Major Initiatives

photo: Lake Michigan Federation

Members of the Chicago Wilderness consortium work together on projects in the areas of science, natural resources management, sustainability, education and communication.

Chicago Wilderness partners have collaborated on more than 240 projects. The following are some examples of the consortium's current initiatives. For more information about these and other projects, contact the staff members listed below.

Science and Natural Resources Management

Burn Training

Chicago-area ecosystems evolved in the presence of fire. When people prevent periodic fires in natural areas, the restorative process breaks down and the health of the ecosystem deteriorates. Public and private land managers in the Chicago area are increasingly using prescribed burns to restore and maintain natural communities. Trained professionals plan and conduct these prescribed burns. This project expands upon existing prescribed burn training programs, creating a program that is specific to this region. The goal is to create a unified approach to planning, conducting and monitoring prescribed burns across the Chicago Wilderness region. Collaborators include the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy and a prescription burn subcommittee of the Chicago Wilderness consortium's land management team. To increase the number of individuals qualified to participate on the crews of prescribed burns, the Natural Resources Management Team's Prescription Burn Task Force developed a two-day training workshop for staff members of CW member organizations as well as volunteers in the region. Workshops are typically held in the spring and/or fall each year. Since it was developed in 2001, more than 200 individuals have participated in the course.

Natural Science Research Agenda

Effective ecosystem management requires a thorough understanding of the components and processes that underlie these systems. To promote and guide biodiversity conservation research efforts for this region, scientists at DePaul University are leading an effort to identify and prioritize the natural science research questions that need addressed for successful conservation. The final product, A Natural Science Research Agenda, will help direct scientific investigations that improve our understanding of the region's ecosystems and our ability to maintain them.

Identifying Gaps in the Region's Aquatic Data

Many Chicago Wilderness member organizations collect and maintain data on aquatic ecosystems throughout the region. This information ranges from water quality measurements to monitoring data on stream fish. As the Chicago Wilderness consortium pursues its biodiversity conservation goals, it becomes very important to know what data is available in the region and where there are gaps. To address this issue, a group of water resource experts is conducting a thorough, region-wide assessment of existing data sources on aquatic systems. This will help inform other collaborative efforts within the consortium as well as provide a foundation for the establishment of regional priorities in aquatic ecosystem management. This initiative includes staff from the Lake County Health Department's Lakes Management Unit, Friends of Chicago River, Shedd Aquarium, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Lake Michigan Federation, and others.

For more information about Chicago Wilderness science and natural resources management initiatives, contact:

Sustainability

Sustainable Watershed Action Team (SWAT)

SWAT is a group of consultants with direct expertise in successfully designing and implementing conservation developments. This team has been established to provide technical, conservation-oriented input for the planning and design of projects located in biologically sensitive areas. Efforts will be made to protect and enhance these resources. Expertise in the following disciplines is being provided: engineering, hydrology, landscape architecture, environmental planning and ecology.

Outreach and Technical Assistance to Local Governments

It is critical that local and regional development policies reflect the need to restore and maintain natural areas and biodiversity. This project provides outreach and technical assistance to local governments and related organizations on behalf of Chicago Wilderness. The partners are working to educate and energize local officials regarding the significance and benefits of biodiversity protection in communities. They are also helping identify techniques and mechanisms through which local governments can collaborate with each other and with conservation organizations. The project calls attention to local examples of sustainable development and conservation initiatives that can serve as models for future community-level conservation efforts. Representatives of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission are coordinating this project.

For more information about Chicago Wilderness consortium sustainability initiatives, contact:

Education

Teacher Training Hubs

Formal education is one of the critical tools for developing a biodiversity literate population. Teacher training hubs are clusters of Chicago Wilderness organizations that work to increase the quantity and quality of biodiversity training opportunities for teachers within the same geographical area by offering methods, content and resource workshops. Hubs were established in Lake County, DuPage/Kane Counties, South Cook/Will Counties, West/North Cook County and Chicago.

Mobilizing Communities' Assets

The goal of this project is to find new ways of providing urban populations with opportunities to become aware of and explore the region's natural communities through Asset Based Community Development (ABCD). The ABCD model is a community action process designed to look at the richness of a community (rather than its deficits) and build from this point, rather than building a new initiative from scratch. The communities that were identified for this project are the Jackson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Waukegan and Matteson, Illinois, and Gary, Indiana.

Chicago Wilderness Mighty Acorns

Mighty Acorns combines classroom instruction with hands-on stewardship to introduce thousands of students to nature. In 2001, twenty Chicago Wilderness member organizations and more than 8,000 fourth and fifth grade students participated in restoring their local native environments through the Mighty Acorns program.

For more information about Chicago Wilderness consortium education initiatives, contact interim Education and Communication team coordinator:

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