin - common vision and working s t e e s i

ably vast ecosystem of the tall - n for the common good. For no . ,

P © h grass prairie swiftly reduced to matter what our religious 2 0 o 0 t

mere remnants in the space of 2 beliefs or political views, no o

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a generation. e matter what our income or y

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Of course, we need to eat. l race, we are all neighbors d i k M e Agriculture, at least in a primi - u occupying this small, fertile s

e M u m a tive form, has been with us crescent of land on the south - c D nearly as long as the prairies. western rim of a great lake. o n

a Not only is eating a necessity, it affords us some of our We share habitat and we are, collectively and individually, l d

/ greatest pleasures. It knits us together as families, as social responsible for keeping it healthy. The shining promise of w w beings. That being the case, is there a way for farming and Chicago Wilderness is that it charts a way to a sustainable w .

C nature to support each other? future wherein we become caring neighbors, stewards of the h i c There are, in fact, some signs of hope. As our article on earth, kin to all creatures. a g

o page 6 shows, the Chicago region is home to a fledgling ______N a food movement seeking to promote regional growers using t With this issue, Chicago WILDERNESS u

r agricultural practices that are better for the land and for e begins its sixth year of publication. . c people. Moreover, one of the principal reasons to oppose o We hear from many of our readers how much they m the construction of a proposed new airport in Will County . love this magazine , its beautiful photography, its guide to is that it could occupy as much as 24,000 acres of prime wonderful places, its thought-provoking articles. Won’t you farm land – land currently devoted to corn and soybeans, please help us become a powerful voice for nature in this for the most part, but that might be converted to farms pro - region by giving gift subscriptions this holiday season? ducing vegetables right near our burgeoning metropolis. If

Debra Shore

EDITOR

F ALL 2002

CONTENTS Fall 2002 Volume VI Number 1 chicagowildernessmag.org

FEATURES

THINKING GLOBALLY , E ATING LOCALLY by Debra Shore ...... 6 Where agriculture and nature conservation meet.

CALUMET BIO BLITZ Words by Don Parker. Photos by John Weinstein...... 10 P h o

Twenty-four hours of feverish study – to find and catalogue t o :

J

bugs, birds, and the rest of creation. i m

F l y n

CHICAGO ’S PARK REVIVAL n / R o by David Cohen ...... 14 o t

R e

New Department of Natural Resources helps bring nature to s o u

10 r Chicago’s parks. c e s

DEPA RTMENTS

Letters ...... 5 Into the Wild ...... 17

Our guide to exploring the wild places of Chicago Wilderness. P h o t o :

Meet Your Neighbors ...... 25 M a r y

Camouflage masters and savanna serpents. V a n

H

Discovering the Inner Naturalist: ...... 27 a a f

14 t e

On the trail of the cuckoo in Cuba Marsh. n by Nancy Shepherdson Guest Essay: The Vision of Ecological Democracy ...... 30 The heartland – and a new environmental culture. by J. Ronald Engel News from Chicago Wilderness ...... 32 Reading Pictures ...... 40 Droplets of unrequited nectar. P h o t o :

M i k e

At left: Students met scien - R e d

26 m

tists at Calumet’s BioBlitz. See e page 10. r P h o t

o Opposite page: Most foliage :

J

o turns fall colors while asters h n

W bloom at Illinois Beach. Photo e i n

s by Walt Anderson/Root t e i n Resources. / © 2 0 0 P 2 h

o T Cover: Red dogwood and t h o e :

F yellow maple leaves frame a C i a e r l o d l

tree trunk encrusted with many M F r u e s e

e species of lichen. Photo by 27 m u a m Willard Clay. n Chicago Small School. Big Family. WILDERNES S Volume VI, Number 1

Early Childhood Education BOARD OF DIRECTORS Human Services, Culinary, Business President: Dr. George Rabb Vice-President: Dan Griffin Information Technology, Liberal Arts Secretary: Laura Gates Hotel/Restaurant Management Treasurer: Barbara Whitney Carr Jerry Adelmann, Laura Hohnhold, Ron Wolk

Editor: Debra Shore Senior Editor: Stephen Packard Associate Editor: Don Parker Assistant Editor: Sheryl De Vore News Editor: Alison Carney Brown Art Director: Carol Freeman Web Master: Jennifer Dees Advertising & Subscriptions Manager: Phyllis Wier

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are $14/yr. & $25/two yrs. Please address all subscription correspondence to Chicago WILDERNESS , P.O. Box 5054, Skokie, IL 60076-5054. (847) 965-9253. [email protected]

ADVERTISING Ad info: (630) 417-5230 [email protected]

EDITORIAL Please direct editorial inquiries and correspondence to Editor, Chicago WILDERNESS , 5225 Old Orchard Road, Suite 37, Skokie, IL 60077. (847) 965-9275. [email protected]

Chicago WILDERNESS is printed on recycled paper. Chicago WILDERNESS is endorsed by the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council. The opinions expressed in these pages, however, are the authors’ own. © by Chicago Wilderness Magazine , Inc.

Chicago WILDERNESS (ISSN: 1097-8917) is published March, June, September, and December by Chicago WILDERNESS Magazine, Inc., 5225 Old Orchard Road, Suite 37, Skokie, IL 60077.

Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Paid Rates is KENDALL COLLEGE Pending at Skokie, IL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Chicago WILDERNESS, P.O. Box 5054, Skokie, IL 60076. PUTTING EDUCATION TO WORK 2408 ORRINGTON AVENUE EVANSTON, IL 60201 All rights reserved. 847 866-1304 WWW.KENDALL.EDU chicagowildernessmag.org TOLL FREE 888 475-7752

4 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS Letters

COYOTES PROS AND CONS tionists, etc. are truly finding their the state wants to destroy this area to Dear Editor: “voices.” How will responsible people who build an airport three times larger than I found Jennifer Dees’ response to respect nature change society? By strongly O’Hare, an airport that not one airline Sheila Habib’s request for information and positively saying that everyone needs supports and no one living in the area uncomfortably patronizing (Summer ‘02, to be responsible for their actions and that wants! Sensible growth and planning p. 5). Rather than solutions, Ms. Dees nature is not just for the sole purpose of MUST occur. An airport that destroys offered only platitudes about the benefits man, woman and child. 26,000 acres of farmland and 1,200 homes of a healthy wilderness. If one can infer a is NOT sensible. Let’s recycle what we solution from Ms. Dees’ response, it Gina Lettiere already have and utilize the Gary/Chicago, appears to be that the main way to deal Evanston, Ill. Milwaukee, and Rockford airports. Where with coyotes in Marin County is to bolt will we grow our food and where will the the doors or move out. IN FOR A LANDING wildlife live if we continue to destroy the To the Editor: land? Once paved over, it cannot be Brendan Conner I read with interest your words about returned to its original state. It’s gone for - Oak Park, Ill. “vacant land” in the Winter 2002 edition ever. The residents of Peotone, Beecher, (p. 1). I live just outside the area where and Monee moved to the country for a Dear Chicago Wilderness Mag: the state of Illinois wants to build an air - certain quality of life that cannot coexist I wanted to let you know how much I port. Our elected officials claim that some with the noise, pollution, and urban enjoyed your summer issue. The article of their purchases would be of “vacant sprawl that an airport would create. We do regarding the impact of the gypsy moth land” (nearly 26,000 acres!) for the airport. not want it ruined by the taking of our was very “meaty” and informative. Thank As you indicated, no land is truly vacant. VACANT land. you. The area they want to destroy has native I especially enjoyed and support the prairie, woodlands, and most important, Debbie Pignatiello response to the reader in California regard - farmland. I believe if you ask the farmers Monee, Ill. ing “the coyote problem.” I feel as if finally about their 1,000-acre farms they would naturalists, environmentalists, conserva - not classify their property as “vacant.” Yet

Invest in a renewable resource... give gift subscriptions of Chicago Wilderness Magazine for the holidays (See cards after page 24) or Order a Complete Mint Collection of Chicago Wilderness Magazines for a gift or...for yourself

20 issues in a specially wrapped box $150 while they last

Missing past issues of Chicago Wilderness Magazine? Copies of back issues $5 each plus s & h. Call or fax with issue and quantity. www.chicagowildernessmag.org Phone 847.965.9253 • Fax 847.965.9282 • PO Box 5054 • Skokie, IL 60076-5054 Good Food from Happy Soil by Debra Shore Photos by Kevin Weinstein

“ here’s nothing that has a bigger impact on the Sustainable agriculture and, in particular, certified organic land than agriculture,” says John Hall, director farms like Dave Cleverdon’s Kinnikinnick Farm, in “T of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in Caledonia, Illinois, are much less harmful to the land and Troy, Wisconsin. Dave Cleverdon knows this firsthand. In water than their conventional counterparts. Organic farmers the 1980s, Cleverdon and his wife bought a derelict farm shun the use of pesticides and fertilizers and seek to replenish west of Bigfoot Prairie on the northwestern fringe of nutrients by rotating crops and planting cover crops. “On a Chicago Wilderness. Owned by one family since the 1850s, true organic farm, there’s a lot of biodiversity,” says Jim Slama, by the time Cleverdon got to it, it was “as close to an eco - president of Sustain, a group pursuing a Local Organic logical disaster as anything I’ve seen here,” he says. “The Initiative to examine the potential for establishing a regional soil was dead.” food system based on organic agriculture. “Conventional farms To be blunt, conventional agriculture has done nothing have few crops and lots of chemicals that kill beneficial good for nature. It has depleted the soil of nutrients, requiring insects and wildlife. Organic growers, such as Angelic ever greater applications of fossil fuel-based fertilizer to be pro - Organics (just on the western edge of Chicago Wilderness and ductive. Topsoil has eroded and washed downstream at an two miles from Cleverdon’s place), have 30 to 40 crops, and estimated rate of millions of tons a year, carrying chemicals fields edged with native plants and a lot of happy critters.” To and wastes that pollute groundwater and streams. To produce be certified organic, for instance, farms are required to have a 150 bushels of corn on an acre of land, the conventional 25-foot buffer with neighboring fields. This filters runoff, but Midwestern farmer will apply 150 pounds of nitrogen in fertil - can also serve as a habitat greenway for beneficial insects. izer. Of that, 47 pounds will be harvested and 100 pounds will Cleverdon, his wife and children, and a rotating crew of head toward the Mississippi and the Gulf. laborers and interns have spent the last 14 years bringing the

Many varieties of potatoes are grown on an organic farm at Prairie Crossing, above, adjacent to 3,000 acres of conservation land.

6 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS land back from the brink. He has spread high-calcium agricul - farms in Wisconsin that makes deliveries twice a week to tural lime to loosen the soil and make more nutrients Chicago-area restaurants and sells produce at the Green City available. He grows 25 varieties of greens in raised beds. He Market. Paul and Louise Maki’s Blue Skies Berry Farm outside mows paths instead of tilling the greenery under, following the Brooklyn, Wisconsin, is 3.75 acres of edible flowers and rasp - dictum “all green all the time.” Cleverdon says, “You can feel berries. Steve Pincus of Tipi Produce has 80 acres, some the difference walking through the beds after several years. The land is spongier. I’m just a city boy, but you can walk through this and feel where the land is angry.”

EAT LOCALLY Sarah Stegner, veteran chef at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton, and a num - ber of other prominent local chefs are at the forefront of a relatively recent campaign – call it the culi - nary counterpart to the conservation movement – seeking to find and support ways to save a diversity of foods, to foster sustainable agricul - tural practices close to home, and to buy and cook foods only when they are in season. “For me the whole thing started trying to upgrade the quality of my restaurant,” Stegner says. Four years ago, Stegner and her cohorts (see list in box) – led by Chicago Tribune food writer Abby Mandel – founded Chicago’s Green City Market, a weekly venue for Chicago’s Green City Market – supporting local farmers is good for biodiversity. organic farmers from this region to sell their food to chefs and to the public. Now, every certified organic and some on the way. He focuses on mainstay Wednesday from late June through the end of October, tents crops like carrots, onions, broccoli, and potatoes. Both partici - rise at the southern end of Lincoln Park to shade a cornucopia pate in the Homegrown co-op. of fresh produce and tired farmers, as well as eager shoppers Stegner has made trips to tour the farms and has brought all come to savor their goods. “The market has made it possible her restaurant wait staff to the market to meet the farmers. for everybody, not just a few restaurants, to get high-quality “Now they understand what the issues are,” she says, “and can goods and to support local farmers,” Stegner adds. talk about what’s on the menu. The rapport you have between Homegrown Wisconsin is a cooperative of about 20 organic the back and the front of the house will make or break a Down & Dirty Consider the two soil samples pictured here. The darker soil (below) comes from a restored prairie site at Fermilab, where dedicated crews have been reclaiming former farmland for more than 25 years. The lighter soil comes from the farm. When drops of water fall on this soil, instead clumping, it crumbles and washes away. This soil lacks the numerous mycorrhizal fungi and subsurface structures that retain water, hold it together, and make it rich.

A longterm study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Switzerland and pub - lished in late May in Science compared organic farming methods with conventional ones. Researchers found that organic farmers added 34 to 51 percent less nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients to the soil than conventional farmer, yet their crops yielded only 20 percent less, demonstrating that organic farms used resources more efficiently.

Organic soils also hosted a larger and more diverse group of soil-building microbes. Beneficial insects were nearly twice as abundant and more diverse, including pest-eat - ing spiders and beetles. The researchers concluded that organic farming’s compatibility with biodiversity fosters sustainably fertile soils.

