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Species Identification Burnham Wildlife Corridor

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Species Identification Burnham Wildlife Corridor CHICAGO COMMUNITY CLIMATECHICAGO ACTION COMMUNITY TOOLKIT © THE FIELD MUSEUM climatechicago.fieldmuseum.orgCLIMATE ACTION TOOLKIT Introduction The Burnham The Burnham Wildlife Corridor Species Identification Wildlife Corridor is a 100-acre ribbon of SPECIES Activity provides participants with an opportunity to urban wilderness running familiarize themselves with the species found living within through the lakefront IDENTIFICATION the prairie and woodland habitat at the Burnham Wildlife Burnham Park. Within the Corridor. Participants inventory plants, animals, and insects Corridor is a natural area ACTIVITY called the Burnham by comparing what they observe around the Corridor Nature Sanctuary, BURNHAM WILDLIFE to images on the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Rapid Color which is 12.5 acres and CORRIDOR Guide. Once participants identify a species, they check consists of a butterfly it off on the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Species Checklist meadow, preserved Users of this tool can begin to and/or use a notebook to record their observations about woodland, and a mature prairie. This activity works best at the Burnham Nature identify the Burnham Wildlife it. A reflection period follows during which participants Sanctuary but can be used throughout the Corridor. The Sanctuary has an Corridor as a site of urban discuss what they learned and the facilitator helps connect entrance at E 47th and S. Cornell, and visitors can follow a paved trail which loops back north of 45th Street and includes an elevated boardwalk. resilience to climate change, this activity to the larger context of climate action and which provides critical habitat, the importance of natural areas. Participants who enjoy enhances community wellbeing using the Rapid Color Guide can design their own using a and promotes conservation template available through the following link: among the general public. http://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org Participants will learn to observe and identify distinct species of GET READY! prairie and woodland habitats, The Burnham Wildlife Corridor Rapid Color Guide is Materials: and outline the importance of designed for use within the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. This urban natural environments for Rapid Color Guide provides one or two photos per species 1. Burnham Wildlife Corridor Rapid Color Guide- We encourage plant and animal communities (from early or late summer). Species may look different at you to reuse the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Rapid Color (particularly native and migratory different times of year. Users may want to look up images Guide by laminating the guide and/or instructing participants species). of species and make their own guide for the season during 1to mark on the accompaning checklist, rather than on the This activity was developed which the activity will take place. Use the accompanying guide itself. from the Green Ambassadors Burnham Wildlife Corridor Species Checklist or a notebook 2. Burnham Wildlife Corridor Species Checklist or a notebook teen program. The youth in to write down today’s observations, and note past for recording observations this program found that Rapid sightings. The checklist is alphabetical by common name 3. Pencils/pens for participants Color Guides, which help and organized by popular taxonomic groupings- i.e. 4. Sheets of paper for the reflection (optional) people put names to species, flowers (forbs), grasses and birds- all for ease of use by 5. Clipboards (optional) proved to be a powerful way for non-expert. 6. Prizes (optional) them to connect to the natural environment. A Rapid Color Guide is a field identification tool that allows you to quickly identify See other Rapid Color species using color photographs. The Burnham Wildlife Corridor Color Guide is designed for Guides for the WHAT IS A RAPID identifying species of prairie and woodland habitats within this particular location. If you are interested Chicago Region at: COLOR GUIDE? in a more general guide to urban natural areas within prairie and oak savanna habitats, you can use http://fieldguides. the Chicago Park District Prairies and Savannas Rapid Color Guide and activity instructions. To access fieldmuseum.org/ these resources, go to: http://climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/CPD%20 Prairies%20and%20Savannas.pdf Vocabulary: THE ACTIVITY REFLECTION Native Species- species which are Time: Goal: Helping participants solidify their knowledge and make not introduced by humans, and are • Introduction- 15 to 20 minutes connections to climate action, and connect to and understand naturally occuring and adapted to a particular ecosytem or habitat. • Identification- 15 to 30 minutes the importance of natural areas. • Reflection and Assessment- 