DOCSLIB.ORG

Winter 99 Cover F&B

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Winter 99 Cover F&B Chicago EXPLORING NATURE & CULTURE WILDERNESSWINTER 1999 $3.95 CITIZEN SCIENTISTS • THE FOREST PRESERVES’ ROCKY START What is Chicago Wilderness? Chicago Wilderness is some of the finest and most significant nature in the temperate world, with roughly 200,000 acres of protected natural lands harboring native plant and animal communities that are more rare—and their survival more globally threatened— than the tropical rain forests. CHICAGO WILDERNESS is an unprece - dented alliance of 76 public and private organizations working together to study and restore, protect and manage the precious natural resources of the Chicago region for the benefit of the public. Chicago WILDERNES S is a quarterly magazine that cele - brates the rich biodiversity of this region and tells the inspiring stories of the people and organizations work - ing to heal and protect local nature. CHICAGO WILDERNESS A Regional Nature Reserve Friends of Nature he stirring and a cautionary tale of the battle to estab - wildflowers were disappearing from sites, not because they Tlish the Forest Preserve District of Cook County begins were being plucked but because their habitat was suffering. on page 4. When Dwight Perkins and Jens Jensen set about Once open areas, pleasant for strolling, picnicking or pro - saving “natural park lands” for the benefit of people, they viding respite for the eye, were gradually becoming choked did not know these holdings with invasive brush. would become refugia for rare and Yet ours is a continuing history endangered species, harboring bio - of civic pride and action on diversity of global conservation behalf of nature. Soon all the significance. region’s counties would have pre - They were establishing culture. serve districts of various kinds. Along with their friend and col - The spirit of Perkins, Jensen, May league Jane Addams, they were Watts, and others lives on in the concerned for the health and wel - efforts to restore natural areas and fare of urban residents—the wage in the collaborative conservation earners, as they put it—who initiatives of Chicago Wilderness. deserved, in their view, pleasant Today, I suspect, we hallow natural areas to enjoy, find inspi - nature no less than Perkins, ration, and cultivate a bond with Jensen, and Watts, but, perhaps, the natural heritage of the region. we respect nature more. We have At the time, they thought pro - L learned what a challenge it is not a n t e r tecting and preserving nature n only to protect tracts of land, but s l i d meant simply saving land from e also to preserve healthy com - : F o r development. Everyone did. e plexes of species—the whole s t P r The new Forest Preserve Dis - e communities called marshes, s e r v e trict purchased its first land, 500 prairies, savannas and woods— D i s t r i acres of Deer Grove, on June 25, c that constitute our native t o f 1916. They called it a “preserve,” C landscape. o o k C campaigned in sometimes charm - o Those among us today who u n t ing ways to protect its nature, put y have the fortitude, vision, and out fires, and essentially left the persistence of the forest preserve lands alone. (The young lady appearing on the back cover of founders will be the conservation heroes generations hence. this issue was part of an early campaign to educate visitors These are the people of Chicago Wilderness, the citizen O P not to pick the wildflowers.) scientists profiled in this issue, the leaders of organizations P O S But these quaint values were not enough. Many of the large and small (such as Charlotte and Herbert Read and I T E places Perkins fought so hard to preserve became less attrac - Dr. George Rabb, pp. 21-23), and not least of all, you, our : R o tive over the years, to both nature and people. Woodland readers. Bless you—and keep the faith. b C u r t i s / T h Debra Shore e E a EDITOR r l y B i r d e r W INTER 1999 P h o t o : F o r e s t P r CONTENTS e s e r v e D i s t r i c t o f C FEATURES o o k C o 4 u n t y TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT: The Origins of the Forest Preserves by Stephen F. Christy, Jr. 4 The noble and little-known history of the nation’s first forest preserve district. THE AMATEUR AND THE PRO: Science at the Grass Roots by Sheryl DeVore . 9 P Citizen scientists—noodling around in nature and making a real h o t o : contribution. K a t h y R i c h l a 9 n d D E PA RTMENTS Into the Wild. 13 Where to go. What to do. How to help. P h o t Natural Events Calendar. o : M o r t o Meet Your Neighbors . 