F ALL 2002 7 restaurant. We all went and picked tomatoes at 70th Street Jackson has studied the self-regulating, highly resilient natural Farm one summer. Just the fact that it’s locally grown, and ecosystem of the prairie, which tends to increase its ecological they’re watching it from the beginning to the end with a great wealth. “All prairie, left alone, recycles materials, sponsors its deal of care, and they’ll own fertility, runs on con - tell you when they water temporary sunlight, and – it makes a huge differ - increases biodiversity,” ence. What excites me is Jackson says. when I get the product Jackson and his col - in and I get to work leagues have developed a with something that’s model he calls “natural really delicious and systems agriculture.” This beautiful and vibrant. method will feature peren - Everybody gets excited nial plants in mixtures, in in the kitchen and can’t counterpoint to the mono - wait to cook it and eat cultures of annuals in use it. I have buffalo on my today. “Perennial roots menu now. I had not hold the soil,” says worked with it before Jackson, “and a diversity and the quality is unbe - of species presents a formi - lievable. If you order it,” dable chemical array to she says to the likely thwart the insect or skeptics, “you will not pathogen that could oth - walk away unhappy.” erwise create an Jim Slama finds two Chef Sarah Stegner (right) bargains with Louis Maki for edible flowers and epidemic.” Researchers at critical challenges in this herbs from Blue Skies Berry Farm. Later in the season, raspberries! The Land Institute are region. “First, we need more farmers with the expertise to grow currently working to “perennialize” the major cereal crops – organic food,” he says. The vast majority of land being farmed is corn, wheat, rice, rye, and barley – since 70 percent of all still in corn and bean production using conventional practices. human calories consumed worldwide derive from these annual The other challenge is that of distribution – getting food from grasses. Jackson estimates it may take them 25 years to do this, farm to table. Still, Slama figures that there is a big local market but the important work is underway. By adopting natural sys - for organic food. “We have a tremendous opportunity to preserve tems agriculture, Jackson adds, “humanity for the first time farmland that otherwise could be targeted for development on turns away from nature as something to be subdued or the outer edges of the Chicago region,” Slama says. abhorred to nature as the information base, holding answers to questions that we don’t know yet to ask.” A T HIRD WAY Even though organic farming is much better for the land, CONSUMING SPRAWL wildlife, and people than conventional agriculture, it still takes The challenge of agricultural sustainability, of course, is to a toll. Wes Jackson, founder of The Land Institute in Salina, preserve the land upon which we farm – not only its quality, Kansas, and a longtime critic of conventional agriculture, sug - but its very existence. Will local farms disappear altogether gests there is a third way, a model of growing food based on a under the marching advance of urban sprawl? self-renewing ecosystem dear to Chicago Wilderness: the Kane County is at the front line of the development jugger - prairie. Rather than rely on a system of food production that naut in this region, as are Will and McHenry Counties. Kane depends upon ever-increasing amounts of fossil fuels and water, County’s land-use plan was designed with an eye to preserving both agricultural and natural lands. But though its vision has For a list of purveyors from Chicago’s Green City Market, go to been roundly applauded by regional planners and advocates of www.chicagocooks.com/menu/clubPage.asp?sectionID=366&menuID=85 smart growth, the county has found it lacks muscle. The Mayor of Hampshire in western Kane County recently CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS PROMOTING FOOD FROM announced plans to annex 728 acres of unincorporated land – LOCAL ORGANIC SOURCES : designated as open space by the land-use plan – for a develop - ment project encompassing seven million square feet of Grant Achatz/Trio (Evanston) offices, warehouses, and up to 560 housing units. Michael Altenberg/Campagnola and Trattoria Campagnola (Evanston) Why should we care? planning officials ask. Because having Katherine August/Tizi Melloul (Chicago) food production near where we live is an important part of Rick Bayless/Frontera Grill and Topolobampo (Chicago) having sustainable communities – reducing transportation Marc Bernard/Foodlife (Chicago) costs, taking advantage of better quality agricultural lands John Bubala/Thyme (Chicago) closer to cities, providing markets and jobs. Kelly Courtney/Mod. (Chicago) For instance, a group of predominantly African-American Mary Ellen Diaz/FirstSlice (Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Chicago) farmers from Pembroke Township in Kankakee County, a mere Todd Downs/Park Avenue Café (Chicago) 45 miles from Chicago, has been supplying organically grown Dean Eliacostas/Rivers Restaurant(Chicago) produce to the farmers’ market in the Austin neighborhood on Gale Gand/Tru (Chicago) Chicago’s West Side. “What we’re trying to do on a farming Jason Hammel and Leah Tschilds/Lula (Chicago) level will help make our community sustainable,” said one of Paul Kahan/Blackbird (Chicago) the farmers in a local publication. “When agriculture is Edward Leonard/Cantare (Chicago) healthy and strong and when dollars stay in the community, Shawn McClain/Spring (Chicago) then stores and businesses stay, young people find jobs, and John Manion/Mas (Chicago) many other opportunities open up for the community.” John Muldrow/Va Pensiero (Evanston) Cities have always depended on the productivity of the Carrie Nahabedian/Naha (Chicago) countryside for their livelihood, Paul Heltne of the Chicago Owen Nattross/Orange (Chicago) Academy of Sciences pointed out at a recent symposium for Jennifer Newberry/Fortunato (Chicago) the Humans in Nature project of The Hastings Center. “Until Tony Priolo/Coco Pazzo (Chicago) about 1800, the relationship remained balanced by some mea - Bruce Sherman/North Pond (Chicago) sures,” he said, “but future urbanization will occupy the best Sarah Stegner/Ritz-Carlton (Chicago) remaining farmland and draw down all potable water, so where Michael Tsonton/Courtright’s (Willow Springs) will all the food come from?” Laura Zalloni/Trattoria Roma (Chicago) Such are the challenges facing us in Chicago Wilderness. For hopeful signs, look to the Green City Market.

SARAH STEGNER ’S CHILLED RUSHING WATERS TROUT SALAD WITH SWEET PICKLED ONIONS & H ORSERADISH CREAM (Serves 4 people) INGREDIENTS : METHOD : To make the sauce in a small bowl, 2 Rushing Waters* trout, trimmed Brush a nonstick baking sheet with mix the sour cream, half-and-half, lemon and deboned olive oil. Season the trout on both sides juice, and horseradish together. Season salt with salt and pepper. Place the trout on with salt and white pepper. fresh-ground white pepper the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. olive oil Cover the baking sheet with aluminum ASSEMBLY : 1/2 cup thinly sliced torpedo onions foil and bake at 250° for 10 to 15 minutes Put the sauce on a chilled plate with 3 T sugar or until the trout is just cooked. Remove one fillet and a quarter of the pickled 3 T vinegar from the oven. Turn the trout over and onion salad. 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and diced peel the skin away from the fish. 1/2 cup sungold tomatoes, cut in Allow the trout fillets to cool. *Rushing Waters trout is raised organi - halves or quarters In a small skillet, sauté the onions in cally and can be purchased at Whole 1/2 cup 1/4-inch diced rustic bread olive oil. When they are tender, add the Foods stores in the Chicago region, via the croutons, sautéed in olive oil sugar and vinegar. Simmer until the liq - internet at www.rushingwaters.net or by 1 T chopped chives uid forms a syrup. Remove from the pan calling (800) 378-7088. The public is 1/4 cup sour cream and allow to cool. Mix the onions, invited to fish at the trout farm located 1/4 cup half-and-half cucumber, tomato, croutons, and chives near Kettle Moraine in Wisconsin. 1 t lemon juice together. 1 t horseradish

F ALL 2002 9 Words by Don Parker Photos by John Weinstein C ALUMET BIOBLITZ© 2002 The Field Museum

As if to pull in diners for a Friday-night fish-fry on the shores of Wolf Lake, a sign along Avenue O proclaimed “BioBlitz” in big, red letters. The sign heralded the Calumet Biodiversity Blitz – a biological inventory on steroids. On August 23, more than 150 expert scientists assembled at Wolf Lake, Eggers Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie on the South Side of Chicago to identify and record as many living organisms as possible within 24 hours. The purpose of this major under - taking was to underline the extraordinary range of creatures still living in green pockets amidst this collage of factories, warehouses, forest preserves, residences, and highways.

Three intrigued boys crowded around Rosalyn Johnson of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as she sorted bee specimens with tweez - ers. “Those little green ones are bees?!” the boys asked in amazement. Nodding her head, Johnson then pointed out the leg sacks of another speci - men, full of pollen from the invasive purple loosestrife plant. Johnson described the precarious balance of life here in the Calumet region. While the place Crayfish abounds with species, the threat of continued invasion by killer pest species is everywhere.

10 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS P h o t o :

R o b

C u r t i s / T h e

E a r l y

B i r d

Green heron e r

Indeed, one chief goal of the BioBlitz is to publicly launch Phase II of the Calumet Stewardship Initiative, a comprehensive education and outreach program aimed at fostering long-term participation by local res - idents in efforts to rehabilitate and protect the region’s natural resources. One goal of the initiative is to assemble 4,800 acres into the Calumet Open Space Reserve. Though a full inventory takes many years, the BioBlitz provides a mass of information (and some much-needed publicity) as conservationists continue to develop plans for habitat recovery.

Johnson: “I ran into a guy in the woods on his hands and knees, with his nose five inches from a pan of soapy water and a carrion beetle. I love that I can walk around the woods and bump into all these experts.” P

Field Museum president John McCarter opened the h o t o event. Marcia Jimenez, commissioner of Chicago’s :

J o e

Department of the Environment, remarked that the R a k

BioBlitz signifies “the beginning of identifying the o c z richness that exists in this part of Calumet.” y

F ALL 2002 11 P h o t o :

J o e

N o w a

Horsemint k

The event mixed scientists and neighbors. Said Chris Merenowicz, superintendent of conservation at the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, “A lot of young kids get involved in a chosen field of science this way. They see this firsthand, and a lightbulb goes off in their heads.”

At the science tent, late into the night, researchers picked through Petri dishes, sorting insects into orders, scouring leaves for mites, scan - ning monitors for protozoans. All the while, soil invertebrates, projected on the ceiling of the tent, danced for all to see.

“Where should I put this?” cried a volunteer, holding a bluegill in a jug. “Can we have some more alcohol?!” called another from across the tent. “I’m never going swimming in a lake again,” declared another, picking through a dish of tiny creatures taken from Wolf Lake.

Mark Bee, a scientific illustrator with the University of Illinois who volunteered to cover protozoans – one-celled organisms – returned from Eggers Woods with vials of blackish-brown water. “It was nasty, smelly, black, oily material – which of course is my favorite place to go – but it was mostly dried up,” he said.

“It’s like ‘Planet of the Apes,’” remarked Paul Marcum, botanist with the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), as one of the vascular plant teams picked its way through vegetation sur - rounding a large cement pillar left over from a decommissioned Nike Missile Base.

Marcum has been studying this region with other INHS researchers over the past two years. So far, the scientists have found seven threatened or

12 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS endangered species, including the early lady’s tresses orchid. Marcum has also noticed an Ruddy duck increase in the invasive Eurasian millfoil here. He momentarily disappeared in a thicket of purple loosestrife and reemerged to declare he’d found the high-quality swamp loosestrife.

Corinne Chengary, who lives just down the block in Hegewisch, brought her family

to the BioBlitz. “We walk out here all the time, and come fishing. But today, we can s e c r learn about what really goes on here.” u o s e R

t o

Unofficially, the BioBlitz counted 1,815 species – some rare and unexpected – but the o R / n

final tally will likely be higher as scientists continue to analyze specimens. Look for more n y l F results in our winter issue. m i J

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H a a f t e n CHICAGO ’S PARK REVIVAL By David Cohen hicago parks are undergoing a renaissance, and the original plans of Jens Jensen and Frederick Law Olmsted, stabi - Chicago Park District is hard at work identifying and lizing water levels in the lagoons while making them more Crestoring its natural areas. This recovery is visible nearly accessible to the disabled, and improving biodiversity. everywhere in the city. Equally significant – and much less her - The second initiative focuses on natural areas management. alded – is the growth of volunteer stewardship in the parks. The The Park District started it in 2000 to ensure that the newly range of people intent on restoring greenery in the city includes restored lagoons, as well as the district’s prairies, wetlands, and serious citizen scientists, school children and their teachers, woodlands, will be properly monitored and managed over time. retired folk, and political organizers newly focused on parks. This The ongoing work, at a cost of $2.5 million a year, includes renewal of public commitment is flourishing with the wetlands, water quality improvement, erosion control, vegetative surveys, prairies, and bird sanctuaries. It reflects a signal change in urban controlled burns, litter collection from lagoons, brush control, conservation. and the reduction of invasive species. “We’re just at the beginning stages of our stewardship plan, Most projects begin with cleanup. “It was important to focus and people are hungry to volunteer,” says Mary Van Haaften, initially on trash removal in order to create a good first impres - natural areas manager at the Chicago Park District and someone sion of the nature areas,” said Andrew Clauson of ARAMARK who has helped stimulate the change. “The key is finding inter - ServiceMaster. The facilities management company began work ested people who live around the parks and offering to share the in the spring of 2001 and has played a major role in redevelop - responsibility to care for these places.” ing the parks. An enormous amount has been extracted from Funds set aside for development are already strained, and Van the lagoons in particular, including toss-away litter, shopping Haaften and her colleagues see volunteers as crucial to success. carts, bowling balls, bicycles, and even a safe that was taken out Indeed, they intend to nourish a small citizen cadre that can of the water at Jackson Park. organize a larger group as circumstances demand, a core circle liv - Gompers Park is a good example of the work the Park District ing in proximity to the 50 natural areas undergoing revitalization. is doing and the help it’s getting from area neighbors. The park The volunteer program complements two recent initiatives is bisected by Foster Avenue, just west of Pulaski. The North promoted by the Park District’s newly created Department of Mayfair Improvement Association, a community group active Natural Resources. The first is an extensive rehabilitation of the since the 1920s, has made regenerating the park a priority. district’s 16 lagoons, for which it expects to spend $35 million. The Gompers Park Lagoon was built in the 1930s, next to This work was scheduled to be carried out between 1998 and the regional headquarters of the Salvation Army, and was badly 2008, but pressure on Illinois’ budget may push the deadline in need of repair by the late 1990s. As Jim Macdonald, an back. Nevertheless, landscape architects are busily recasting the activist with the Mayfair group, points out, the “lagoon” is fed

