CHICAGO WILDERNESS GOES GLOBAL

In southeastern Brazil, believe it or not, there is something very like Chicago Wilderness. There, like here, one of the world's most critically endangered ecosystems survives not as remote wildlands but as natural remnants embedded in a large metropolitan region.

In the metropolitan region of Curitiba, in the state of Paran, lies the transition zone between two extremely diverse and severely endangered natural communities of the Atlantic Forest: the Araucaria pine forest and the Serra do Mar tropical evergreen forest. In August 1999, Curitiba residents, institutions, and businesses began to discuss how to preserve the outstanding patchwork of biodiversity in their metropolis. Central to their goals is the reversal of unplanned urban growth.

Soon after its initial meetings, the Condomínio da Biodiversidade became aware of a similar coalition in the northern hemisphere protecting tallgrass prairies, oak savannas, and prairie wetlands — the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council, or Chicago Wilderness. Chicago Wilderness instantly became a source of both encouragement and practical advice to the Condomínio. Two of the founding members of Chicago Wilderness, The Field Museum and The Nature Conservancy, have facilitated export of the model.

In December 1999, the Chicago Wilderness steering committee unanimously endorsed the work of the Condomínio. The steering committees of both coalitions have committed to long-term collaboration and exchange.

Barely one month since its formal launching, the Curitiba coalition already has attracted inquiries about potential initiatives in other cities, including the huge metropolis of São Paulo.

Meanwhile, Chicago Wilderness also continues to inspire conservation of urban biodiversity. The world's largest urban center, Mexico City, is considering adaptations of the model, as is the state of Hawaii, another home of a tremendous concentration of restricted and endangered species.

INVASIVE SHRUBS LINKED TO SONGBIRD DECLINE

A six-year study of predation on songbird nests in the forest preserves around Chicago suggests that invasive, non-native shrubs may be at least partially responsible for poor breeding success by the area's songbird populations. Woodlands that have been stressed by cattle grazing or nearby development are particularly susceptible to invasion by honeysuckle and buckthorn. These exotic shrubs can dominate the understories of forest preserves, crowding out the native shrubs, which are the songbirds' ancestral nesting habitats. The study's authors, Kenneth Schmidt of the University of Memphis and Christopher Whelan of the Illinois Natural History Survey, found that robin and wood thrush nests in buckthorn and honeysuckle were much more likely to fail than those in native shrubs. The authors theorize that something about the non-native species may give mammalian predators easier access to nests and eggs. The problem can be solved only by continued efforts to remove exotic shrubs and restore native species. The study was published in the December issue of Conservation Biology. —Mark Sheehy

DUPAGE BUYS FARM WITH PRAIRIE

In October 1999, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County acquired St. James Farm, an 85-acre site adjacent to Herrick Lake Forest Preserve located west of Herrick Rd. and south of Butterfield Rd. The parcel consists chiefly of agricultural land, but there is a one-quarter acre prairie remnant along the southern portion of the property. The farm's manager burned and cleared this parcel because it was too rocky to farm. The prairie remnant contains several conservative species, including lead plant, short green milkweed, prairie dropseed, porcupine grass, hoary puccoon, purple prairie clover, side-oats grama, and prairie cinquefoil. Such a remnant will make restoration of the adjacent land much easier and quicker, and gives the potential for higher quality results.

The FPD plans to undertake restoration of the site sometime in the future. Anyone interested in stewardship/restoration responsibilities at the new parcel should contact Chris Linnell at (630) 933-7233. —Kathy Kowal

STEWARDSHIP FOR THE BIRDS

On October 23, as part of a joint effort between the City of Chicago Department of Environment, the Chicago Park District, and the Chicago Audubon Society, volunteers built 65 bird houses at four Chicago parks: Gompers, Humboldt, Loyola, and Washington Parks. Four bird species were selected based on type of habitat present: the house finch, black-capped chickadee, tree swallow, and house wren. At Humboldt Park Vern Miller worked with families and members of the Junior Earth Team (JET), an after-school program headed by Lucy Gomez that meets there. The JETs learned bird identification and habitat requirements for the four bird species. Parents and children will watch over their bird houses for activity or damage; the JETs are also planning to monitor their boxes as a group.

Andrew Hart, director of North Park Village Nature Center, assisted at Gompers Park where about 20 people attended. Children from the neighborhood, families and a woman in her 90's came with her 70-year old daughter to build bird houses.