22 n A r b Meet the sleek elusive mink. Meet Charlotte and Herb Read, o r e t u savers of the dunes. Meet Dr. George Rabb, conservation m A r 24 c ambassador from the Brookfield Zoo. h i v e s Local Heroes: Remembering May Watts . 24 She signed her poems “Face the Wind.” She inspired legions of nature lovers. Get to know a local hero. Chicago News from Chicago Wilderness . 26 WILDERNES S Volume II, Number 2 BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Return of a Native: Whooping Big Bird Story . 28 President : Dr. George Rabb Vice-President : Dan Griffin Reading Pictures . 32 Secretary : Laura Gates The Unseen. Treasurer : Barbara Whitney Carr Jerry Adelmann, Laura Hohnhold, John Rogner, Ron Wolk EDITOR . Debra Shore SENIOR EDITOR . Stephen Packard ASSISTANT EDITORS . Sheryl De Vore . Chris Howes NEWS EDITOR . Elizabeth Sanders ART DIRECTOR . Liita Forsyth ASSISTANT DESIGNER . Terri Wymore EDITORIAL CONSULTANT . Bill Aldrich Chicago WILDERNESS is published quarterly. Subscriptions are $12/yr. Please address all subscription correspondence to Chicago WILDERNESS , P.O. Box 268, Downers Grove, IL 60515-0268. Please direct editorial inquiries and correspondence to Editor, Chicago WILDER - NESS , 9232 Avers Ave, Evanston, IL 60203. (847) 677- 2470. e-mail: [email protected] Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned without a self-addressed stamped enve - lope. Chicago WILDERNESS is printed on recycled paper and should be passed around from friend to friend. Chicago ABOVE AND COVER: Old squaw ducks can be seen, sometimes by the hundreds, from the bluffs WILDERNESS is endorsed by the Chicago Region Biodi - overlooking Lake Michigan. Before they return to the Arctic to enjoy breeding, their black and white versity Council. The opinions expressed in these pages, pattern changes dramatically, nearly reversing intelf (see cover). Photo above by Jim Flynn/Root however, are the authors’ own. © by Chicago Wilderness Resources. Cover photo by Art Morris/Birds as Art. Magazine , Inc. OPPOSITE: Bur oak presides over snowy savanna along Flint Creek near Barrington, Illinois. ISSN 1097-8917. Postmaster, address service requested to Photo by Donna Lee. Chicago WILDERNESS , PO Box 268, Downers Grove, IL 60515-0268. W INTER 1999 All rights reserved. 3 To Preserve and Protect… by Stephen F. Christy, Jr. Do Forest Preserves face challenges today? Just look at what they overcame to get started. ur northeastern Illinois forest preserves total more magnificent civic accomplishment came about largely than 100,000 acres and represent the largest tract through the determined efforts of two great Chicagoans: Oof locally-owned public conservation land in the the architect Dwight Perkins (1867-1941), best remem - nation. Their benefits for our environment, recreation and bered today for his visionary designs of many of Chicago’s education are incalculable, and they preserve much of public schools, and the landscape architect Jens Jensen Chicago’s natural charm which, without their existence, (1860-1951), nationally known for his park designs in would certainly have been lost to the area’s growth. Chicago and other cities and a life-long champion of con - Of the millions of users of our Forest Preserves today few serving America’s landscape. Perkins was level-headed, would believe it took more than 20 years for the dream of thorough, and methodical, while Jensen was an outspoken, the preservation of these lands to become a reality. This emotional, and charismatic leader. Together they made a 4 C HICAGO W ILDERNESS good team for the long work ahead. As early as 1894 Jensen, from his frequent local wander - PERKINS: ings, had sketched a map of lands then far-distant from level-headed, Chicago that he felt should be preserved for future genera - tions. Perkins himself was constantly urging people to look thorough, ahead on Chicago’s growth, astounding people in 1902 by and methodical; claiming: “Chicago will be a city of 10,000,000 inhabitants within the next 50 years, and when we are planning for the city’s future we must take pains not to be so short-sighted as to overlook it. We have a right to dream — if we are wide awake when we do it.” JENSEN: In 1899 a civic group known as the Municipal Science outspoken, emotional, Club, of which Jensen and Perkins were members, began a study of Chicago’s current parks and playgrounds. The and charismatic… Club’s report led to the Chicago City Council establishing in 1901 a Special Park Commission having a membership of Jensen, Perkins, and other civic leaders as well as aldermen and park commissioners. The report they prepared said, “In the rapid growth of Chicago north, west, and south, thickly … a good team for the work ahead. settled communities are approaching natural park territory and other extensive open areas which are suitable park sites and could be improved without a great expenditure of money…before the rapid march of commercial interests and outer parks.