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e H u m a s o a g n n e Controlled burn Raking in wild seed Nature and culture Water lily by city water and ultimately leads to the wetland just to the swallow-like birds that nest in colonies. north. The Park District drained and reexcavated the lagoon Most often, Macdonald and a solid core of about 25 volun - two years ago. It had silted up over the years, resulting in shal - teers collect litter and try to ward off invaders, chiefly garlic low water that froze completely to the bottom and killed the mustard. Additionally, they collaborate with Friends of the lagoon’s inhabitants. Erosion along the banks was damaging Chicago River and TreeKeepers. “We also have frog monitors water quality and the range of aquatic life. with the EcoWatch program,” says Macdonald. “Frogs are a In addition to the excavation, the Park District put in rushes, measure of environmental health, and I’ve noticed a decline in sedges, and native wetland grasses to check the erosion, as well the 12 years that I’ve lived here. as stabilization netting on the lagoon floor. Some of the 200- “The community simply felt we needed more nature,” year-old oaks near the lagoon have seeded others, and the Park Macdonald says. “We still think the Park District lacks adequate District has added dogwood and crabapple. funding and staff to maintain the area. Mary Van Haaften is a A retired anthropology ball of fire, but you can’t have professor from Northeastern 50 projects going with a thin University, Macdonald is avid bench. Here at Mayfair we for nature. His enthusiasm for have a deep bench. You need the Park District’s work has people to go out in the com - been spurred by regeneration munity and develop a program of the adjacent prairie and that unites it. The city needs wetland. A flood plain for the to build a network at a very North Branch of the Chicago local level.” River, the two-acre parcel is The recently renamed Bill now being extended south - Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanc- ward. “Before,” Macdonald tuary, at Addison Street right P h notes, “this was just a wet o on the lakefront, is one of the t o :

meadow the Park District M best-known birding sites in a r y tried to mow – unsuccessful - Chicago. Renewal there was V a n ly.” The campaign for rehabil - inspired by birders Jim H a a itation started in 1995, when f Landing and Terry Schilling, t e the wetland was reexcavated, n and Lakeview reformer and moved into high gear a Pulling garlic mustard. Important work can be fun! Charlotte Newfeld. year ago. The ARAMARK team has conducted controlled The treasured bird habitat in the sanctuary was deteriorating, burns, which check invasive plants and encourage a healthy so in 1996, Newfeld and other concerned neighbors took grassland ecosystem, and they plan to reconstruct pipes to more action. “As parks chair of the Lake View Citizens’ Council effectively regulate the water flow between the lagoon and the (LVCC),” says Newfeld, “I decided it was time to get something river. organized. We started at the grassroots level and called a meet - “We’ve been seeding this area with native species,” ing of birder organizations and anyone else who was interested.” Macdonald adds, referring to the drier ground fringing the wet - There was plenty to do. The cement footings for the fence land. “The northern oriole and song sparrows are recolonizing surrounding the seven-acre sanctuary were breaking up. The the area. They’ve come back with the new plantings.” As it has water level inside the preserve had ebbed because the Park at Jackson Park Lagoon and Montrose Point, the Park District District cut off the supply every autumn when the fountains has also erected a large multi-nest birdhouse for purple martins, were turned off. Invasive plants proliferated.

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H a a f t e n Build it and they will come – both nature and people.

The volunteers started work by weeding out the invasives lagoon. The new facility should stabilize water levels in the and collecting trash – one curiosity was a mailbag filled with lagoon and the basin even as they fluctuate in the harbor and documents from the 1930s. the lake. “The goal,” says Elizabeth Koreman, a project manager At first, “the Park District would open the gates but never at the Park District, “is to restore the ecological balance in the leave me the key,” says Newfeld. The group persisted, though. lagoon. Fluctuating water levels have caused erosion and With the guidance of Schilling and others, they were soon reduced water quality.” removing green ash and buckthorn, replacing these invasive The banks of Wooded Island were relatively stable. Those of species with a wide array of native seeds and plugs, including the basin and of the five tiny islets in the lagoon were not. the downy rattlesnake plantain, an orchid. Eventually, the near - Dirty water obscured sunlight. The darkness limited oxygena - ly 80 native plant and tree species in the sanctuary were more tion, which was dangerous for the fish. “Everything,” laments than doubled. Koreman, “got out of whack.” The volunteers got more ambitious by 1999. The LVCC Along the basin shoreline, invasive tree species deprived the developed a mailing list, and word spread on Internet chat lines. underlying shrubs and plants of light, preventing them from Ultimately, the group obtained a $25,000 state grant, which developing dense root matting, a defect that accelerated ero - they devoted to outreach, refreshment, tools, and plant materi - sion. Now, volunteers have curtailed the invasives and replaced als. They also hired a tree management firm to protect quality them with prairie, woodland, and wetland species that will trees in and near the sanctuary. make for a sustainable park ecosystem. The volunteer base expanded with the variety of species. By But Petersen sees big challenges in the city’s multi-million- the summer of this year, 300 people had signed on, including dollar effort to rebuild the area. Can the Park District reconcile two entomologists from the Field Museum who conducted a the nonnative plantings of early city planners with today’s focus limited survey of the insect population. The volunteers persisted on healthy ecosystems? Will it maintain its natural areas after with the work that could be done by hand. Enticed in part by the expensive revitalizations? And can it bring all of its projects the energy of the volunteers, the Park District took on the to the level that some have reached? heavy lifting. With an initial budget of $350,000, they replaced Perhaps volunteers will fill their most important role in pro - the cement path, reestablished and extended the fence, stabi - viding the guidance, focus, feedback, and sustained personal lized pond edges, and erected a viewing platform. The water interest critical to addressing these questions. Indeed, Petersen supply is also now kept relatively constant. thinks it’s essential to “fold an ever-increasing public interest A second major birding site is Wooded Island and the into the mix.” Jackson Park Lagoon south of the Museum of Science and Frank Clements, a principal in Wolff Clements and Industry. “It’s a stunning asset,” remarks activist and volunteer Associates, one of the companies the Park District has hired, coordinator Ross Petersen, who likens it to a natural oak savan - cites two incentives that keep people involved. One is social na. This North Side resident was raised in Hyde Park and contact with like-minded park lovers, and the other is an remains active with the Jackson Park Advisory Council, the opportunity to study the natural world. Evidence is building neighborhood group the Park District consults on the project. that people are finding both. The chief expense of the project was rebuilding the control station that regulates the water flowing from Lake Michigan to For a free nature brochure, call (312) 742-PLAY. the 59th Street Boat Harbor, the Columbia Basin, and the For information on stewardship workdays, please visit the

16 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS Into the Wild OUR GUIDE TO THE WILD SIDE P h o t o :

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14 1 HELM WOODS FOREST PRESERVE – Kane County

3 1 2 2 SPEARS WOODS FOREST PRESERVE – Cook County 2 4 5 3 LYMAN WOODS FOREST PRESERVE – DuPage County 3 R SPRING CREEK VALLEY FOREST PRESERVE – Cook County

5 STERNE’S WOODS AND FEN – McHenry County

Maps: Lynda Wallis

F ALL 2002 17 HELM WOODS FOREST PRESERVE – Kane County

D IRECTIONS eyond the mini-malls fox, hawks, owls, warblers, harbors some unambiguous Take I-90 to Elgin and exit at and subdivisions of and the black-billed cuckoo. sections of poison ivy. Rte 25 north. Follow Rte 25 B suburban Carpenter- Neither farmed nor cleared, According to Dick Young, north 5 miles to Helm Rd. Turn sville, an ecological sanc - the preserve’s flatwoods renowned author of Kane right/east on Helm Rd. Helm tuary of surprising rich - were used for cattle grazing. County Wild Plants & Natural Woods is approximately 1 mile ness remains. Named for Acquired by the Forest Areas , this lovely prairie con - down the road on the right, just the Helm family who settled Preserve District of Kane tains a host of New England, past a sign for South Barrington. Dundee Township in the late County (FPDKC) in 1980, side-flowering, and swamp The address is 157B Helm Rd, 1800s, the property has this 200-acre site hugs the asters along with zigzag and however there is no entry sign. seen cows, pigs, horses, county line and boasts a elm-leaved goldenrods. Limited parking is permitted in wire fences, paddocks, and myriad of trees including The trail through Helm front of the bent metal gate. farm buildings come and go. swamp white, bur, white, Woods loops five miles. Surveyor notes dating back red, black and Hill’s oaks, There are no bathrooms or to 1838 describe the site as black ash, and bitternut and camping facilities. Pets are a very open woodland. shagbark hickories. Cardinal permitted on leashes, but Today, more than half of flowers, great blue lobelia, bicycles, horses, and motor - Helm Woods is dedicated buttonbush, and a host of ized vehicles are not Illinois Nature Preserve. A sedges adorn the autumn allowed. Open from 8:00 product of glaciation, this forest floor. a.m. to sunset, the preserve rare flatwood ecosystem To protect and encourage offers a sensory feast for makes its home on gravel- diversity, the FPDKC has the autumn visitor. based soils and pockets of conducted landscape-scale Repeat visitors to Helm heavy clay soils. Due to this woodland burns, enlisted Woods will observe the impermeable foundation and the help of staff and volun - progress of habitat restora - slow drainage, flatwoods are teers to clear buckthorn, tion as volunteers combat prone to flooding and peri - and, this past winter, invasive species, collect and odic wetland conditions. employed a one-time con - plant native seeds, and Helm Woods provides the tractor to rid a 35-acre par - monitor various wildlife perfect habitat for mud cel of buckthorn, box elder, populations. To plan a work - puppies, northern water and wild black cherry. “On day, please contact snakes, coyote, average, we have had a Volunteer Coordinator Shelly really big burn - 100 or Brown at (847) 741-9798. more acres - every three years since 1992,” shared — April Anderson Drew Ullberg, FPDKC habitat A restoration manager. Over lgo nq ui the course of the past n R R oa ou d eight years, the dis - te 62 trict has also rein - troduced 40 Helm Road species of habi - tat-appropriate grasses and N wildflowers, including native wood - land bottle -

5 brush grass, wood - 2 e

t land and silky rye, and foul u o manna grass. R A mysterious wet prairie separating the northern and southern woodlands pro - vides the perfect habitat for rice cut and white grass, common wood reed, and a variety of sedges. It also y t n y t u n o u C

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18 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS SPEARS WOODS FOREST PRESERVE – Cook County

D IRECTIONS pears Woods is 444 growing season. In autumn, to chorus frogs, muskrats, acres of wide woods, keep an ear cocked for the and waterfowl. In the fall, S From I-294, exit at 95th St and cozy wetlands, and trills of migrating flocks of the water reflects the russet spacious prairie knolls. sandhill cranes overhead. tones of the white oaks that head west to Roberts Rd. Go Named after the early settler Now a trail junction surround it. Come out after north for a mile, then head John Spear, who owned the offers several options. The the leaves fall when the west on 87th St to La Grange property, the site was once west branch leads to the site’s vistas really open up. Rd (Rte 45). Turn left and go a dairy farm. fishing hole, Boomerang Horses and bikes are wel - south for a half mile. The park - Start exploring at the trail Slough. Beyond it are two come at Spears Woods, but ing lot is on the right. that leads west from the more prairies, also about 30 must remain on the two parking lot. When the trail acres each, that unfortu - miles of official trails. The From I-55, exit at LaGrange Rd splits after a few hundred nately are in danger of trails are also open for and drive south for two miles. feet, take the fork that dips being overwhelmed by cross-country skiing. Pets southwest into the center of brush because of a lack of must be leashed. Volunteer the site. The woods to the needed fire. The east workdays are every second right (north) are a fine branch passes though Saturday of the month at example of open woods extensive woods, but the 9:00 a.m. For more informa - maintained by fire. Official south branch is the most tion call (708) 771-1334. restoration work, begun at scenic. Open woods give the site in 1990, seeks to way to Hogwash Slough — Joe Neumann promote this natural process and its surrounding fringe – the fire keeps woods open of wetland. The great bul - so that a healthy ground rush is a notable plant cover can grow. The soft here. This slough is home orange of false dandelion and a fine population of broad-leaved panic grass are among the species here. 87th Street The south side of the trail is a dense woodland with an abundance of nonnatives N such as the Japanese bar - berry bush. The European buckthorn shrub that smoth - ers so many unmanaged sites has been removed here and from nearly the entire site. Still, more controlled Enter burns, lots of native seed, Boomerang and time will be required Slough before this area becomes the healthy and diverse native habitat it should be. Further along the trail, the first of the site’s three Dance Floor prairie knolls (or old fields, for those less romantic) appears. About 30 acres in 5 4 size, this prairie gives a e t sense of the intimate vistas u Hogwash o for which Spears Woods is Slough R prized. Blazing stars send up magenta flares in early Pollywog August, particularly after a Slough burn. (For a great photo of them, see the front cover of the Summer 2002 issue of Chicago WILDERNESS.) 95th Street Orchard orioles inhabit the = Parking prairie edges during the

F ALL 2002 19 Lyman Woods Forest Preserve, DuPage County by Jim Kostohrys

yman Woods, with 135 Hospital also bought acres of oak woodland, some of the George Lprairie, and wetland, is Williams College land 31st Street a rare gem in the middle of and granted a perma - the historic and lively village nent seven-acre ease - N of Downers Grove. ment adjacent to the Thousands of years ago when preserve. Over the years, the glaciers receded from the several parcels have area, they left behind glacial been added to the pre - kames and huge boulders, serve, including 38 acres known as glacial erratics, that slated for redevelopment shape the preserve today. In but saved in 1997 after 1839, the Reverend Orange two years of valiant 33rd Street Lyman came to this area and effort by the Pierce purchased a large section of Downer Heritage land, a portion of which is now Alliance. Midwestern Lyman Woods Preserve. The Entering the preserve University Lymans were livestock farmers by way of “Spur Trail,” and used the land for grazing. visitors will find woods Oak Hill Some of their home’s founda - dominated by red and tion, and remnants of the rock white oaks. Their dis - road they built leading to it, are tinctly shaped leaves still visible within the preserve. turn red, orange, and Jessie Woodford Lyman, wife of brown in the fall. The Orange Lyman's great-grandson, preserve’s restoration 35th Street preserved 17.5 acres of original management plan Good oak savanna that are now desig - includes regular pre - Samaritan Hospital

nated as an Illinois Nature scribed burns, so a e u

Preserve. In 1966, George return visit in the spring n e v A

Williams College bought a large often reveals a rich dis - d n

piece of the Lyman land. In the play of woodland wild - a l h mid 1980s Midwest University flowers including trilli - g i bought the campus, but the nat - um, wild hyacinth, trout H ural areas were put up for sale. lily, and green dragon. = Parking The Village of Downers Grove The state-threatened and the Forest Preserve District pretty sedge grows here of DuPage County bought 81 as well. acres, including the oak savan - Continuing east along na. The Downers Grove Park the trail, a meadow District later became part owner opens up to reveal a true sign and forbs. In the northeast cor - trail that borders marshes and a and manager of this land that summer is coming to a ner of the preserve, straddling a pond. This trail then traverses a through an intergovernmental close: goldenrod glowing tall Midwest University easement, a bottomland woods, with its agreement. Good Samaritan among senescent native grasses small remnant prairie sits atop a characteristic wet-footed swamp glacially deposited hill of gravel white oaks. These wet areas also called a kame. Compass plants benefit from periodic burns. In Directions and prairie dock flower in the late summer you will see a Lyman Woods is located just north of fall, as do blazing stars and a pageant of cow parsnip, some up Downers Grove. Take I-88 to Downers Grove variety of native sunflowers and to ten feet tall. The Park and exit at Highland Ave South. Go about a asters. The state-endangered District recently planted false half mile to the 33rd St preserve entrance. The Hill’s thistle also occurs here. nettle, lobelia, and ironweed. preserve is east of Highland Avenue, north of The traveler can circle the The marshes abound with Good Samaritan Hospital. meadow on the spur trail or waterfowl and support several head south to pick up the main amphibian species, including