Some of the birds have used their new quarters as winter night roosts. In subsequent months, classes will be offered on how to identify birds by their calls and what makes for good habitat. Ideally, participants will periodically revisit the parks to report bird counts as well as to observe nest activity in the springtime. We hope that stewardship will begin with the bird houses and progress to other areas, such as wetlands and prairies," said Jerry Garden, president of Chicago Audubon Society. "Building the houses gives the members a sense of ownership, and we hope it will lead to extended stewardship."

For instance, many natural nesting sites are gone. Birds that typically used hole-riddled, dead trees for nesting sites no longer have the sites available because those trees have been removed from most metropolitan habitats. Without these great wildlife trees available for birds to set up house, hole-nesting species must rely on people-made bird houses.

Once a month, public programs are held across Chicago. For more information, call Nature Chicago at (312) 744-5959 or the Chicago Audubon Society at (773) 539-6793. —Kathy Kowal

GOING NATIVE IN CUBA, MACARTHUR, AND WADSWORTH

On November 19, 1999, the Lake County Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners unanimously approved habitat restoration on 25 acres of Cuba Marsh, 100 acres of MacArthur Woods, and 50 acres of Wadsworth Savanna. These projects are possible because of the successful $55 million bond referendum for forest preserves approved by Lake County residents in April, 1999. The referendum language included both acquisition and restoration.

"Habitat restoration is an ongoing part of properly caring for and maintaining our Forest Preserves," said Forest Preserve President Carol Calabresa.

Work began at all three sites in December. Contractors will complete the removal of invasive brush from oak savannas at Cuba Marsh and Wadsworth Savanna by June, and the District will plant native vegetation in the fall. At MacArthur Woods, contractors and forest preserve staff expect to remove invasive species from 100 acres of flatwoods by March. But the District hopes to do much more.

MacArthur Woods is one of the largest blocks of unfragmented northern flatwoods, oak woodland, and savanna complexes in northeastern Illinois, and the District has a vision of restoring all of its 500-plus acres to health. "In the next three years, we plan to remove all invasive brush and restore natural hydrology to 70 acres of northern flatwoods by removing drain tiles," said Jim Anderson, Natural Resource Manager. Already, the improvement is obvious. Volunteer steward Don Osmund exclaimed, "The areas they have already cleared look so much better - I can actually see the lay of the land instead of a mass of buckthorn!" And Osmund knows the difference - he's volunteered at the preserve just about every week for the past 10 years. Last year he worked at the site for the equivalent of a month and a half of eight-hour days, pulling weeds, cutting brush, collecting seeds, and monitoring and protecting rare plants from deer.

To learn more or get involved, call Tom Smith at (847) 948-7750. —Elizabeth Sanders

PRAIRIE SMOKE NETWORK

The newest chapter of the Sierra Club's River Prairie Group, the Prairie Smoke Network (PSN,) held its organizational meeting on February 24 in Glen Ellyn. The PSN seeks to organize an effective grassroots organization focused solely on DuPage County environmental issues. The committee will develop communications training for participants to get the word out to county officials and the local media. Because of its local focus, the network would most likely be activated only a few times each year. For more information, contact Kathy Kowal at (630) 668-5516 or Alan Gard at (630) 393-4314.

BIRDING ILLINOIS

Want to know exactly where to find breeding sandhill cranes in the Chicago Wilderness region? Looking for a hotspot where you can tick off up to 30 warblers in one day? Where's the best place to go in the winter to search for snowy owls? How about short-eared owls? Where can you find the state-endangered Henslow's sparrow during the summer? These answers and more can be found in Birding Illinois (Falcon Press 2000), a new book by Sheryl De Vore, assistant editor of Chicago WILDERNESS.

Birding Illinois contains detailed maps, directions, a list of key bird species, and conservation information for each of more than 100 birding sites throughout Illinois, plus photos and drawings, and a month-by-month birding calendar. The book also includes the first-of-its kind bird distribution chart for northern and southern Illinois. Many Chicago area birders made major contributions to the book. Alan Anderson, past president of the Chicago Audubon Society, helped prepare a downtown Chicago birding tour, taking birders through Grant Park, the Museum Campuses and many other places you wouldn't necessarily think were good for birding, but are! Steve Bailey, an ornithologist for the Illinois Natural History Survey, helped compile the comprehensive bird distribution chart.

De Vore will present various workshops on birding Illinois throughout the region this spring. Some of the proceeds from the sale of her book will benefit various Chicago Wilderness members.

