Print cover,
Winter 2004:
When DuPage County biologists announced last year that they had hard evidence of bobcats returning to Chicago Wilderness, it was the cat's tracks that told the tale. See more about winter tracking. Photo by Joe Nowak.

The Pinch of Salt.
Editor's Note, by Debra Shore.

People Who Are Taking Nature's Pulse. They slog through ponds, ramble over moraines, and cross the grasslands to assess the health of the region's wild places. Plus: How you can get involved. By Katherine Millett; Photography by Rob Warner.

A Murder of Crows. We look beyond the raspy voice to find the true value of these black beauties. By Nancy Shepherdson.
Do Crows Matter?

Salt on the Earth. Snow control hs created high-sodium landscapes with a paltry few species. By Peter Friederici.
What Can You Do? Clearing the Driveway.

Solace in the Solstice. Personal restoration and rejuvenation — on the longest night of the year. By Rebecca Blazer.

The Fermilab Grounds Crew: Force for Nature

Sumac: Local Shrub
Makes Good

Downy Woodpecker:
Winter Food-Finding Fits the Bill

Explosion of Painted Ladies.

Wintering with red-shouldered hawks; water pennies; mutilated mice; snakes; goldenrod galls; coyotes; mourning cloaks.

Fel-Pro RRR; Freeman Kame-Ed Meagher Forest Preserve; Wood Dale Grove Forest Preserve. Plus all the profiles and maps we've published since our first issue.

Grassy Lake Forest Preserve
Lake County, Illinois

Tree Fox: The red-dappled gray fox in winter. By Stephen Packard.