20 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS chorus frogs and tiger salaman - teer coordinator, or Michelle Call about free Tuesdays and DuPage County, Blackwell has ders. Painted turtles, red-eared at (630) 963-1304. Thursdays. 60 campsites (available May sliders, and northern brown water To protect Lyman Woods, To the west of Downers through mid October, Friday snakes have also been found here. home to 300 native plant Grove is Naper Settlement and Saturday nights only), Lacey Creek runs through Lyman species and 17 mammal species, (630) 420-6010, where people canoe access to the West Woods. Restoration work has hiking is the only activity per - can tour 19th-century homes, Branch of the DuPage River, begun upstream and, in coopera - mitted. There are two miles of businesses, a schoolhouse, and a eight miles of multipurpose tion with the Forest Preserve trails. Groups must have a reser - chapel, all with interpreters trails, access to the Illinois District of DuPage County, will vation and a guide. Pets are not who bring Naperville’s history Prairie Path, and fishing and soon begin in Lyman Woods. allowed. For further informa - to life. Adults $6.50, seniors boating on Silver Lake. Boat At the south end of the site, tion, contact the Downers $5.50, children 4-17 years $4. rentals are available. Camping adjacent to Good Samaritan Grove Park District at (630) Closed Mondays; call for hours. fees are $10-$15 per night. For Hospital, is the most outstand - 963-1304. detailed information on camp - ing feature of Lyman Woods: a Foraging ing reservations, call (630) 933- 17-acre oak savanna. A breath - Roaming Bamboleo , (630) 434- 7200 or visit www.dupagefor - taking illustration of Downers Don’t miss the 0300, on Main Street est.com/RECREATION/camp - Grove’s presettlement land - nearby 30-acre gem and Curtiss Avenue ing.html. scape, some of the bur oaks here of Belmont Prairie , in Downers Grove, is The Downers Grove Visitor’s are 200 years old. Stand among located west of the a local favorite for Guide includes a list of accom - these ancient trees, where time Downers Grove Golf Mexican food (Heading south modations and restaurants to fit has stood still, and the world Course on Haddow Avenue. from Lyman Woods, Highland every budget. Call the Downers seems calm. False foxglove and Belmont Prairie is owned by the Avenue becomes Main Street.) Grove Visitor’s Bureau at (800) cream gentian grow here late Downers Grove Park District, Lunch $5-$15; dinner $8-$19. 934-0615. summer to fall. The rare nod - (630) 963-1304. Ten acres are Open every day – try the fajitas. ding trillium is among the pre - dedicated as an Illinois Nature Zander’s Café , (630) 435- serve’s spring wildflowers. Preserve and there are over 175 9520, at Maple and Belmont More than 300 birds reside in species of plants, some rare. Avenues in Downers Grove, has or migrate through Lyman The Downers Grove Park a good chef and offers a variety Woods. “At educational pro - District Museum , (630) 963- of American dishes. Lunch $5- grams we ask kids to find a 1309, is located at $9; dinner $5-$13. Zander’s is Events species for every color in the Wandschneider Park, just two open every day except Sunday; January 24-26, 2003 rainbow,” said Michelle Grove, blocks east of Main Street. they close at 3:00 p.m. on Ice Sculpture Festival manager of natural areas for the Located in a Victorian home Mondays. Tuesday night is pasta Downtown Downers Grove, Downers Grove Park District. built in 1892, this 11-room night. (800) 934-0615. This festi - “This spring we found scarlet museum gives a fascinating Genghis Khan Restaurant , val features an ice carving tanagers, indigo buntings, and glimpse into the past. (630) 629-8989, at Finley and contest with professional ruby-crowned kinglets.” Admission is free; hours vary. Butterfield Roads, is a long-time carvers competing for prize Cooper’s hawks, red-tailed The Morton Arboretum , Downers Grove favorite for money. Ice sculptures are on hawks, great horned owls and (630) 719-2400, is located in Mongolian food. The lunch display at the Main Street eastern bluebirds reside at neighboring Lisle on Rte. 53, buffet is $7.95; dinner buffet Train Station, throughout Lyman year-round. north of I-88, and is open all $11.95. Mongolian stir-fry is the the downtown, and at the A visitor’s center is under day, 365 days a year. Twenty- most popular item. A full menu Downers Grove Museum. construction in a part of Lyman five miles of trails and twelve is also available. Open every Bring the family down to Woods where more than 120 miles of roadway wind through day. enjoy the strolling street mature trees were felled by a the arboretum’s 1,500 acres, At Founders Hill Brewing characters. Local ven - developer before the current which harbor more than 3,000 Company , (630) 963-2739, dors offer hot owners acquired the property. It kinds of trees, shrubs, and vines Main and Grove Streets, you chocolate, apple is scheduled to open in late from around the world. can enjoy Downers Grove’s cider, and other January for winter program - Admission: $7 car, $20 van; local microbrews and regional warming treats. ming. The building will have a reduced fees on Wednesdays. American fare. You can enjoy Free trolley rides to “green roof” that sports native Members are always free. sandwiches, ($7) to filets ($20), view the carvings. grasses and plants. A grand- To the east of Downers with live entertainment on opening celebration is sched - Grove awaits the world-famous weekend nights. Open for lunch uled for Arbor Day, April 25, Brookfield Zoo , (630) 485- Friday through Sunday; open 2003. 0263, at 1st Avenue and 31st for dinner every day. Restoration work, including Street in Brookfield. Here visi - brush clearing and native tors can enjoy and learn about Bedding Down plant seeding, is ongoing at more than 2,700 animals repre - The closest place Lyman. Volunteering to help senting more than 400 species. to camp is at with this work is a great way Open every day of the year; Blackwell Forest to come to know and appreci - hours vary. General admission: Preserve in ate the site. To participate, adults $7, children $3.50, Warrenville. Owned by the call Laura Weizorick, volun - seniors $3.50, members free. Forest Preserve District of

F ALL 2002 21 SPRING CREEK VALLEY FOREST PRESERVE, SOUTH SECTION – Cook County

D IRECTIONS pring Creek Valley Anderson, who has conducted District acquired several sub - To Dog Training Area and Beverly Forest Preserve is bird counts in the southern stantial farms. The most recent Lake parking lots: From I-90, S probably one of the half of Spring Creek Valley pre - acquisition was 15 acres at the exit at Rte 59 North. Take 59 lesser known and least serve for years, claims that its corner of Penny and Healy to Higgins Rd (Rte 72). Turn visited forest preserves in Dog Training Area “is the best Roads, bought by the district left/west and proceed to either Cook County. But at just shrubland area in Cook several years ago. Dog Training Area (about a under 4,000 acres, this signif - County.” There he regularly The nonwooded areas of mile) or Beverly Lake (a bit icant tract of open space pre - finds nesting orchard orioles, these former farms were sown further), both on the north side served amidst rapidly develop - yellow-breasted chats, willow in row crops. Even after the of Higgins. ing suburbs represents an flycatchers, and blue-winged district acquired the land, important refuge for regional warblers. The open grassy much of it was leased to grow To Penny Road Pond parking wildlife. It also offers plenty areas host breeding bobolinks corn, soybeans, and hay. When area: begin as above, but of opportunity for hiking and and meadowlarks. Anderson the leases expired, much of continue north on Rte 59 to exploration. reports that he used to find the preserve was “very open,” Penny Rd. Turn left/west and go The forest preserve is com - marsh wrens and moorhens in according to Chet Ryndak, for - about a mile to well-marked prised of two major, compara - the low-lying marshy areas but mer superintendent of conser - entrance on left. bly sized plots divided by that in recent years the vation. Without active man - Dundee Road, but only the marshes have dried up and the agement, the last 20 years southern section provides pub - birds have left. have brought an explosion of lic parking facilities. Most Not far to the west, the oak buckthorn and other invasive users come to fish at the woodlands around Beverly Lake species, though some meadows ponds, to picnic, or to walk teem with migrating songbirds still persist. their dogs, but the intrigue of in mid May. Bluebirds once Spring Creek Valley Forest this forest preserve for nature nested in the more open areas Preserve offers a rich opportu - enthusiasts lies well beyond beyond the woods, and native nity for reclaiming open oak the recreational facilities. spring flora colored the wood - groves and marshes, and A maze of mowed walking land floor. But in recent years, reestablishing native grass - and horse trails criss-crosses buckthorn and other brushy lands. With the swell and the preserve from its southern invaders have choked the open swale of morainal topography boundary at Higgins Road fields and woodland under - in the western part, and the north to Dundee Road. The story. Red-tailed hawks make flatter sections of Spring Creek paths meander through the frequent appearances, and watershed to the east, it holds patchwork landscape of wood - great horned owls can some - promise as a visually stunning lands, fields, ponds, and wet - times be spotted gliding as well as ecologically signifi - lands, so a compass or a well- silently into the woods. cant natural area. The district seasoned sense of direction is Birds are not the only has no current plans for active a must. wildlife finding sanctuary in management, but the restora - There’s plenty of birdlife to the preserve. A good variety of tion initiatives underway at command the attention of amphibians and reptiles make Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, binocular-toting visitors. Alan their homes in the ponds and just a few miles south, and at

Al fields. I remember a various sites to the north gon qui walk one mild February owned by Barrington’s Citizens Roa n d day when I was sur - for Conservation, might serve prised to encounter as replicable models. Route 68 troops of tiger salaman - Meanwhile, the opportunity ders crawling through simply to explore a large, the grass. Both red fox undeveloped, and unmarked d Roa d ee a and gray fox have been landscape is a precious one. A und o D Penny R Road spotted in recent years. visitor can easily spend the n o

t Coyotes appear more and better part of a day walking t u S y more frequently. And, of the trails south of Dundee t P

n e d nny Roa u oa d course, white-tailed deer Road. The intrepid explorer o y R t C y l n a

k are almost expected can reach the northern section

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a This southern section beneath Dundee Road. But K of Spring Creek Valley that’s another day and Forest Preserve was another story. Higgins Road assembled largely between 1955 and 1975, — Wendy Paulson Rou Dog Training te 72 Area when the Forest Preserve

22 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS STERNE’S WOODS AND FEN – McHenry County

D IRECTIONS ver the last 150 showiest petal on top. From the fen, as do these drier years, the rolling, mid June to early August, upland woods. Take Rte 41 or I-94 to Rte 176. O Go west on 176, past Rte 31. wooded terrain the female Baltimore check - There are hayrides in the known as Sterne’s Woods erspot butterfly lays her fall through Sterne’s Woods, The first stoplight past 31 is and Fen has supported eggs on the underside of as well as biking and cross- Terra Cotta Rd. Turn right/north activities as varied as the turtlehead plant, an country skiing trails that on Terra Cotta until you reach hunting, fishing, tree uncommon member of the avoid the fens. The 26-mile Hillside Rd. Go left/west on farming, gravel quarrying, snapdragon family with Prairie Trail, open all year Hillside about a third of a mile and thoroughbred horse creamy-white, pink-fringed for bikers and walkers, is and look for a hand-painted racing. At times, a pond, flowers. In early autumn, due east of the nature pre - sign labeled “Sterne’s Woods” lake, and artesian well could liatris also blooms in the serve on Hillside Road. It on the left-hand side of the be found here too. The fen. winds north to the road. Turn left into the parking Crystal Lake Park District The sedge meadow and Wisconsin border and south lot. purchased 185-acre Sterne’s marsh lie east of the fen. to Algonquin, where it joins Woods in 1986, and the “In the fall, there are the longer Illinois Prairie preserve has been undergo - fringed gentians every - Trail. Penny Lake borders ing restoration ever since, where,” said site steward Sterne’s Woods on the west. beginning with extensive Larry Smith. “They have del - If groups of five to ten controlled burns led by icate petals like blue eye - are interested in touring Steve Byers of the Illinois lashes.” Visitors may also Sterne’s Woods and Fen, call Nature Preserves see lady’s slipper orchids, Crystal Lake Park District Commission. In 1994, a por - grass-of-parnassus, great Natural Resources Manager tion of the woods was des - blue lobelia, cup plants, and Rita Hickman at (815) 455- ignated as an Illinois Nature shrubby cinquefoil. 1763. To help with restora - Preserve to recognize and Together with renowned tion efforts, join Operation further protect its unique McHenry County naturalist Buckthorn – underway four biodiversity. Restoration Bill Wingate, who over the Saturdays in February. work is now in the capable years taught the values of hands of volunteers and the restoration to countless vol - — Gail Goldberger Park District. unteers, Smith plotted the Fens are few in the path for the Prairie Trail, Chicago area, but the pre - which runs east of the serve’s 40 acres of wetlands woods, just over the border include a fen, a marsh, and ridge of pines once planted a sedge meadow. Combined by doctor Ted Sterne, the with 140 acres of woods previous landowner. Entrance N and a profusion of plant and The trail leads to upland forb species, Sterne’s har - woods, a quilt of trees, Hillside Road bors an array of riches. plants, and forbs and passes Private Home Fens require flowing through basswood, iron - water laden with calcium wood, black walnut, tulip, = Parking and other minerals such as and white and black oak magnesium. These condi - trees. Volunteers are gradu - tions often occur in ally thinning the walnut morainal areas such as trees to open up the area Sterne’s, where water perco - for oaks, which were once lates through calcium-rich predominant here. sand and gravel dragged Swallowtail butterflies lay here by glaciers thousands their eggs on prickly ash of years ago. The water here, and blue cohosh, nod - pools atop impermeable ding onion, columbine, bot - glacial drift and then bub - tlebrush grass, wild cucum - bles back to the surface ber, vervain, and American from below, creating the bellflower abound. The alkaline conditions favorable woods also hold jack-in-the- to fens. pulpit, lady fern, sensitive Early in the summer, the fern, royal fern and ebony fen boasts the state-endan - spleenwort. Wingate Prairie gered grass-pink orchid, our and Veteran Acres to the upside-down orchid with the south provide a buffer for To Veteran Acres Park