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Climate Change Update to the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan
    Climate Change Update to the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan: What Does it Mean to the Calumet Region? Dr. Abigail Derby Lewis, Climate Change Ecologist The Field Museum A Changing Global Climate Higher temperatures Changing landscapes Wildlife at risk Rising seas Increased risk of drought, fire & floods Stronger storms & increased storm damage More heat-related illness & disease Economic losses Extreme Precipitation Copyright 2009, City of Chicago Higher Emissions: 31 days Projected number of 100- degree days per year in Chicago Lower Emissions: 8 days Copyright 2009, City of Chicago Impacts of Climate Change in Indiana Union of Concerned Scientists, 2009 **Climate protection policies, if implemented quickly, could reduce emissions significantly below the emissions scenario considered here Impacts of Climate Change in Illinois Union of Concerned Scientists, 2009 **Climate protection policies, if implemented quickly, could reduce emissions significantly below the emissions scenario considered here Climate Change Impacts: Vegetation Plant Hardiness Zones Projected to move northward Within next several decades: 5b – 6a* By end of century: 6b (L) – 7a (H) *Irrespective of future emissions scenarios (Hellmann et al. 2010) Climate Change Impacts: Animals Changes in Abundance & Distribution American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) National Wildlife Federation Climate Change Impacts: Animals Changes in Abundance & Distribution American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) National Wildlife Federation Responses of species will depend on their climatic tolerances and on responses of key species they rely on Climate Change Impacts: Animals Changes in Abundance & Distribution Photo by T. Meyer Specialists and threatened species likely to be most challenged (e.g., Karner Blue butterfly: Lycaeides melissa samuelis) Major Threats To Biodiversity • Habitat Destruction • Invasive Species • Pollution Clark and Pine Nature Preserve in Gary, Indiana.
    [Show full text]
  • 1998-Fall.Pdf
    Fall 98 Cover F&B_ Fall 98 Cover F&B 12/24/15 9:45 AM Page 3 Chicago EXPLORING NATURE & CULTURE WFALILL 19D98 ERNES S FIRE AS A FRIEND • T HINKING LIKE A SEED Fall cov 02 - 12_ Fall cov 02 - 12 12/24/15 10:10 AM Page cov2 is Chicago Wilderness? Chicago Wilderness is some of the finest and most signifi - cant nature in the temperate world, with roughly 200,000 acres of protected natural lands harboring native plant and animal communities that are more rare—and their survival more globally threatened—than the tropical rain forests. CHICAGO WILDERNESS is an unprecedented alliance of more than 60 public and private organizations working together to study and restore, protect and manage the precious natural resources of the Chicago region for the benefit of the public. Chicago WILDERNES S is a new quarterly magazine that seeks to articulate a vision of regional identity linked to nature and our natural heritage, to celebrate and promote the rich nat - ural areas of this region, and to inform readers about the work of the many organizations engaged in collaborative conservation. Fall cov 02 - 12_ Fall cov 02 - 12 12/24/15 10:10 AM Page 1 CHICAGO WILDERNESS A Regional Nature Reserve Keeping the Home Fires Burning or generations of us inculcated with the gospel according them, both by white men and by Indians—par accident; and Fto Smokey, setting fire to woods and prairies on purpose yet many more where it is voluntarily done for the purpose amounts to blasphemy. Yet those who love the land have of getting a fresh crop of grass, for the grazing of their horses, been wrestling with some new ideas about fire—new ideas and also for easier travelling during the next summer.” that are very old.