WALDEN POND AND LIBERTY PRAIRIE

One of the most famous natural landscapes in America, Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, could be dramatically altered if officials there approve the construction of a telecommunications tower and a landfill expansion. Here in Chicago Wilderness, another landscape called the Liberty Prairie Reserve could be disturbed by a potential gas power plant and construction of new roads. But residents here and on the East Coast are working to protect these natural landscapes, and their endeavors have earned the land they love the distinction of being named one of 12 Last Chance Landscapes by Scenic America. The 21-year-old national nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C. works to preserve the natural beauty and distinctive character of American landscapes.

The Liberty Prairie Reserve consists of some 2,400 acres of land in Libertyville Township, Illinois, featuring several rare fens, a native prairie, a restored oak savanna, and several farmsteads dating to the 19th century. By naming the Liberty Prairie Reserve one of 12 Last Chance Landscapes, Scenic America celebrates the dedication of volunteers and staff working to protect rare and scenic lands. "It also inspires them to continue their work," says Betsy Dietel, executive director of the Liberty Prairie Conservancy. Scenic America instituted the Last Chance Landscape List in 1999. —Sheryl De Vore

ORNITHOLOGY CERTIFICATE

The Morton Arboretum, home of the Botanical Art and Illustration, Home Landscape Horticulture, and Naturalist Certificate Programs, unveiled an Ornithology Certificate program this winter. The program introduces students to basic and advanced tenets of ornithology through lectures, labs, and field experiences. Students learn to identify common birds of Northern Illinois, understand their role in our ecosystems, and how wild avian populations are managed. Field trips include regional birding hotspots and highlight major life history events.

The certificate can be completed in one year and includes courses such as: Introduction to Ornithology, Birds of Illinois, Behavioral Ecology, Systematics & Taxonomy, and Conservation Issues. For more information contact Jeff Skibins, Manager of Natural History Education, (630) 719-2458.

LAKEFRONT WETLANDS

For over a year, the Lake Michigan Federation has been working to achieve a dream: urban lakefronts that include fish and wildlife habitat. Last month the Federation took a giant step toward reaching that dream when the Chicago Park District agreed to work toward creating and enhancing shoreline wetlands as part of the Burnham Park Plan.

The Federation's vision parallels the city's plans to overhaul the lakefront from Museum Campus to the South Shore Cultural Center at 71st Street. The northern half of this stretch, called Phase One, has been in the planning stage since early last year. According to Denise Marx, co-chair of the Federation's Lakefront Task Force, few other cities in the US recognize that cities filled with people can also be filled with wildlife. "We believe that the city of Chicago has the people, leadership, and ethic to recognize that it could be the top city in the US for waterfront habitat," she said.

A WIN-WIN RESTORATION

The Brewster Creek Restoration Initiative, at Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve was designed to preserve or enhance about 800 acres of wetlands, providing additional habitat for 14 threatened and endangered species and an additional five species considered locally rare. So far seven miles of clay drainage tile have been removed and the soil has begun to re-saturate. With help from Forest Preserve District of DuPage County staff, the landscape is returning to its natural condition. At least one species never before detected in the county — Cope's gray treefrog — is breeding in the restored area.

While these signs of healing are reward enough, in November the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County was awarded the Illinois Park and Recreation Association's Division IV Conservation Program Award for the Brewster Creek Restoration Initiative. The award recognizes public agencies for outstanding and innovative achievements in environmental conservation projects or programs.

CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT (CARA)

At press time, legislation was pending in Congress that is possibly the most important conservation legislation in decades. Last November, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, or CARA (HB 701), passed the House Resources Committee, an important hurdle. If it becomes law, it would redirect almost $3 billion in revenue derived from leasing tracts of outer-continental shelf for oil drilling to support a number of desperately needed conservation initiatives, including Coastal Conservation, Land & Water Conservation Fund, Wildlife Conservation & Restoration, Urban Park & Recreation Recovery, Federal & Indian Lands Restoration, Conservation Easements, and Endangered Species Recovery.

As of this writing, the bill has 294 co-sponsors, a huge number, showing its national and bipartisan support. For the latest status on CARA visit www.teaming.com. —Donald Dann

ENDANGERED SPECIES FINDS

Four plants — all endangered species — were identified this fall, mostly on lands newly acquired by the Lake County Forest Preserves.

Swollen sedge: A grass-like plant of forested wetlands, this species has never before been recorded in Lake County.

White-stemmed pondweed: A plant of cold-water lakes, this species has been found only two other times in the entire state.

Fern pondweed: A plant of glacial lakes, this is the first population of the species found in a Lake County Forest Preserve.

A sedge (Carex cryptolepis): This grass-like plant was recently placed on the endangered species list and blends into its surroundings so effectively it doesn't even have a common name.