F ALL 2002 23 Natural Events

Here’s what’s debuting on nature’s stage in Chicago Wilderness by Jack MacRae

FALL 2002

Early Autumn Middle Autumn

Royal Reptiles Hawk Eyes Emily had a good reason to and pest poisons hadn’t fully In the world of the queen I can’t think of too many be excited. The appropriately impacted owl populations, snake, birthing takes place in things more enjoyable than named cardinal flower has barn owls could be seen fly - the early autumn. The baby hawk watching in the fall. spectacular, intense scarlet ing over the newly harvested snakes are about 18cm long, You get to sit outside in a blossoms on a tall stem. They farm fields. Not any more. and hungry. Their first meal comfy chair, sip warm drinks, are doing well in some pro - Other than the exceptional will probably consist of the enjoy the camaraderie of tected wetlands. Cardinal flyby, the last verified report soft, squishy bodies of interesting people, and watch flowers will continue to of local barn owls is from Will recently molted crayfish. as the marvels unfold. bloom in October, particularly County in 1984. I’ll buy a Queen snake habitat is swiftly in the southern portion of our beer for anybody who can tell flowing streams with plenty The splendid research done by region. Folklore reports the me what they called barn of exposed limestone. They our local hawk spotters indi - root of the cardinal flower owls before there were barns. don’t do well in muck. cates that a healthy percent - can be used to make a potent Interestingly, I usually spot age – over 25% – of the love potion. I wonder if Emily Cold Moles queen snakes on the western migrants spotted this fall will knew this? Here is something I just banks of local streams more be sharp-shinned hawks. learned: moles don’t hiber - often than the eastern side. I During the summer, sharpies Aster Land nate. As winter approaches think they like waking up in are seldom-seen woodland According to the experts, we and the ground freezes above the morning sun. By the way, hunters. But sometime in have over 25 species of asters them, these furry little ani - queen snakes are not female October, especially the day in Chicago Wilderness. Some mals simply dig deeper, king snakes. after an early arctic cold front are common, others rare. The always staying below the passes through, a steady forked aster is only found on freeze line. They might move Pretty Susan west-northwest wind will a few wooded slopes, such as a little more slowly as they I’m not the only one who carry a hundred or more the ravines near Honey Lake, feel for fat grubs and juicy enjoys the proliferation of sharpies over strategic migra - north of Barrington in Lake night crawlers, but nobody black-eyed Susans in the tion points. County. knows for sure. The eastern landscaped areas of Chicago mole is common in some local Wilderness. Originally a late- The hawks have a long way to Even during early November, areas with sandy soil and blooming native, horticultur - travel. After they have you can find blooming asters. infrequent pesticide use. The ists have created many vari - zoomed down the western There are a few sky blue star-nosed mole may or may eties that you’ll see in bloom shores of Lake Michigan, asters in our prairie remnants. not live in the region. In the throughout the fall. The sci - they’ll continue on for anoth - The New England aster, also a 1850s, Robert Kennicott entific name for the genus, er thousand miles, eventually late bloomer, is a tad more reported them as occurring in Rudbeckia, was given in spending their winter vaca - common, as they seem to be Cook County, probably on the honor of Olaf Rudbeck, the tion in Mexico and Central able to tolerate a higher level basis of sight, but no actual pre-eminent Swedish botanist America. They’ll return next of stress and disturbance. specimens have been collect - of the 17th century. In addi - spring to raise another family. ed from Illinois. tion to his legendary contri - bution to botany, Rudbeck Cardinal Flowers Late Autumn also wrote a long series of I still remember the day, highly detailed works where October 6, 1984, when my Our Rarest Owls he attempted to prove that good friend Emily called to Late fall is usually a good time to search for owls. But This section of Chicago Sweden was the lost conti - tell me all about the cardinal Wilderness Magazine is now nent of Atlantis. Hmmm. As flower she found blooming in barn owls are, without doubt, printed on Evolution paper by for the common name, I don’t a wet forest preserve meadow. the most uncommon owl in Rolland, which is made of know who Susan was, but I (As she was breathlessly Chicago Wilderness today. 100% post-consumer recycled can imagine her eyes were explaining the scene, I was They almost never turn up on fiber and processed chlorine free. By the November owl prowls, rare eliminating chlorine from the bleach - black. watching the despicable Steve ing process, no harmful by-products Garvey crush a ninth-inning bird alerts, or the formal bird are released into the water, soil or air. home run to ruin yet another counts. A half century ago, For more information about the effects Cubs season.) when there were more wood - of chlorine on the environment and to en barns, more good habitat, learn what you can to do help, visit www.chlorinefreeproducts.org.

24 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS Meet your neighbors

Gray Treefrog: master of camouflage

n summer evenings at my home, we like to watch the Ooccasional gray treefrog cling - ing to the window under the porch light, snapping up insects that fly too near. Treefrogs use their round padded toes to climb and actually adhere to the glass. From this vantage I can see their characteristic traits. They range from P one to two inches in length and have h o t o long, slender legs with yellow-orange :

R o markings on the inner thigh that are b

C u r only visible when the legs are extend - t i s / T

ed. The belly is a dirty white color, h e

E

and males have a black throat. The a r l y

body color can change from dark gray B i r d to pale green, but they all have a sil - e r very-white or light green patch of skin under each eye, and an irregular dark a soft, musical trill. This is one of my semipermanent (meaning they hold pattern on the back that is outlined in favorite frog calls because it is a pleas - water throughout wet years but dry up black. ant yet unworldly sound. In fact, some during dry summers), have low acidity, If they did not climb on the win - sci-fi movies use the eastern gray are unpolluted from road salt and fer - dow, I probably wouldn’t have noticed treefrog call as background noise on tilizers, and are in or near woodlands. the treefrogs at all. I have seen a cou - alien planets or as the voice of crea - The adults spend most of their time in ple resting on and under my lichen- tures. trees, often hiding under pieces of covered cedar roof shingles, but they The other species is the Cope’s gray peeled bark. Being freeze-tolerant, are not easy to spot. These masters of treefrog, or Hyla chrysoscelis they even hibernate in the trees. The camouflage are able to change color to (chrysoscelis means “golden leg”), breeding season is from late April match their background – gray when which has a faster and more shrill call. through late July, and the males will on tree bark, green when perched My students at Saint Joseph’s College often sing from trees near ponds at among lichens. The yellow patch think that it sounds like a chimpanzee heights of up to 20 to 30 feet. It is fun across the thighs is thought to confuse screaming. The eastern gray treefrog to try to locate them with a flashlight predators because it appears and then also has twice as many chromosomes during an evening chorus. Their eggs disappears as the gray treefrog jumps as the Cope’s gray treefrog. While hatch in a few days, and the tadpoles and lands. Juveniles are bright green easterns are typically more common in can be easily identified by the bold and usually lack the dark pattern on Chicago Wilderness, both species are red-orange and black tail. the back. This allows them to blend in considered common in Illinois and Area amphibian and reptile biolo - while among shrubs or herbs. Indiana. Though few local studies gists have identified the eastern gray There are actually two species of have been done comparing the ecolo - treefrog as one of six species that indi - gray treefrog, however they can only gy and distribution of these species, a cate high-quality savanna habitats in be distinguished by their calls or recent study by herpetologist Mike our region. (The others are the green number of chromosomes. The eastern Redmer and the Illinois Natural frog, spring peeper, northern leopard gray treefrog or Hyla versicolor (Hyla History Survey is finding that the east - frog, eastern tiger salamander, and means “belonging to the forest,” and ern treefrog is common throughout Blandings turtle.) Volunteers will versicolor means “to change color”) has the Kankakee and Des Plaines River monitor Chicago Wilderness savannas watersheds, while the Cope’s treefrog annually for these indicator species in is prevalent in the Fox River drainage. an effort to improve habitat for Like most amphibians in Chicago amphibians and reptiles. Wilderness, gray treefrogs prefer breed -

P ing ponds that do not have fish, — Bob Brodman h o t

o including small isolated and temporary :

M i

k wetlands. My research in northwest To get involved with amphibian and e

R

e Indiana indicates that gray treefrogs reptile monitoring, call (847)965-1150. d m

e most often breed in wetlands that are r

F ALL 2002 25 Meet your neighbors

Eastern Milk Snake: quintessential savanna serpent

he eastern milk snake logs, or similar humid, warm spots. rare in our urbanizing region, most (Lampropeltis triangulum ) is the The eggs hatch in about 60 days, and local herpetologists note a correlation Tonly member in Chicago the hatchlings are usually around ten between its scattered populations and Wilderness of the group of constrictors inches in length. remnant oak savanna groves, especial - called “king snakes.” Constrictors kill Appropriately, there is a dietary ly those on gravelly, morainal ridges. their prey by asphyxiation. King story behind the common name of our These open woodlots are transitional snakes get their name because they local king snake. Besides its occasional ecosystems lying between the open often kill and eat other species of taste for reptilian prey – as well as grasslands and the more closed-canopy snakes, including venomous species frogs, fish, birds, and eggs – the milk forest. Milk snakes are rarely found on such as rattlesnakes. In Chicago snake avidly hunts small mammals wet soils and seem to prefer the grav - Wilderness, the eastern milk snake such as mice and voles. After elly or rocky soil of these low but dry may make a meal of DeKay’s brown European settlement of North hills. They probably also use the mix of shade and sun found in savannas to regulate body temperature. As our region was settled in the 19th century, farmers preferred to build their farmsteads on these same savannas, especially those on the drier ridges, while they converted the sur - rounding and often wet prairies into row crops or used them to graze cattle for the once-important dairy farms. The resident milk snakes simply capi - talized on the nearby mix of cover and food that the new settlements provid - ed. While many farmers probably loathed the presence of these reptiles, the snakes provided them an impor - tant service by regulating mouse popu -

P lations on the farms. h o

t Milk snakes are secretive and fairly o :

M

i difficult to find together in any num - k e

R ber, even where sizable populations are e d m

e known to occur. Many local conserva - r tion agencies have acquired savannas, snakes ( Storeria dekayi ), red-bellied America, the milk snake’s searches for often in the form of vacated farm sites, snakes ( Storeria occipitomaculata ), or these rodents soon brought it into where milk snakes persist. In these eastern garter snakes ( Thamnophis sir - close quarters with humans. Milk preserves, visitors may encounter milk talis ). The eastern milk snake is the snakes were undoubtedly drawn to snakes under wood, tin, cattle tanks, most widespread and variable species mice that foraged on waste grain, and or other debris left over from the of king snake, ranging from southeast there they found shelter in barns and farms. Milk snakes are non-venomous. Canada, west to the Rocky other farm buildings. Humans who While individuals may bite in defense Mountains, and south to northern and encountered milk snakes in their when captured, they are harmless to western parts of South America. barns creatively imagined that these humans. The eastern milk snake is a medi - creatures came to milk the cows, The milk snake’s close relationship um-sized species and grows to a length hence the name “milk” snake. In the with Chicago farms has greatly dimin - of about three feet. It has smooth, Chicago Wilderness region, milk ished over the last century. But as often shiny scales. In the Chicago snakes are still found in and around restoration efforts continue, these region, individuals normally are tan in some remaining farm sites. interesting animals should rightfully color, with reddish-brown blotches A look at the milk snake’s local dis - reclaim their original role as indicators bordered by black. The belly is usually tribution and habitat suggests that of the savanna heritage of Chicago whitish with black spots, which form a while early farmers may have viewed Wilderness. rough checkerboard pattern. it as a rogue cow milker intruding on Milk snakes mate in the spring. In their barns, the snake was actually — Michael Redmer summer, they lay up to about 20 eggs hosting the farmers on its home turf. in decomposing vegetation, hollow While Lampropeltis triangulum is not

26 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS Dr. Michael Jeffords of the Illinois Natural History Survey (and an organizer of the Calumet BioBlitz) sometimes wears a preying mantis t-shirt (see page 10). DISCOVERING THE INNER NATURALIST : On the Trail of the Cuckoo in Cuba Marsh by Nancy Shepherdson

ometimes life-changing events don’t slap you in the a pleasant place to exercise, populated with perhaps too face. Rather, they float in, as if on the wings of birds. many mosquitoes in the summer. STwo springs ago, my evening walks in the middle Closer observers may notice the squadrons of dragonflies reaches of Cuba Marsh, a Lake County Forest Preserve that keep the biters at reasonable levels, or the hoards of property, were accompanied by a haunting, hollow cu-cu- tiny frogs that migrate across the trails at the same time cu-cu coming from some - each year. Birders grow weak in where beyond the pines. the knees during migration sea - “A black-billed cuckoo,” sons, when water birds of all my husband, the birder, kinds descend on the marshes said. “You’re the one and passerines (perching birds) who’s cuckoo,” I replied. dot the trees. Plant lovers There couldn’t really be swoon at the variety and color cuckoos nesting in this of vegetation (more than 237 narrow swath of wilder - known plant species, many of ness surrounded on all them rare) that thrives in the sides by the suburban Marsh’s four distinct habitats: sprawl of Barrington, prairie, marsh, oak woodland, Long Grove, and Lake and oak savanna. Zurich, could there? To discover if cuckoos were But I had to admit that likely residents, though, I had in this place, almost any - to dig deeper. The Audubon thing was beginning to Field Guide to North American seem possible. In the four Birds says that cuckoos are most years since we moved likely to be found in “moist almost next door to it, thickets in low, overgrown pas - Cuba Marsh has contin - tures and orchards.” As it turns ued to amaze me. Here I out, for most of its history since saw my first sandhill European settlement, the crane mating dance, all majority of the Cuba Marsh

flopping wings, awkward P property was farmed or used for h o t o

jumps, and amorous : pastureland.

