Into the Wild

Nature Close to Home

With an eye for detail, you can discover the Chicago region’s natural places
with fewer visits to the gas pump.

Compiled by Robert Dolgan

If high gas prices have you down, take a new approach to finding wilderness in the Chicago area. With a little planning, creativity, and a renewed attention to nature’s detail, anyone can save a few dollars while exploring our local wonders.

Life in Your Yard

Start by keeping a journal or list of all of the wildlife you see in your yard — birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles. Even the most urban setting can yield several dozen species of birds in one year. Where possible, bring nature to you. Adding birdfeeders, a butterfly garden, and water features can attract more wildlife to your yard. Create your own nature preserve by planting native species.

Look for Patterns

Analyze the activities of the local fauna — note when the first chimney swifts of spring return or when squirrels begin building their nests. A yellow-bellied sapsucker in your neighborhood might appear in the same tree on the same day each year when migrating north. A group of starlings might spend part of every winter afternoon in a tree in front of your home. And always keep your eyes and ears open for special moments — the sandhill cranes that fly over during migration or the woodcock that flushes from the vacant lot down the street.

Nature at Work

Build nature into your workday. Study a map and look for the oases near work. Take a long lunch and visit Busse Woods if you’re in Schaumburg or stop at Theodore Stone Forest Preserve, in Hodgkins just off I-55, on the way back from a meeting. Downtown, take a walk to the lakefront — Grant Park if you don’t have much time, Northerly Island if you do. Your boss won’t notice. We promise.

Spread Out

Now bring your field smarts back to the area surrounding your home. Keep a list of all of the wildlife that you see without using a car. Study a map and identify all of the natural places nearby that are either accessible on foot or by bike. In addition to local parks and preserves, consider cemeteries, powerline rights-of-way, golf courses, airports, drainage ditches, and small ponds. (Of course, seek permission before entering private land.) During peak seasons, migratory birds can be found in most any clump of bushes.

Take Transit

Next, see how far you can go by train or bus. In Chicago, Bunker Hill and LaBagh Woods Forest Preserves are readily accessible on the Northwest Side. Farther afield, Spring Brook Nature Center near Itasca and Indiana Dunes are within walking distance of train stops. And don’t forget about Lake Michigan, a vast wilderness at our doorstep. Renowned sites including Illinois Beach State Park, the Magic Hedge Sanctuary, and Paul Douglas Nature Sanctuary are accessible by public transportation. If you’re farther inland, explore waters like the Chain O Lakes, Des Plaines River, and Fox River. Each offers a wealth of biodiversity and is accessible by train or bus.

Share the Trip

If you are still craving a weekend trip to the hinterlands, organize a car pool. Set the boundaries of Chicago Wilderness as your limit. Primeval savannas and bogs and stunning glacial moraines and kames are just a few of the features you can encounter. Plan your trip so that your destination encompasses several habitats. Moraine Hills State Park near McHenry and Kankakee Sands Preserve near Morocco, Indiana, are treasures that include a variety of topography. But pack light — the added weight of 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your miles per gallon by as much as 2 percent.

Big Green Birders

Birding is a satisfying pursuit, but it can be a gas guzzler. Many birders travel by car or plane to faraway places, simply to add one or two rare species to their annual tally. But a handful of birders are taking a different approach, embarking on a “big green birding year,” after the “big year” concept popularized by globetrotting birders. Canadians conceived of the “BIGBY,” in which birders attempt to see as many species as possible by foot, bike, or public transit. One Boston birder has tallied nearly 200 species in 2008 alone.