STATE OF THE ENDANGERED

The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board recently published a new checklist of Endangered and Threatened Animals and Plants of Illinois, with 30 animal species changing classification since 1994, when the list was last revised. Species doing worse outnumbered those doing better, but not by much.

The clubshell, Tennessee riffleshell, Bachman's sparrow, and the yellow rail are no longer endangered, because they are entirely gone from Illinois. The sharp-shinned hawk and the long-eared owl were both removed from the endangered list when researchers argued that neither bird was ever more than a sporadic breeder in the state. Current populations are not considered habitat-limited or threatened by human-associated factors. On the positive side, the bald eagle and the river otter were among seven species that moved from the endangered to the threatened list, and the veery, the double-crested cormorant, the great egret, and the bobcat were delisted entirely because all their populations have substantially increased.

But even good news can sometimes stir up controversy. An animal rights activist downstate circulated claims that the bobcat's delisting was based on false sightings phoned in by hunters hoping to establish an unlimited season on bobcats. According to the Board's Sue Lauzon, the threatened and endangered lists are based on rigorous scientific surveys. "We don't take phoned-in sightings from anyone and there are no plans to have any kind of season on bobcats," she said.

To obtain a copy of the checklist, contact the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board at (217) 785-8687. —Mark Sheehy

LAKE COUNTY SHOPS FOR LAND

The Lake County Forest Preserves has purchased more than 600 acres with funds from a referendum passed by Lake County voters last April. The first purchase was the 34-acre Coli parcel adjacent to 257-acre Grainger Woods in Mettawa (Winter '00, p. 31).

Last October, the Board of Commis-sioners approved the purchase of a 56-acre addition to the Fourth Lake Fen Forest Preserve located near Lindenhurst. The parcel of oak woodlands and environmentally-sensitive wetlands overlooks Fourth Lake Fen on three sides and was threatened by development because of the views it afforded, according to Tom Hahn, Lake County's Director of Land Preservation and Special Projects. Fourth Lake Fen Forest Preserve is home to a variety of state-threatened and endangered plant species and could provide habitat for the American bittern and various rails. A local Boy Scout troop recently constructed nesting platforms for the rare black tern, and the Youth Conservation Corp will erect the platforms this Spring. The black tern breeds at a few sites in Illinois, and it is hoped that the tern will establish another nesting site in the fen.

An additional 80-acre purchase, approved in early February, is located along the south side of the fen. It is comprised of lake frontage and a marsh and oak savanna. The acquisition serves as a greenway connecting Fourth Lake Fen FP and the Rollins Savanna site. According to Hahn, "This connection is important because the hydrology from Fourth Lake Fen on the north continues through the 80-acre site into Rollins Savanna, affording the possibility of common restoration management efforts."

Last December the Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of Ray Lake Farm. It includes 403 acres, 120 of which are wetlands, 80 of which are woodlands dominated by bur oak, hickory, and cherry trees along with farm fields ripe for restoration. According to Natural Resources Director Jim Anderson, wetland restoration potential on this site is excellent. It is very close to the Broberg Marsh, identified by Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation as the best breeding area for wetland birds in northern Illinois. "Connecting the wetlands is a very critical improvement," Anderson says, "because now we have three wetlands in a row that can serve as excellent breeding habitat for several endangered species."

At Lakewood FP in Fremont Township, the Wolff property was acquired as a 28-acre addition on the north side and just east of Stockholm Forest Preserve. The site's wetland is part of a larger wetland extending north into Lakewood Forest Preserve. The land surrounding the wetland features scattered oaks and hickories and former farm fields allowing for woodland and savanna restoration. Wolff provides an important buffer to Schreiber Lake, which contains a small bog that supports several endangered and threatened species. The addition brings Lakewood's total acreage to 2,091 making it Lake County's largest forest preserve. —Kathy Kowal

MOVING OUR MUSSELS!

For six days last July, the John G. Shedd Aquarium's Conservation Director, Roger Klocek, and 18 volunteers collected, tagged, and relocated 2,000 mussels to a new home. The mussels, many of them rare species with names like giant floater, came from an artificial ditch that was once part of the south branch of the Kishwaukee River in McHenry County. More than a century ago, this ditch was constructed to drain land for cornfields. The mussels were relocated to a restored stream in Del Webb's 1,800-acre Sun City retirement development. Soon, homes will sit near this reconstructed creek similar to the meandering stream that it once was.