A r t

squawks. I witnessed my Two farms occupied the 780- M o r first turtle laying eggs r acre site, which is comprised of i s / beside one of the wide B the larger, gravel-trailed portion I R D gravel trails. (Bad choice, S on the west side of Ela Road A S A honey.) I saw my first R and a smaller prairie on the east T double rainbow, arcing Black-billed cuckoo side. Drainage tiles dried up the and re-arcing over a extensive wetlands, and most of rolling open space that somehow screens out the signs of the trees had been cleared except for a few stands of oaks at civilization just beyond the trees. I experienced my first the edges of the farmland. Thus, the area must have seemed restored oak savanna and my first virgin, unplowed black like no more than a couple of Lake County “vacant lots” soil prairie. when developers asked permission in the mid 1970s to Those last two, admittedly, didn’t penetrate my con - build single family homes on the east side (also called the sciousness at first and probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t Ela Marsh addition) and condos and a light industrial park been on the trail of an elusive cuckoo. Casual visitors to on the west side (what is now the Cuba Marsh public area). Cuba Marsh receive little guidance in appreciating its won - It’s chilling to me to think what might have happened to ders, aside from the maps the forest preserves will send by Cuba Marsh had the Citizens for Conservation and The mail. Most folks wander the three miles of trails with their Nature Conservancy not stepped in at this point. I was still bikes, dogs, sweethearts, or binoculars, discovering on their in college at the University of Illinois and, for the most own what the Marsh has to offer. Many see nothing beyond part, blissfully ignorant of the uncontrolled urban sprawl

F ALL 2002 27 encroaching on northwest edge of the farmland. Later, an undisturbed black- open space in soil prairie was found at the far south edge of the Ela Marsh much of our addition. Even the existence of these rare habitats, however, region. Sure, I sang did not end the fight to develop these tracts. In the 1970s, along when Joni in fact, it was not accepted wisdom that partly degraded Mitchell scolded habitats could be restored to good health. If a site was those who would already “degraded,” the thinking in some quarters ran, what’s “Pave paradise and wrong with putting a nice, money-generating building there? P h

o put up a parking Of course, such thinking still is all too common today. t o :

C lot,” but it didn’t The fight only ended when the Lake County Forest a r o

l mean much to me Preserves agreed in 1976 to acquire the 550 acres that make

F r e

e then. It wasn’t my up the main portion of Cuba Marsh. Shortly thereafter, the m a

n backyard, after all. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the drainage tiles Common sulphur butterfly on New England aster Thank heavens from the property, allowing the marshes to return to their people like Waid natural water levels. “The number of waterfowl just Vanderpoel, former president of Citizens for Conservation, boomed after they did that,” remembers Vanderpoel. were looking out for my interests, even though they didn’t The marshes here are known as hemi-marshes, which are know it. Vanderpoel, a tall, retired banker who remains dis - normally somewhat dry during the warmest months but tinguished-looking even in overalls, met me at Cuba Marsh hold deep water between patches of tall vegetation in one day to explain what had been done on behalf of the spring and fall. The varying level of water keeps cattails in people of Lake County. “Cuba Marsh and the Ela Marsh check and allows a great diversity of wildlife and marsh addition were only protected after a massive campaign by plants to flourish. Along with great blue herons, now com - civic organizations, the Barrington Courier-Review newspa - mon in Lake County, endangered and threatened species per, and the efforts of many volunteers going to meetings like the Cooper’s hawk, northern harrier, pied-billed grebe, and speaking up,” he told me. “There’s always a fight over and black-crowned night-heron – and more than 80 other land use in Lake County. Developers never give up; conser - recorded species of birds – find Cuba Marsh immensely vationists must always be wary.” attractive now. Moreover, in the last breeding bird survey, During the fight to preserve this land, it became appar - conducted in 1997, two rare black-billed cuckoos were ent that these properties were much more than simply recorded. “open space.” An old growth oak savanna, choked with Volunteers with Citizens for Conservation also planted brush, was clinging to the railroad right of way on the thousands of oaks in the preserve in those early years. P h o t o :

W a l t

A n d e r s o n Sandhill cranes sometimes perform their mating dances in Cuba Marsh.

28 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS The ruddy duck breeds in large marshy ponds in the Calumet area (see page 13). It surprised birders this year by breeding in a restored wetland in the Paul Douglas Preserve (see page 33). P h o t o :

A r t

M o r r i s / B I R D S A S A R T Great blue heron carrying nesting material

Those young trees were in the area where I thought I had heard ogist Ken Klick showed me a draft management plan that the cuckoo. “Ever seen one?” I asked Vanderpoel. He hadn’t. expresses great concern about buckthorn, which spreads quickly My efforts to understand Cuba Marsh and its cuckoo poten - and shades out local species, as well as 21 other invasive plants tial led me eventually to a northern Illinois conservation clas - that pose a threat to the natives of Cuba Marsh. Forest preserve sic, Miracle Under the Oaks by William K. Stevens. Stevens staffers often field calls from upset residents whenever a tree is recounts the success of groundbreaking savanna restoration cut or a prescribed burn is completed. “Why are you destroying efforts in this region’s forest preserves that set the stage for more habitat?” the well-intentioned callers ask. widespread projects. In 1988, restoration work began on the oak Of course, they are not destroying habitat, but restoring it to savanna at Cuba Marsh, with both Citizens for Conservation health. In my search for that elusive cuckoo, I have discovered and the Lake County Forest Preserves providing manpower. that as lovely as Cuba Marsh is to look at and as filled with rare Clearing and herbiciding invasive, nonnative European buck - species as it is, it cannot be left to face the invasive species on thorn formed the bulk of the backbreaking work. Volunteers its own. I couldn’t help thinking that just as it once needed to then seeded big-leaved aster, nodding fescue, and other native be saved from development, it now deserves to be rescued from plants. Areas of invading buckthorn have been cleared twice neglect. I realized that, as I had followed the cuckoo into a more since then. more intimate relationship with the The tiny patch of pristine oak savan - Marsh and its needs, I had changed as na in the northwestern portion of Cuba well: from a mere appreciator of nature Marsh, west of the EJ&E railroad tracks to someone motivated to contribute to that cross Cuba Road, was never threat - its preservation. ened with development. Too wet and These days, I join other volunteers as marshy to be drained by even the most often as I can for the workdays at Cuba zealous farmer, this section was once a Marsh, where we work up a sweat chop - Victorian pleasure garden, a hideaway ping invasive trees, pulling weeds, or of winding canals and bridges, over - planting seeds. And I finally did see a looked by the landowner’s mansion. black-billed cuckoo disappearing into a Remnants of the bridges remain, but stand of trees not far from where I’d the house was destroyed by fire years been hearing him call all those evenings ago, leaving that section of Cuba Marsh – tan back feathers, white belly, sloped- to the enjoyment of the water birds. back wings, and long, elegant tail. At Those brave enough to walk down the least I think it was a black-billed cuck - tracks a mile or so will find two heron oo. Could have been a yellow-billed – P h rookeries. o they’ve nested in Cuba Marsh, too. I t o :

Many parts of Cuba Marsh, however, C guess I’ll just have to keep looking while a r o l are clogged with buckthorn. Once I I work. F r e learned to identify it, I saw it every - e m a where. Forest Preserve restoration ecol - n Drummond’s aster and blackberry leaves

F ALL 2002 29 Guest essay

THE VISION OF ECOLOGICAL DEMOCRACY by J. Ronald Engel

n the 1930s, the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead predicted that the one place where Ianother great flowering of modern culture might come is in the American Middle West, “where the start could be fresh and from the ground up.” He gave two reasons. Good climate, soil, and food – those three preconditions for a flourishing civiliza - tion – are present here. And the Midwest also has a “human soil favorable to a new civilization” – per - sons still in “contact with the elemental processes of nature.” Chicago Wilderness seeks a renewed, knowledge - able, caring relationship with the land for all the citizens of our region. We speak not only of biodi - versity, climate, and soil, but also of food, mass tran - sit, and rooftop gardens. We lament the fact that our population is no longer in contact with the ele - mental processes of nature. But our vision is essen - tially the same vision that grasped Whitehead: a great democratic civilization at home on the Earth – a self-governing republic of free, equal, and respon - sible citizens living in a mutually sustaining rela - tionship with a flourishing ecology here in the Mississippi Basin, the Garden of the New World. In his book Nature’s Metropolis , William Cronon has spelled out in detail what kind of vision actually determined the settlement of the Chicago glacial plain and built the imperial technological civiliza - tion we live in today – the belief that Providence ordained the vast natural wealth of the midconti - nent for the exclusive use of human beings, in order that we might engineer a world apart from and superior to nature. But there is another way to conceive “Nature’s Metropolis” – and another history that many are trying to write in this place. Significant elements point to Chicago as the birthplace of an alternative American environmental movement committed to the transformation of the urban industrial order. Beginning in 1908, the Prairie Club sought to make nature and From Alice Hamilton – a medical doctor and Hull forest preserves a part of this region’s emerging culture. House resident who was the first person in the United dream of ecological democracy. States to connect human health, the environment, and What kind of dream is this, that turns the world upside politics in the workplace – we can trace a line to the first down and flies so abruptly in the face of the dominant People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit of trends of modernity; that puts together what are usually 1991 and the contemporary environmental justice move - divided – humanity and nature, justice and ecology – and ment, which believes a healthy environment is essential to insists that they belong together, indeed, draw strength a healthy democracy. Much that we value environmentally from one another? and socially in this region we owe to this extraordinary I believe the vision that inspires Chicago Wilderness is community of citizens who over generations clung to the at root a religious vision. I use the word “religious” in the

30 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS broadest sense – to point to a people’s sense of the wholeness with the creative powers inherent in matter, protoplasm, flesh of the world and of themselves in that world. I refer to an and blood, water, soil, plants, and birds on the wing. Chicago- evaluation of the world so encompassing that out of it all area literary naturalist Donald Culross Peattie wrote that a other evaluations directly or indirectly grow. person is touched to learn that “his blood is sea water, his tears The word “religious” are salt, that the seed carries a cartload of bag - of his loins is scarcely gage some of us would different from the same rather not carry today. cells in a seaweed, and Please substitute “faith,” that of stuff like his “world view,” “para - bones are coral made.” digm,” “system of val - And what drives our ues,” or “the good life” – efforts to bring under these can also convey a critical examination sense of ultimate orienta - our most fundamental tion to the world. Others assumptions, to hold may prefer a more tradi - not only one another tional metaphor such as but our institutions – “Kingdom of God.” indeed, our very social What difference does it order – accountable to make what we call this universal ethical vision? Why not simply a norms, but the voice of civic ideal? our conscience telling Unless we acknowl - us we have large and edge the religious or unprecedented respon - deep value-based dimen - Biodiversity blixens pose with a friend disguised as a zebra mussel. The sibilities for this grace- sion of our vision, we Calumet BioBlitz (page 10) was scientific, democratic, cultural, and fun. filled world? will lack consciousness of the size of our enterprise. We will And so we dare to ask questions: What kinds of growth not see that what we are seeking to achieve in all our good are good and what kinds are not? Why not expect of our cit - works throughout this metropolitan region is more than izens a sense of loyalty and obligation to the region as a good public policy, or even good ethics, whole, to the well-being of all of its people but a new kind of salvation for humanity and creatures, and to future generations? – one that is global in reach and insepa - How can every citizen experience contact rable from the salvation of the planet. What we are seeking to achieve with the “elemental processes of nature” and How can we overcome our tragic alien - in all our good works participate meaningfully in the governance ation from one another and the rest of of the region? Do we not, as one of the most nature and restore our relationship to the throughout this metropolitan powerful urban societies on Earth, have whole of which we are a part? region is more than good duties to the rest of the world? Wherein lies Unless we are conscious of the reli - public policy, or even good our true security: in the militarization of our gious dimension of our vision, we will fail society or in a healthy biosphere, interna - to grasp the radical novelty of what we ethics, but a new kind of tional law, and respect for universal human are seeking or recognize the new answers salvation for humanity – one rights? we have already found. As I look back that is global in reach and Our courage for dissent may fail us, but over the many years of struggle to make inseparable from the salvation we are at a turning point in history. Only a Chicago just and sustainable and think prophetic attitude that places everything about what so many remarkable groups of the planet. under the judgment of the whole, that and individuals have been about, I con - affirms a greater covenant to which we are clude that we have been given intima - accountable – a covenant inclusive of tions of a new understanding of immortality. We are finding humanity and nature – will free us from our dogmas, sectari - new meanings for the sacramental and prophetic dimensions anism, and greed and enable us to rejoin the sacred adven - of human experience. ture of life. We call it “democratic ecological citizenship.” What drives our thirst for firsthand experience of the nat - What we mean is citizenship as a spiritual vocation, a way of ural world? What drives our eagerness to participate with healing the world. others in the great drama of the out-of-doors, our desire to learn the natural history of this place and to work with our Adapted from an address delivered in July 2002 at the Chicago hands for its restoration? What drives our struggle to know Humans and Nature Forum at Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, the evolutionary story of our planet and to bring our ways of Illinois. J. Ronald Engel is a professor at the Meadville-Lombard life into keeping with its limits and potential? I believe it is Theological Seminary at the University of Chicago. Historic our joyous discovery that these are ways of overcoming our photo from The Prairie Club of Chicago by Cathy Jean alienation and finding a new sacramental relationship with Maloney. Courtesy of Arcadia Publishing, ©2001. one another and the Earth. They are new ways of communion Blitz photo by John Weinstein, ©2002 The Field Museum.