    [Show full text]
  • Chicago Wilderness Region Urban Forest Vulnerability Assessment
    United States Department of Agriculture CHICAGO WILDERNESS REGION URBAN FOREST VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND SYNTHESIS: A Report from the Urban Forestry Climate Change Response Framework Chicago Wilderness Pilot Project Forest Service Northern Research Station General Technical Report NRS-168 April 2017 ABSTRACT The urban forest of the Chicago Wilderness region, a 7-million-acre area covering portions of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, will face direct and indirect impacts from a changing climate over the 21st century. This assessment evaluates the vulnerability of urban trees and natural and developed landscapes within the Chicago Wilderness region to a range of future climates. We synthesized and summarized information on the contemporary landscape, provided information on past climate trends, and illustrated a range of projected future climates. We used this information to inform models of habitat suitability for trees native to the area. Projected shifts in plant hardiness and heat zones were used to understand how nonnative species and cultivars may tolerate future conditions. We also assessed the adaptability of planted and naturally occurring trees to stressors that may not be accounted for in habitat suitability models such as drought, flooding, wind damage, and air pollution. The summary of the contemporary landscape identifies major stressors currently threatening the urban forest of the Chicago Wilderness region. Major current threats to the region’s urban forest include invasive species, pests and disease, land-use change, development, and fragmentation. Observed trends in climate over the historical record from 1901 through 2011 show a temperature increase of 1 °F in the Chicago Wilderness region. Precipitation increased as well, especially during the summer.
    [Show full text]
  • Changing Landscapes in the Chicago Wilderness Region: a Climate Change Update to the Biodiversity Recovery Plan
    Changing Landscapes in the Chicago Wilderness Region: A Climate Change Update to the Biodiversity Recovery Plan Version 1.0* April 2012 Prepared by the Chicago Wilderness Climate Change Task Force * This plan is the first iteration needed to create momentum for climate action for nature in the Chicago Wilderness region. Climate change science, policy responses, and funding are changing rapidly. This is considered a living plan that will remain flexible in the face of evolving circumstances. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Sections Section 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………....3 Section 2: Climate Change and Terrestrial Communities………………………………......16 Section 3: Climate Change and Aquatic Communities………………………………….....32 Section 4: Climate Change and Green Infrastructure……………………………………...46 References.............................................................................................................................51 Figures and Tables Figure 1.1: Map of Chicago Wilderness…………………………………………………...59 Figure 1.2: Similarities and Differences between CCAP and CAPN……………………...60 Box 1: Past Climate Changes and Projected Future Trends in CW Climate System….......61 Table 1.2: Climate Change Impacts to Taxonomic Groups………………………………... Figure 2.1: Climate Change as a Threat Amplifier………………………………………63 Table 2.1: Broad Brush Matrix Table of Communities X Climate Change Impacts X. Existing Threats…………………………………………………………………..........….64 Table 2.2: Detailed Table of CW Terrestrial Community Type and Climate Change Impacts …………………………………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons Learned from Chicago Wilderness—Implementing and Sustaining Conservation Management in an Urban Setting
    Diversity 2012, 4, 74-93; doi:10.3390/d4010074 OPEN ACCESS diversity ISSN 1424-2818 www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity Review Lessons Learned from Chicago Wilderness—Implementing and Sustaining Conservation Management in an Urban Setting Liam Heneghan 1,*, Christopher Mulvaney 2, Kristen Ross 3, Lauren Umek 1, Cristy Watkins 4, Lynne M. Westphal 5 and David H. Wise 3, 6 1 Department of Environmental Science and Studies, DePaul University, 1110 W Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 2 Chicago Wilderness, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, IL 60022, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 3354 SES, 845 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; E-Mails: [email protected] (K.R.); [email protected] (D.H.W.) 4 The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 5 USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 1033 University Place, Suite 360, Evanston, IL 60201-3172, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 6 Institute for Environmental Science & Policy, School of Public Health West, Room 529, 2121 West Taylor Street (MC 673), Chicago IL 60612, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-773-325-2779; Fax: +1-773-325-7448. Received: 12 January 2012; in revised form: 30 January 2012 / Accepted: 6 February 2012 / Published: 15 February 2012 Abstract: We summarize the factors that shaped the biodiversity of Chicago and its hinterland and point out the conservation significance of these ecological systems, addressing why conservation of Chicago’s biodiversity has importance locally and beyond.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change in the Windy City and the World