15 to 20 minutes Procedure: Have participants reconvene after completing Community wellbeing- the health of • Total: A little over an hour the identification activity to reflect on what they have learned a community, which involves factors Number of People: A few people to a large group as well as share their feedback. The facilitator can ask such as strong social ties, connection to cultural heritage, and access to 2 3participants the guiding questions to begin a discussion about Procedure: green spaces. how this activity connects to larger concepts such as urban 1. Provide participants with a clipboard, pen or pencil, wellbeing, biodiversity, and climate action. The last guiding Additional Resources: Burnham Wildlife Corridor Rapid Color Guide and question asks participants to share their personal experience Chicago’s Climate Action Plan: Species Checklist and/or notebooks for observations. of this activity. www.chicagoclimateaction.org 2. Describe the identification activity as a way for Guiding Questions: participants to explore the Corridor and learn about Information on Illinois prairies: 1. How do natural areas provide benefits for all urban native species through the use of a field guide and http://www.museum.state.il.us/ inhabitants- including humans, animals, plants and checklist. muslink/prairie insects? Examples: Increases people’s awareness of Burnham Nature Sanctuary Website: 3. Introduce the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Rapid Color native species of the Chicago Region and interest in http://www.hydepark.org/ Guide as a color-image identification guide. It allows conservation parks/burnham/burnhamnatctr. users to rapidly inventory their species observations 2. How do natural areas in cities increase awareness of htm and add them to the Burnham Wildlife Corridor Species biodiversity and of the local impacts of climate change? Checklist or write them down in their notebooks. City of Chicago Nature Areas Examples: Natural areas provide a space for communities Directory (2009): Page 37 4. Instruct participants that they have 15-30 minutes to walk to take climate action, through conservation education, http://www.csu.edu/cerc/ through the Corridor for the activity, and that they should stewardship. They can be a platform for communities to researchreports/documents stay on the paths and boardwalks at all times. connect cultural heritage to climate change adaptation. Native plants for your garden: 5. Remind participants to explore within a safe distance 3. Did you like this activity, and why? What aspect did you climatechicago.fieldmuseum. of the home base (depending on age). If there are find the most interesting? Would you want to return to org/sites/default/files/ not enough color guides, clipboards, or chaperones, this natural area? With whom could you share what you Native%20Plant%20List.pdf participants can group together to share. learned today? 6. After the allotted time, collect participants back together. Check in with participants about what species they found, and how many. 7. Provide prizes to participants who return having checked off the most species on their lists (optional). 8. Facilitate participants in sharing what they learned and Major Sponsor connect this learning to climate action by asking the guiding questions. Prairies are complex ecosystems dominated by grasses and other non- woody plants called forbs. Prairies are crucial and endangered habitats in Skills learned through this Activity: Using a field guide to the Midwest- of the 22 million acres of native prairies that once covered the identify species, recognizing distinct physiological features of state of Illinois, less than 1% are still present today. You can contribute to Find this and other climate action tools at species, gaining familiarity with basic taxonomic groups prairie restoration through planting native prairie species in your backyard, and by participating in stewardship events in parks like the Burnham Wildlife climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org Corridor! © The Field Museum Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Farmland and Prairie” https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/IWAP/Pages/FarmlandandPrairie.aspx CHICAGO COMMUNITY MAMMALS CLIMATE ACTION TOOLKIT climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org COYOTE EASTERN COTTONTAIL EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL FOX SQUIRREL LITTLE BROWN BAT MEADOW VOLE RACCOON VIRGINIA OPOSSUM Exploring Notes: Nature in the Burnham Wildlife Corridor 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496 PLANTS Seen Seen Seen Seen Seen Seen today before today before today before TREES & SHRUBS FLOWERS (FORBS CON’T.) (BIRDS CON’T.) BLACK LOCUST FOXGLOVE BEARD-TONGUE EUROPEAN STARLING BUR OAK GOLDEN ALEXANDER GRAY CATBIRD CHINKAPIN OAK GRAY-HEAD CONEFLOWER HOUSE SPARROW COMMON BUCKTHORN MOUNTAIN MINT INDIGO BUNTING ELDERBERRY NEW ENGLAND ASTER NORTHERN CARDINAL HACKBERRY OHIO
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