F ALL 2002 31 News of the wild Field Notes For more than five years, Petra Sierwald, entomologist for the arthropods to breath. At the museum, the leaf litter was then Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and other specialists placed under a lamp. “With the exception of the mollusks that have inventoried the fungi, lichen, vascu - retreated into their shells, the other collected arthropods would dig lar plants, arachnids, birds, and mollusks down into the leaf litter to escape the heat,” Sierwald explained. – among other organisms – of Swallow “They went through the litter, into a funnel, and then into a con - Cliff Woods Forest Preserve in southwest - tainer filled with a solution that allowed them to be preserved for ern Cook County. Sierwald and museum later identification.” volunteer Nina Sandlin, who joined the In the end, the Field Museum team identified 14,166 individual project last year, were specifically look - spiders representing 21 families and 159 species at four sites within ing for spiders. One of the great many the preserve. Those that were not easily identifiable were taken to they found brought the county into the Mike Draney, a spider expert at the University of Wisconsin-Green national limelight. Bay. “In March, I went up to Green Bay with a gym bag full of little

P “As far as I know, this is the first time vials of spiders,” Sandlin recalled, “and Mike and I slaved over h o t

o in the world that a group has attempted them. It was pretty clear that one was ‘ Walckenaeria something,’ :

M to do an entire inventory at one site,” but it was hard to see the details we needed.” Easy to understand, i k e

D explained Sierwald, whose fascination considering the spider was only two millimeters long. r a n with the complex reproductive systems The specimen turned out to be Walckenaeria palustris , a member e y of spiders drew her into a career in sys - of Linyphiidae , or the sheet web spider family. It is the first of its Walckenaeria palustris, two tematics and evolutionary biology. kind to be found in the United States. Sheet web spiders construct millimeters long Swallow Cliff is an 800-acre mix of oak their dense, sheet-like webs close to the ground. “This was exactly savanna and prairie, a hilly landscape formed thousands of years the kind of find we were hoping to encounter,” Sierwald stated. ago by glaciers. “We know that at least 40 percent of the organisms living in the When the inventory at Swallow Cliff began, ground spiders were soil have not been described. Discovering the Walckenaeria palustris sampled biweekly between 1996 and 1999. Using leaf-litter traps, is a reminder of how little we know and it brings us closer to our team members collected one-kilogram increments of leaf litter that goal of knowing about every species in one given habitat.” were placed in special cloth bags, which allowed the trapped — Jayne Bohner

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32 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS The little green heron sometimes swallows whole frogs that seem bigger than its head (see page 11). Q Chicago Wilderness includes an $8 million reduction in the Programs Cut Conservation 2000 (C2000) program grants The financial crisis facing the U.S. for which Chicago Wilderness programs are Forest Service due to the cost of fighting eligible. None of the region’s ecosystem part - wildfires, and Illinois’ severe budget short - nerships, including the Chicago Wilderness falls, have put a number of Chicago Ecosystem Partnership (part of the state’s Wilderness programs at risk. C2000 program) will receive any IL03 grants In June, the U.S. Forest Service unless they are for capital expenditures. The announced that, due to the high cost of budget cuts also mean the virtual elimination wildfire suppression in the West, it is defer - of the Illinois EcoWatch program, which ring payments on all FY02 funding trains volunteers to collect natural resource previously allocated to many conservation data used by scientists and land managers programs, including $700,000 for Chicago around the region. The Open Land Trust Wilderness. That represents almost half of program, which buys land for natural the consortium’s total budget, and will have resource protection and public recreations, significant impacts on the science, land was cut by $4 million, and the only two staff management, and education programs that positions at the Endangered Species Board rely on Chicago Wilderness grants. were eliminated. Federal cutbacks will deprive Illinois of Major reductions also affected the state’s more than $3 million, including direct sup - Open Space Land Acquisition and port of IDNR operations ($820,405) and Development fund, an important source of grants to various partners, including funding for park districts and forest preserve Chicago Wilderness (through the Illinois districts to acquire open lands. The fund Conservation Foundation), The Nature balance, which pays for grants to local gov - Conservancy, the Forest Preserve District of ernments, was cut by $29 million. The Cook County, DePaul University, and sev - IDNR’s share of the real estate transfer tax appropriate additional funds for fighting eral other nonprofit entities. was also reduced, resulting in an annual cut wildfires so the Forest Service can see that At the same time, the State of Illinois of $9 million. If the share of the real estate the grants it had originally intended to sup - reduced funding to the Illinois Department of transfer tax is not restored in the coming port will be implemented,” said Laurel Ross, Natural Resources (IDNR) by more than $70 year, annual grants will be cut in half. Also, chair of the Chicago Wilderness coordi - million, citing severe budget shortfalls. This if the funding is not reinstated, the budget nating group. cuts will force state agencies such In the meantime, Chicago Wilderness as the Illinois Nature Preserves will continue current programs as it seeks to 9 Commission to lay off staff and broaden its base of support through the greatly reduce future protection, recently launched Corporate Council ( CW , restoration and monitoring of Summer ‘02) and through private founda - ecosystems throughout Illinois. tion grants. Moreover, due to a program 9 6 promotin1g8 early retirement, IDNR W is likely to lose more than 400 Ruddy Ducks Rule 8 Yellow-headed blackbirds, ruddy ducks, staff, ma1n2y of them senior scien - and pied-billed grebes were among the tists and pr1o3fessionals. “This is a nesters this past spring at Paul Douglas time bomb waiting for the next o Forest Preserve in northwestern Cook

F D 15

e governor,” commented one long - s County. Not known to have nested there 2 P l a time observer of state government. i n 9 before, these three species herald won - e s “It will decimate the ranks of state 4 derful things to come at this wetland 4 6 14 agencies, and the people who are restoration site. 17 leaving have the most institu - The Paul Douglas Forest Preserve in 21 10 9 tional knowledge.” 10 Hoffman Estates had always had a wetland, 19 17 x “We hope that Congress will but it often dried up as summer approached, 28 12 4 and nesting aquatic species could not use it. 18 21 18 LAKE To restore the wetland, the Forest Preserve MICHIGAN 12 District constructed a low dam across 27 18 21 e g Poplar Creek near Central Road. The sur - a P 26 30 u D rounding fields were scarified and planted 20 21 21 11 Little Calumet 19 with prairie grasses and wildflower seeds. 9 23 Among the first species to show up at the 17 7 restored site were great blue herons, seen 17 10 3 17 24 bringing nesting material to the newly 13 installed tower platforms. The herons even - 21 29 5 tually built five nests, and in July there were 25 4 N eleven nestlings. The wetland is providing a healthy diet of fish for the herons. K 0 5 10 an ka The next, and most surprising, response Miles kee

F ALL 2002 33 News of the wild

was the appearance of the yellow-headed tions of several invertebrate animal blackbird, which is endangered in Illinois. species. “This loss in turn may have impli - Six were seen altogether, and in July females cations elsewhere in the food chain – were carrying food into nesting areas. affecting the diversity of mammals and State-threatened pied-billed grebes birds, for instance,” suggests Heneghan. have also nested, and two different pairs Heneghan and his research team con - raised young. Altogether, there are twelve ducted their buckthorn leaf litter research pied-billed grebes at the preserve. in Shaw Woods, a preserve of the Lake Ruddy ducks, with their brilliant blue Forest Open Lands Association. bills, spent time at Paul Douglas diving for food and doing courtship displays. Then, R Willoway Brook in July, eight ducklings were seen trailing June 10 marked the completion of the single-file behind the mother. The group Morton Arboretum’s Willoway Brook stabi - included another female and four males. lization and restoration project. Willoway Other birds seen over the summer include Brook is a DuPage River East Branch tribu - sora rail, American egret, common tary that enters the river on the Arboretum’s moorhen, American bittern, Virginia rail, grounds in Lisle. The brook formerly carried dunlin, least and spotted sandpipers, black- sediment from its shoreline erosion to the crowned night-heron, lesser yellowlegs, Arboretum’s Lake Marmo and Sterling and double-crested cormorants. Ducks seen Pond, and the East Branch of the DuPage included northern shovelers, blue-winged River, negatively affecting these waterways. and green-winged teal, ring-necked and The Arboretum reshaped and reinforced wood ducks, and gadwalls. Increased num - portions of the streambank to minimize ero - bers of swallows (northern rough-winged, sion, and replanted it with native plants tree, bank, and cliff) and purple martins appropriate to the surrounding prairie, were noted. savanna, and woodlands. Kudos to the Forest Preserve District of Launched during the summer of 2001, Cook County and the U.S. Fish and the project cost an estimated $415,000 that Wildlife Service, which funded the the Arboretum shared with the Illinois restoration. Environmental Protection Agency and — Stan Stec DuPage County, working with the Conservation Foundation to create a model E New Problem – No Leaf for erosion control. Litter A recent study by DePaul University T Prairie Plants To Midewin professor Liam Heneghan and Lake Forest To restore the 19,000-acre Midewin Open Lands Association has revealed that National Tallgrass Prairie, the USDA Forest buckthorn leaf litter has high nitrogen Service site recently received 19,000 prairie content and decomposes more rapidly than plants that were grown through a cost-share the litter of most of Chicagoland’s domi - program with the Illinois DNR’s Mason nant native species. State Nursery. The nursery is producing Buckthorn chokes out healthy plant plants from the seeds harvested by Midewin communities by blocking sunlight. But volunteers and staff, and in turn the Forest that’s only part of the story. Though nitrogen is a critical soil nutrient, the excess nitrogen from decomposing buck - thorn leaves causes a significant increase in the rate of decomposition. Heneghan found that, as buckthorn spreads and domi - nates a preserve, the rate of decomposition P h

of all forest floor material increases dra - o t o :

matically, adding large amounts of G e r nitrogen to the soil very quickly and modi - a l d

fying the soil composition. He concluded D .

T a

that the increase in nitrogen content n could have serious negative effects on the g survival of many native plants, even after Service is providing funds for the expansion the buckthorn is removed. of nursery greenhouse facilities. Heneghan found that forest leaf litter Of the many species returning home, the virtually disappears each year in the high- staff is most excited to receive plants for nitrogen conditions found in dense their rare dolomite prairie, such as hairy buckthorn thickets. As buckthorn beardtongue and side-oats grama. In order encroaches still further, the disappearance to restore this highly disturbed land, staff of the leaf litter may cause local extinc - and volunteers are also beginning to harvest

34 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS Steve Byers of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and Nancy Williamson of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who used a canoe to track down rare species in the Calumet area, show off their legs on page 11. seeds for prairie sedges as well as minor grasses, including porcupine grass, prairie panic grass, vanilla grass, and June grass. These plants create a refuge for a number of endangered and threatened species of birds including the upland sandpiper, loggerhead shrike, and Henslow’s sparrow. Among the volunteers helping to restore the Midewin Prairie are the Mighty Acorns, a program that teaches third- through-seventh-grade students the importance of preservation and restoration through stewardship activities. The 1,000 children participating come from schools in Wilmington, Elwood, Joliet, and Homer Township. The municipalities have been partners of the Midewin prairie since its establishment in 1996. — Jennifer Tang Palatine Rand & Dundee Y Lake County Referendum On the November 5 ballot, the Lake Evanston County Forest Preserves will ask voters for Church & Chicago a modest tax increase to provide needed funding for maintenance, public access, and safety at new and existing forest pre - serves, trails, and facilities. Since voters approved referenda in 1999 and 2000, preserves have grown to 24,325 acres, with up to 1,700 acres in acquisitions anticipated, a projected 25 percent increase. Trails for hiking, biking, and other activities soon will have increased by 43 percent to over 115 miles; thousands of additional acres of wildlife habitat are now managed; and many new preserves and outdoor recreation and edu - cation facilities have opened for the public to enjoy. “A small property tax increase is needed to keep their rapidly growing system of preserves, trails, and facilities clean, accessible, and safe for people to enjoy,” said Al Westerman, pres - ident of the Lake County Forest Preserves. The proposed referendum would cost the owner of a home with a market value of $200,000 about $10.74 per year. U Don’t Fence Me In – Grassland Birds Need Space It’s said that trees and prairie birds don’t Live Life Naturally mix. Now grassland bird expert Jim Herkert has the numbers to prove it. As science Rolling savannas and director for the Illinois Nature Conservancy, one of his primary recommendations is the towering trees set the scene for removal of trees and bushes from grass - three wooded building sites. Wetlands, wild - lands that are important to birds. Trees flowers, woods and wildlife are harbor predators that prairie species can’t handle. At the 375-acre Bartel Grassland, yours from $159,000. the Cook County Forest Preserve District last winter removed the nine miles of tree- rows (planted by farmers around their For a virtual tour go to www.bestlakecountyhomes.com land) that had fragmented the preserve. RE/MAX Suburban Lynn Fairfield Herkert studied the bird life in the pre - 847-367-8686 x242

