Summer 2001

Letters to the Editor

RESPECT FOR MOSQUITOES

Dear Editor,

As we all know, after the spring ephemerals die back in the forest preserves, mosquitoes begin to buzz around. My eight-year-old grandson, Clinton, had an interesting observation about those pesky little insects.

I've gotten him involved in hiking through the various forest preserves in Lake County. We hiked through nine of the designated forest preserves, and for that he earned a shield for his walking stick in the "Hike Lake County" program.

As we hiked through the Ryerson Forest Preserve, he noted some deer tracks and wanted to follow them. I suggested we stay on the trail to keep from disturbing the native plants, and also to keep from stirring up the mosquitoes. Clinton said, "Yeah, after all, it is their habitat."

Mike Lawler
Vernon Hills, Ill.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

Dear Editor,

Something I noticed in one of the short news stories in the Spring issue really surprised me. It mentioned how good Tellabs, Sears and Lucent are for setting aside a small section of their land as a natural environment... Before Lucent built there, it used to be a nice prairie. Now most if it has been destroyed and two buildings were put in the prairie’s place...

Next, the two buildings that Lucent erected are almost all glass. I’m sure the HVAC companies were happy with this decision. It means bigger systems to keep them warm and cool since glass is not a good insulator. Bigger systems mean more depletion of resources, more Arctic Wildlife Refuge drilling, more stripping of the land for coal, more nuclear waste, etc.

Just my two cents.

Gary Davis
Warrenville, Ill.

Editor’s note: While it is true that Lucent built on open land in Naperville, the parcel consisted largely of old agricultural fields, not prairie. Many Lucent employees are actively involved in habitat restoration there and elsewhere in the region. The prairie on the property was created by Lucent. Prairie landscaping is a vastly better habitat for wildlife compared to lawn, even if some of it needs to be gobbled up from time to time by other needs.

We asked Hans Detweiler from the Environmental Law and Policy Center to educate us on the energy aspects of glass buildings. He wrote: "Generally speaking, all glass buildings tend to have high energy costs, more because they trap heat, greenhouse style, than because they lose heat in the winter. The high heat loads they take on in the summer can require large and wasteful cooling systems."

"An all-glass building probably did miss out on many of the environmental and economic benefits of green building design," he continued. "If you are interested in follow up, the folks at the Daylighting Collaborative would probably be very helpful: www.daylighting.org."

OWL BLESSING

Dear Editor,

An enormous female great horned owl was rescued at Horner Park in Chicago on February 16. An early morning dog walker spotted the owl dangling by a kite string from a tree. He quickly borrowed a pocketknife, scaled the tree, and cut the owl down. The bird hobbled toward the river unable to fly. Kite materials were treacherously wrapped around the owl’s wings and torso and a dragging wing appeared to be broken. Word spread quickly through the neighborhood, and by 8:30 a.m. birders and other caring neighbors arrived to see how they could help. There is nothing like two feet of bristling, in-your-face shrieking, avian energy to make you forget whatever you had to do today.

Several hours later, raptor rehabilitators from Spring Brook Nature Center in Itasca retrieved the bird. They estimated she was tangled up several days before being discovered.

The injured owl weighed in at a hefty 62.4 oz. and was characterized as a "very street smart bird," according to Debbie Farley, Spring Brook Raptor Supervisor. The rehabbers believed she was a nesting bird, and even if this year’s nest was no longer viable she needed to return home quickly to maintain the pair bond. Great horned owls can remain with the same mate for as long as a pair lives.

On February 27, Spring Brook released the healed bird at Horner Park with more than 25 people looking on...dogwalkers, neighborhood residents who had observed the owl or assisted in the rescue, birders, and representatives of Friends of the Chicago River and the Chicago Park District.

After a brief thank you and owl farewell blessing delivered by pastor and birder David Antieau, the blanket-covered cage was gently carried to the spot where the owl was found. Rehabbers removed the blanket and top half of the cage, revealing the owl hunkered face-down in the bottom. The bird lifted its head and looked about, then stared calmly at the group for the next 10 minutes or so, its head revolving slowly around.

The owl finally lifted off like a huge feathered blimp, and landed in a large tree on the riverbank opposite Cullom Street, completely camouflaged in the thick brown branches. After an hour, she settled in a dense evergreen on the riverbank, about two blocks north of the Montrose Avenue bridge. An entourage of about 50 crows stayed with her the whole time, but eventually quieted down when she was no longer visible inside the tree. A couple of hours later the crows were still hanging around the neighborhood complaining. We left thankful.

Leslie Borns
Ravenswood Manor resident
Chicago, Ill.

INNER CITY BLUE

Dear Editor,

I just wanted to share this with you. One of my rough and tumble third grade boys, Anthony Barber, spotted an indigo bunting. He wrote a story about it:

"I liked the blue bird that flew right past me. That bird was nothing I ever dreamed about. It was nicer than all the other birds. A good bird, so I would like to see that bird again, OK?"

Of course, I say OK, again and again.

Sue Friscia
Carver Primary School
Chicago, Ill.