    CHICAGO COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION TOOLKIT CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE WINDY CITY AND THE WORLD A TOOL FOR UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE SCIENCE IN THE CHICAGO REGION Find this and other climate action tools at Environment Culture and Conservation climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org A Division of Science INTRODUCTION Research conducted by The Field This booklet provides Chicago Museum from 2008 to 2011 shows that leaders and residents with a basic Chicago residents generally think understanding of climate climate change is real and is an change as it relates to our important issue that needs to be addressed. region, so they can take action informed by scientific, global, and local But… they often don’t understand how it knowledge. relates to their lives or what they can do about it. WEST RIDGE FOREST GLEN MILWAUKEE CORRIDOR This booklet is informed by studies conducted by Field Museum anthropologists in PILSEN seven communities BRONZEVILLE throughout Chicago (see map). The studies NORTH KENWOOD- were commissioned OAKLAND by the Chicago Department of RESEARCH Environment to engage diverse COMMUNITIES SOUTH CHICAGO communities in the Chicago Climate Action Plan. Visit ROSELAND http://fieldmuseum. org/climateaction to download reports. ECCo • climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org • 1 INTRODUCTION This booklet also presents best practices The examples in this booklet also in climate action from the Chicago show the power of building on region, from The Field Museum’s communities’ strengths—such research. They demonstrate the diverse as DIY skills, frugality, conserving water, and creative ways in which and growing food—to implement broad communities are responding to climate action strategies in climate change. locally meaningful ways that will encourage widespread participation.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report2012
    AnnuAl RepoRt2012 1 The Chicago Wilderness Region Embedded in one of North America’s largest metropolitan regions and stretching from southeastern Wisconsin, through northeastern Illinois, into northwestern Indiana and southwestern Michigan is a network of natural areas that includes more than 370,000 acres of protected lands and waters. These natural areas are our wilderness, and they are home to a wide diversity of life. Thousands of native plant and animal species live here among the more than 10 million people who also call the region home. The Chicago Wilderness Alliance Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance that connects people and nature. We are more than 260 organizations that work together to restore local nature and improve the quality of life for all who live here, by protecting the lands and waters on which we all depend. Our four key initiatives—to restore the health of local nature, to protect green infrastructure, to mitigate climate change, and to leave no child inside—reflect our commitment to using science and emerging knowledge, a collaborative approach to conservation, and a caring for both people and nature, to benefit all the region’s residents. The members of Chicago Wilderness include conservation organizations, cultural and education institutions, volunteer groups, local, state and federal agencies, municipalities, corporations, and faith-based groups. 2 2012 Chicago WildeRness: the hub foR uRbAn ConseRvAtion A MESSAGE froM thE ChAir, ViCE ChAir, And ExECutiVE dirECtor We are approaching the 20th We are still innovating. Our multi-scale approach to greening infrastructure is unique to this region. anniversary of the Big Idea that Our holistic approach to climate mitigation became Chicago Wilderness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chicago Wilderness Climate Action Plan for Nature: Mitigation & Adaptation Strategies for Biodiversity Sustainability
    The Chicago Wilderness Climate Action Plan for Nature: Mitigation & Adaptation Strategies for Biodiversity Sustainability Kerry Leigh, ASLA CW Climate Change Task Force FluidClarity, Ltd. What is Biodiversity? 3 Levels of • Genetic diversity- the genetic variability among Biodiversity individuals within each species or population 1)Genes • Species diversity- the number & abundance of 2)Species 3)Ecosystems different species in a region or ecosystem • Ecological diversity- the variety of ecosystems • Functional diversity- variety of functions such as energy flow & matter cycling needed for survival of species & communities Why is Biodiversity Important? ¾ Genetic diversity: the most basic component for long-term species survival (*ability to adapt*) & the continued evolution of new species. “If natural selection is the paintbrush of evolution, then genetic diversity is its palette” -J.A. Bailey (2001) Why is Biodiversity Important? ¾ Species diversity: plant, animal, & insect species interact & depend upon one another for what each offers e.g., food, shelter, oxygen, soil enrichment ¾ Species’ abundance & distribution are dynamic, relative to a variety of factors, including climate ¾ As climate changes, the abundance & distribution of plants & animals also will change ¾ Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve the “web of life” that sustains all living things Why is Biodiversity Important? ¾ Ecosystem/functional diversity: provides the conditions & drives the processes that sustain the global economy
    [Show full text]
  • The Vision of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs
    Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2016 "One Narrow Thread of Green": The iV sion of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs Anne M. Keller Antioch University, New England Follow this and additional works at: http://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the Environmental Studies Commons Recommended Citation Keller, Anne M., ""One Narrow Thread of Green": The iV sion of May Theilgaard Watts, the rC eation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs" (2016). Dissertations & Theses. 281. http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/281 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Department of Environmental Studies DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: "One Narrow Thread of Green": The Vision of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs presented by Anne M. Keller, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and hereby certify that it has been accepted. * Committee Chair: Joy W. Ackerman, Ph.D. Title/Affiliation: Core Faculty, Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch University New England Committee Member: Alesia Maltz, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Chicago Wildernes an Atlas of Biodiversity
    AnAtlasof Biodiversity PROTECTED LAND IN THE CHICAGO WILDERNESS REGION Federal Lands state parks county preserves and city parks privately ownED nature areas nature preserves and scientific areas x o F D e s P la i n e s LAKE MICHIGAN e g a P u D Little Calumet N 0510 Miles K a nk akee AnAtlasof Biodiversity Chicago Wilderness,An Atlas of Biodiversity, is a publication of the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council. The members of the Council include: Brookfield Zoo Canal Corridor Association Chicago Academy of Sciences Chicago Botanic Garden Chicago Park District City of Chicago, Department of Environment The Field Museum Forest Preserve District of Cook County Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Forest Preserve District of Will County Friends of the Chicago River Illinois Department of Natural Resources Illinois Natural History Survey Illinois Nature Preserves Commission Kane County Forest Preserve District Lake County Forest Preserves Lake Michigan Federation Lincoln Park Zoo McHenry County Conservation District Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Morton Arboretum The Nature Conservancy Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission Openlands Project John G. Shedd Aquarium Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter Urban Resources Partnership US Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District US Environmental Protection Agency, Region V US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office US Fish & Wildlife Service USDA Forest Service USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service USDI National Park Service Funds for this publication were provided
    [Show full text]
  • Green Infrastructure Vision
    Green Infrastructure Vision Green Infrastructure Vision Study and Report Drafted by: The City of Crystal Lake Planning and Economic Development Department And Cowhey, Gudmundson & Leder With assistance from : Environmental Defenders of McHenry County Fox River Study Group Illinois Nature Preserves Commission McHenry County Conservation District Openlands The Land Conservancy Adopted: March 2011 Introduction and Purpose The Green Infrastructure Vision was drafted to be a stand alone document providing back- ground and broad based guidance for the City’s Green Infrastructure chapter within the Com- prehensive Plan. The Green Infrastructure Vision is important as it identifies the green resources and possible site strategies located within the City. The 2030 Comprehensive Land Use Plan Green Infrastructure chapter takes it another step further and identifies a goal and specific ac- tions and success indicators for each of the resource areas and site strategies. The Green Infra- structure Vision and Green Infrastructure chapter work together to provide a wealth of informa- tion on the City’s natural features and future actions that can maintain these features and adopt new site strategies. Green infrastructure can be defined in two primary ways and both are important to understand the complete green infrastructure vision. The term can be used to identify a greener, more envi- ronmentally sustainable version of typical gray infrastructure; for example, permeable pavement for parking lots or roadways or a natural bio-swale versus a drainage pipe. In this context, green infrastructure describes products, technologies, and practices that use natural systems that mimic natural processes—to enhance overall environmental quality and provide utility services.
    [Show full text]
  • Wooded Communities Varied Over Time and Space
    22 AN ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY woodedwooded commcommunitiesunities illars PPof Mighty Cathedral Aisles rees in the Chicago Wilderness region once grew as lone sentinels on the Tprairie. They grew in open groves and sun-dappled woodlands where they sometimes attained the noble shapes that reminded visitor Ellen Fuller of cathedral pillars 150 years ago. These wooded communities varied over time and space. They blended into each other The crown of a bur oak on their borders. The categories we have created (Quercus macrocarpa) to describe them are only rough descriptions spreading out as wide as it of nature. is tall recalls the open savan- nas of pre-settlement times. Climate, soils, topography, and drainage set The Millennium Oak, located limits on the kinds of natural communities that at The Morton Arboretum can live in our region. Other forces shape the in Lisle, Illinois, pre-dates landscape within the limits created by these Illinois’ 1818 statehood. factors. In our landscape, in the thousands of years before large-scale settlement, fire was the most important shaping force. In those times it was the frequency and intensity of fire that determined whether a giv- en piece of ground would be an open grove or walnut (Juglans nigra). The understory in these a dense forest. We can arrange the pre-settle- woods was equally varied. Some had thickets ment wooded communities on a shade gradient, of shrubs like American hazel (Corylus ameri- and when we make such a division, we find that cana) and wild plum (Prunus americana). Other our shade gradient is also a fire gradient.
    [Show full text]