F ALL 2002 35

News of the wild

serve’s tree-row and grassland areas in 2001 2001 Supreme Court decision on isolated ally became the Garfield Farm Museum. In and 2002 – the year before and the year wetlands ( CW , Spring ‘01). Rep. May has July, 2002, the fence that separated after trees were removed. He found that twice introduced legislation to provide Garfield’s land from the Mongersons’ for numbers of the four most imperiled grass - wetland standards, which would allow 67 years came down in an acquisition that land birds on the site – Henslow’s, Illinois to join the 16 other states that increases the Garfield Museum’s holdings grasshopper, and savanna sparrows as well have them. Recently, federal legislation on to 370 acres. as bobolinks – rose between 30 and 300 this topic was introduced in the Senate by The new acreage buffers Garfield percent. Some other species of birds disap - Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and in the House Museum’s own natural acreage and that of peared when the brush went, but these by Reps. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Campton Hills Park ( CW , Winter ‘01). were mostly common species, like the crow John Dingell (D-Mich.). The Clean Water While the majority of the acquisition will and grackle, and all have vast habitat in Authority Restoration Act of 2002 would be leased out for continued agricultural the brushed-in former grasslands of other restore protections to millions of acres of use, the new revenue will allow the nearby preserves. The biggest increases in valuable wildlife habitat. museum to pull 32 other acres of crucial grassland birds were at the study points in For information on upcoming state wetland out of production to be restored. the former brush-rows. Partners in the efforts, contact Rep. May at (847) 948- This will bring Garfield’s total natural Bartel project include the Corporation for 0060. For information on the recent acres to more than 70. The land encom - Open Lands, U.S. Army Corps of federal legislation, contact Sen. Feingold at passes prairie, marsh, and sedge meadow, Engineers, and Audubon-Chicago Region. (202) 224-5323. including the ecologically significant Mill — Rebecca Grill Creek Prairie and Sedge Meadow, 20 acres I Unusual Mix At Wetlands Tour of which were never plowed. An unusual mix of homebuilders, con - O New Chicago Wilderness “This is an excellent groundbreaking servation advocates, and Illinois state Members example of farmland preservation that is legislators came together for a “Wetlands In July, Chicago Wilderness welcomed an important component of environmental Walk and Talk” on July 1. Representative six new members, bringing the total to preservation and restoration,” says Museum 154. The Geneva Lake Conservancy is Director Jerry Johnson. “It also creates an based in Fontana, Wisconsin, and pro - intact 2,000-acre corridor of open space motes responsible stewardship of the running through three townships in the region’s land and water resources through center of rapidly developing Kane County.” private land conservation measures, proper The acquisition was realized through the zoning and land use controls, and public generosity of the Grand Victoria Foundation, outreach and education. The McHenry the Illinois Clean Energy Community P h

o County Conservation Foundation pro - Foundation, the Hansen Furnas Family t o :

motes, supports, and encourages the Foundation, the Kane County Riverboat R e b

e charitable, educational, scientific, and Fund, the USDA Farmland Protection c c a

recreational programs, projects, and poli - Program, and Garfield Farm donors. A G r i l

l cies of the McHenry County Conservation Campton Township Open Lands contribution Karen May organized the event to show - District and other open-space organizations completed the acquisition. case local development projects where in McHenry County. The Friends of — Elizabeth Riotto bottom-line profits mix successfully with Morton Grove Forest Preserves act as bottomlands preservation. stewards of the village’s woodlands, { Burgeoning Rookery The afternoon was appropriately steamy prairies, and forests, in addition to being All four species of nesting birds at Lake as nearly 50 people boarded vans for a tour advocates for the restoration and preserva - Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve of four sites in the Lake Forest area. tion of the village’s natural areas. The in Plainfield showed gains this year in the Architect-developer Rick Swanson and North Branch Restoration Project works first full breeding season since restoration Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s with the Forest Preserve District of Cook work was completed by the Forest Preserve Stephen Christy Jr. emphasized the impor - County and other agencies to protect and District of Will County. tance of early cooperation between restore native Illinois ecosystems. Prairies Counts taken in May and June on the government, citizen’s groups, and devel - Forever is a nonprofit organization dedi - two breeding islands in the middle of the opers. Swanson pointed out that cated to promoting the ecological and lake revealed that black-crowned night- preservation of wetlands and woodlands at cultural significance of the American heron nests increased from 39 nests to 92. sites such as Everett Farm, Middlefork prairie through education, outreach, and These nests account for an estimated 15 Farm, and Amberley Woods, which the public engagement. The Wildflower percent of the total statewide breeding group visited, greatly increases the value of Preservation Society of Illinois encour - population of the state-endangered bird. the homes in nearby developments. ages the preservation and appreciation of Great blue heron nest sites increased to Swanson believes that, given market rates our native plants through public lectures 266, compared to last year’s 184; great egret for land, a smaller number of homes selling and grants to individuals and organizations. nest sites increased to 362, up from 324 last at a premium price could make the con - Founded in 1913, the society was respon - year; and double-crested cormorant nests cept work anywhere. “People will pay to sible for many wildflower preservation laws increased to 489, an increase from 397. live in a beautiful setting,” he notes. in Illinois. Because each of the species that nests Joining May were Representatives on the islands has different requirements, Suzanne Bassi, Tom Berns, Beth Coulson, P Farmlands Preserved 561 new nesting sites were created. These Harry Osterman, and David Winters. At In 1935, Timothy Garfield sold 99 acres consisted of artificial trees, pole structures, the heart of the debate are efforts to of his Kane County farmland to the log piles, nesting boxes, and live vegeta - restore protections lost due to a January Mongerson family. Garfield’s land eventu - tion. The large construction project was

36 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS Bacteria that live in the roots of certain plants produce twice as much nitrogen fertilizer as industrial sources. completed in late winter of this year, just as the birds were returning to the islands Art & LindA ’s WiLdfLoWers from their winter migration. • Beautiful native plants & grasses } Green Bolingbrook The Village of Bolingbrook recently • Wildflower garden design, installation, acquired 26.5 acres along the DuPage consultation and stewardship. River, preserving forest, savanna, and wet - • Gardens for the sacred places in your heart & land habitats from almost certain home. Special places – for meditation, reflection, development. The “Hoffman parcel,” celebration, remembrance or worship. zoned for residential development but never disturbed, is located on the West 708 .78 5.2943 Chicago Moraine along the DuPage River’s East Branch. The Forest Preserve District of Will County helped the village w ww.artandlindaswildflowers.com apply for grants, which garnered $1,777,000 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Open Land Trust and $200,000 from the Conservation Foundation’s Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant. Bolingbrook’s Village Administrator James Boan says the Hoffman parcel will remain undeveloped except for the expan - sion of the Bolingbrook Park District’s DuPage River Greenway recreational trail. Lakewood Homes Inc. recently donated 22 acres of adjacent land that, with the Hoffman parcel, will close a two-mile gap in the greenway. The Hoffman parcel includes an oak savanna; an upland forest with red, white, and bur oak, hackberry, basswood, and ironwood; a floodplain forest with green ash, elms, silver maple, and box elder; and a wet meadow with reed canary grass (a pesky inva - sive), dogwoods, and sand bar willow. — Emily Schafer q Nyberg And Pergams Win Awards In Asheville, North Carolina, on October 4th they’ll be singing the praises of Dennis Nyberg. Nyberg – director of the James Woodworth Prairie in Glenview, steward of Cranberry Slough Nature Preserve in south - western Cook County, and associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago – has been awarded the prestigious Natural Areas Stewardship Award for 2002 by the Natural Areas Association (NAA). The award will be presented at the NAA annual meeting. The award recognizes Nyberg’s “contribu - tions to natural areas protection, bringing volunteers to conservation work, establishing a prescribed burn program at the James Woodworth Prairie, and his many achieve - ments in the education arena.” We join the NAA in thanking Dennis for his outstanding work on behalf of Chicago Wilderness’ natural wonders. Oliver Pergams, one of Nyberg’s stu - dents who recently completed his

F ALL 2002 37 News of the wild

doctorate, has also been recognized for his ability. Then we can look at the final ver - Wilderness. work in the region. Pergams was named a sion of the Fish and Wildlife EIS and You can also take a “Chicago River David H. Smith fellow in the conservation decide which of the provisions, if any, we Tour” on yet another DOE page: www.city - research program established by The will utilize.” ofchicago.org/Environment/ Nature Conservancy, which is devoted — Jayne Bohner Rivertour. Virtually explore the Chicago exclusively to applied conservation River’s environment, learn its history, and research problems in the United States. e The Natural Web meet the groups and agencies that are Bring the delicate song of an Indigo working to restore this natural resource. w Growing Gaggle bunting to your desktop at the Chicago To find out about nature workshops, With a resident Canada goose popula - Department of the Environment (DOE) fieldtrips, and volunteer opportunities tion in the lower 48 states expected to Web site, “A Bird’s Eye View of the throughout the city, visit “The Nature reach over five million in the next ten Migratory Bird Route.” The newly Chicago Calendar”: www.cityofchicago.org years if left unchecked, the federal govern - launched site, www.cityofchicago.org/ /Environment/NaturalResources. ment may give states more leeway to help Environment/BirdMigration, features the manage the growing gaggles of ganders, sights, sounds and habitat needs of the For a listing of fall events, visit geese, and goslings. birds that rest and nest in Chicago chicagowildernessmag.org/calendar/. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has released a draft environ - mental impact statement (EIS) that includes a proposed alternative allowing state wildlife agencies to undertake approved population control strategies without a federal permit. Strategies would include nest and egg destruction, trapping and culling, and expanded hunting sea - sons. The USFWS would still maintain primary authority over resident geese, and states will have to follow established guidelines in order to implement the pro - visions of the proposed alternative. “The service believes that the problems caused by resident Canada geese can be best addressed at the state level,” stated USFWS director Steve Williams. “To that end, we are committed to providing state wildlife management agencies with as much flexi - bility as possible to address the issue.” “Resident” Canada geese are classified as those subspecies of Branta canadensis that nest and live in the lower 48 states between March and August, as opposed to those that migrate to Canada and Alaska each year to nest. All subspecies are protected under the P.O. Box 748 Migratory Bird Treaty Act and currently St. Charles, IL 60174 can only be legally taken during a hunting 847-742-1790 season or by special federal permit ( CW , FAX 847-742-2655 Winter ‘02, pp. 6-9). The USFWS conducted a series of www.midwestgroundcovers.com public hearings and accepted public com - Nurseries Located on Route 25 ment regarding the EIS. The final EIS is North of St. Charles expected this fall, followed by another com - ment period. The proposed final rule on the EIS is anticipated in spring 2003. Related efforts are proceeding in Native Plants-Groundcovers of the Future Illinois. “Right now we’re nearing the end • Low-maintenance corporate • 32 Gro Plug flats with 8-4 packs per of our own three-year study in conjunction landscaping flat for ease of installation and with the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation • Residential landscape gardens increased plant health on the biology and population of resident • Habitat restoration projects • Over 80 species of Native Plants Canada geese in Illinois,” said Roy • Some species now offered in 1G size Domazlicky, the IDNR’s urban waterfowl project manager. “When our study is com - plete, we hope to determine the best The Groundcover Specialists available management options to pursue Propagators and Growers of Groundcovers, Perennials, based on the study results and social accept - Shrubs, Evergreens and Natives

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GARDEN CENTER/NURSERY Spring Bluff Nursery Prairie Moon Nursery ENVIRONMENTAL Sugar Grove, IL Winona, MN For information and rates to include CONSULTING 630.466.4278 507.452.1362 your company in the MarketPlace, call Applied Ecological Services, Inc. www.springbluffnursery.com www.prairiemoonnursery.com 708.485.8622 or e-mail Brodhead, WI 155-year-old farm surrounded by dis - Over 400 species native to the upper [email protected]. 608.897.8641 play gardens, over 900+ varieties of Midwest. Call or visit our Website for www.appliedeco.com perennials, trees, and shrubs, hard-to- free color catalog and cultural guide. Ecological consulting, natural resource finds and natives. assessment and restoration design of Prairie Ridge Nursery wetlands, prairies, woodlands, streams The Natural Garden, Inc. Mt. Horeb, WI and lakes on public and private lands. St. Charles, IL 608.437.5245 630.584.0150 www.prairieridgenursery.com Specializing in native and ornamental Consulting, restoration, and manage - perennials and grasses. We produce ment of prairies, savannas, wetlands, over 1,000 container grown selections and woodlands. Seeds local, wild eco - on 25 acres. Four acre retail garden type; wildflower plants nursery grown. center with display gardens. Reading pictures

Droplets of Unrequited Nectar

f you’ve never studied are verily dripping the milkweeds, you’re with ambrosia. Why Iin for a treat. Start haven’t the bees and with the flowers. Among butterflies been slurp - this region’s 14 native ing it up? Happy to species, the blooms may say, the plant shown be orange, white, green, here is in a restored yellow, pink, purple, or, in rare ecosystem under the common milkweed, a an oak in my back dusty rose lavender. Yet yard. Sad to say, one they all have the same day last July, all the distinctive structure. bees and butterflies From five swept-back vanished from my petals emerge a cluster of neighborhood, and five curved cups. From returned only gradu - these emerge five horns. ally over a few The pollination mech - weeks. Someone had anism is a tricky one. sprayed a ferocious Many of the rarer milk - amount of poison in weeds depend on persis - his yard or garden. A tent burly bumblebees, barbarous act, if large butterflies, or rare unintentionally so. specialized pollinators. So we had no pods These tend to go mostly on my woodland unpollinated. But when milkweed this year, the first flower in a clus - and few seeds at all ter does get lucky, the from any of the others all wither away, plants of midsummer. and that flower trans - But in the forest pre -

forms to one large pod. serves and elsewhere, . g r

Rare milkweeds should here and there o b l

be protected and left alone. But common milkweed grows throughout the region, 14 species of milkweeds have been h a D

in weed fields, roadsides, and alleys. Its pods are a great successfully dodging poison and predator for a long time. n

favorite for children of all ages, who like to launch the May they succeed forever! o R

plumed seeds on airborne y b

o

journeys. t o

Milkweeds are unpopular Photos of milkweed and bumblebee by Carol Freeman. h P

with most insect pests, since Milkweed seeds by Joe Nowak. Words by Stephen Packard. . e v r

their thick white milky juice e s e

is bitterly poisonous. But r P

their leaves are relished by – t s e and the only food of – the r o F

monarch butterfly. Swarms l l of monarchs that migrate e w k through each fall are testi - c a l B

mony to the vast numbers of t a

milkweeds that survive here e k

and there. a L

Pollinators swarm the r e v l

milkweeds because of their i S

copious sweet nectar. But : E T

the flowers of the rare wood - I S

land milkweed, shown here, O P P O

40 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS According to E.O. Wilson, a gram of soil from northern forests may be home to more than 4,000 species of bacteria. CHICAGO WILDERNESS MEMBERS For a complete list of members, please visit the Web site at chicagowilderness.org.

FRIENDS OF Chicago Wilderness Magazine $1,000 Strachan Donnelley Wendy Paulson $100 Jennifer Hamilton $10 – $50 Charlotte Tate James Marshall Philip & Allyn Boyd James Glass Gina Lettiere Harold Roerden Virginia Jendrzejczyk Judy Sutherland Alicja Boniecka Lorraine Joseph Vera Leopold Dale A. Shriver Lois Garner Carol Kloss Kathleen Tripp

This issue is supported by a grant from the Grand Victoria Foundation Imagine working with a world-class project team that can provide complete woodland and natural area restoration. A team with expertise in tree preservation, wetland and ecological restoration, and streambank stabilization. A team that can consult, design and implement restoration and management plans on a world-class level for every Chicago Wilderness ecosystem! Applied Ecological Services and The Care of Trees are teaming up to offer quality management skills and ecological expertise in: Restoration, maintenance and management of woodlands, wetlands, prairies, oak savannas, streambanks, and shorelines • Prescribed burning, non-native species control and land stewardship • Tree preservation on development and construction sites • Comprehensive ecological consulting and design. It’s a natural – AES and The Care of Trees, working together!

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