The donor ditch, fed by natural springs, had surprisingly good water quality and a healthy diverse population of aquatic life, including rainbow and orange-throat darters. Some of the fish were also hauled in buckets to the new site, and the new stream and the old stream were open to each other for a period of time. Klocek expects that when Kabbes Engineering and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Realty and Environmental Planning finish the meandering stream, it too will be a high quality habitat. Thanks to the restoration efforts, it will already house a population of tagged mussels.

Klocek is enthusiastic about the research opportunities in a new stream with a known population of mussels. In northern Illinois, according to Klocek, there aren't any good mussel streams left except the main Kishwaukee and Nippersink. Those are so good he would not risk experimenting with them.

Mussels are the most endangered group of organisms in the state - and in the country. Historically, Illinois was home to 80 mussel species. Today, six of those species are extinct in the world, 11 have been extirpated from Illinois, 23 are listed as federally or state threatened or endangered, nine are rare enough to warrant special concern, and three are uncommon or limited in their distribution. The widespread decline is the result of habitat destruction through dredging, damming, gravel mining, siltation, discharge of sewage and toxic wastes and polluted runoff.

The Del Webb staff seemed thrilled with the project. They provided lunch for Shedd volunteers every day, and employees moved 500 mussels themselves. Everyone felt glad that these creatures were receiving a little help for a change. —Michael Graff

DAM SITE IMPROVED

When Mother Nature insists on having her own way, sometimes it's best to go with the flow. At Stonegate Park in Oswego on July 18, 1996, 18 inches of rain fell within 24 hours. The resulting floodwaters breached the dam on Waubonsie Creek, and the small neighborhood pond behind the dam disappeared. After researching all options, the Oswegoland Park District decided not to rebuild the dam. The best solution was to remove the dam and restore the creek.

Fortunately, funding was available from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources C-2000 Program, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Workers constructed a series of riffles in the creek. They placed timber boxes (lunkers) into the shoreline for shade and predator protection for fish. They planted wetland plants on stream banks.

The finished project has been well received by the public. IDNR fish biologists were pleased to see fish swimming over the riffles on their way upstream from the Fox River when, only a short time ago, the dam was a barrier to fish migration. Anglers and biologists will be searching expectantly for smallmouth bass and redhorse this spring. —Grant Casleton

RARE WOODS PRESERVED

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources first uncovered the existence of an unusual woods near Indiana Dunes during a survey of unprotected natural lands in 1987. Hoping for help with the acquisition, the DNR eventually approached the Shirley Heinze Fund. After its own evaluation of the property's ecological significance, the Fund began contacting landowners and eventually purchased 148 acres in two separate parcels in 1999.

"Ambler Flatwoods in LaPorte County is the largest intact example of the boreal flatwoods in Indiana," said John Bacone, Director of the Indiana DNR's Division of Nature Preserves. "This 'northern' plant community is restricted to a very few remnants in a narrow band south of the Indiana Dunes, and the newly saved property represents an important natural oasis in an area that is becoming heavily developed," Bacone said. "Because of their clay soils, these woods are very wet at times and very dry at times; they are unlike any other preserved woods in Indiana."

DNR Regional Ecologist Tom Post, who has conducted some of the initial plant surveys at the site, said, "Many species exist at Ambler - such as paper and yellow birches, some sedges and ferns - that are usually found in more northerly areas." The site also harbors numerous state rare and threatened plants, including some club mosses, grove meadow grass, and round-leaved shinleaf. Several orchid species are also present.

Myrna Newgent, president of the Heinze Fund, called Ambler Flatwoods perhaps the most pristine property of the nearly 700 acres of natural lands they have preserved in the southern Lake Michigan watershed. —Ronald Trigg

DATA MATCHES UP

For the last five years, citizens participating in the Illinois Natural History Survey's EcoWatch program have been monitoring more than 500 stream and 100 forest sites statewide for the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP), a joint professional-volunteer monitoring framework. The sites are randomly-selected and therefore are representative of average ecological conditions statewide.

The quality of EcoWatch volunteer data is evaluated in two different ways. First, EcoWatch professional staff monitor some of the same sites as the volunteers, using the same procedures, and the two data sets are compared to see how well the volunteers are following the procedures and to assess the correctness of organism identification. Second, professional biologists with the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) monitor the volunteer sites using their own similar, but more rigorous monitoring procedures, to see how well the volunteer data correlates with professional data.

Dr. Ed DeWalt, INHS aquatic entomologist, recently conducted a study comparing the professional data with data collected by RiverWatch volunteers. Based on comparisons from 11 stream sites, DeWalt found good agreement between the two sets of data.

For more information, check out the EcoWatch Web site or call (888) 428-0362.

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