Editor’s Essay

Wilderness Anniversary

The story of Chicago Wilderness begins roughly 14,000 years ago when the last glacier began its retreat from the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Indeed, it left a rich and varied landscape of ridges and moraines, broad valleys carved by meltwaters, outwash plains, glacial potholes, and, of course, Lake Michigan itself.

Our region is the place where, two centuries ago, settlers traveling west came upon their first wide-open spaces. They saw a vast sea of grass dotted with lone oaks and clusters of widely spaced trees called savanna, which evolved under the periodic fires set by lightning and native peoples. They saw the wild onions growing in profusion along the streambanks that the Pottawatomi called “Che-ca-gou.”

The transformation by farms and industry — the near obliteration of our original Midwestern wildlands — led visionary conservation leaders to launch a remarkable regional collaboration ten years ago: Chicago Wilderness. Founded with 34 public and private organizations in April 1996, the consortium today has 185 member groups and will continue to grow. In the past ten years, Chicago Wilderness has achieved much. It has helped set the stage and provide the forum for hundreds of major projects, each adding to our knowledge and paving the way for new ideas in conservation. The new Chicago Nature and Wildlife Plan, outlined on page 14, is just one encouraging outgrowth of this progressive environment. But the challenges remain very great.

Over the next year, this magazine will bring you news of challenges met and obstacles remaining, beginning with Senior Editor Stephen Packard’s essay “Chicago Wilderness 2030”. As you’ll see, the vision remains bright and compelling.

“In the Chicago Wilderness, for the first time in history, millions of people will live in and around a living wilderness that depends utterly on the action, restraint and wisdom of their deliberate stewardship of biodiversity,” wrote the founders of the consortium in a 1995 strategic document. “Unlike the Native people who managed the land with fire for attracting game or gaining advantage in warfare, we will be thinking of genes for agriculture and industry.

“We will also be reaping the aesthetic, economic and recreational benefits, scientific knowledge, and a re-established connection with the natural world. There will be many differences between the Chicago Wilderness of the 21st century and the Che-ca-gou of the Pottawatomi. But there will be a continuity for thousands of species of plants and animals who will continue this journey with us.” Happy Anniversary, Chicago Wilderness. Journey on.