Chicago Wilderness
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| Chicago Wilderness | |
|---|---|
| Name | Chicago Wilderness |
| Formation | 1996 |
| Type | Partnership network |
| Purpose | Biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, education |
| Region | Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding counties in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
Chicago Wilderness Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance of public, private, and nonprofit institutions focused on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration in the Chicago metropolitan region. The partnership convenes work across institutions such as the Field Museum of Natural History, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Audubon Society of Greater Chicago, and the Nature Conservancy to coordinate planning, science, restoration, and outreach. It links federal, state, and local agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources with universities and foundations to conserve remnant habitats, restore degraded landscapes, and promote environmental education.
History
The initiative emerged in the mid-1990s as partners from institutions such as the Field Museum of Natural History, the Chicago Zoological Society, the Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Park District, and the Illinois Nature Conservancy sought coordinated action after regional meetings involving the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Early collaborators included the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, DePaul University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago which contributed research and student engagement. Initial projects drew on historical landscape studies by scholars connected to the Library of Congress collections and the Newberry Library, and used mapping inputs from the Cook County Land Use Department and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Major funding and program support arrived from philanthropic sources such as the The Field Museum donors, the Packard Foundation, the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, and the Chicago Community Trust, enabling region-wide biodiversity inventories, invasive species control pilot projects, and establishment of the Biodiversity Recovery Plan.
Geography and Ecological Features
The region spans diverse physiographic zones across Lake Michigan shorelines, the Chicago River corridor, glacial landforms, prairie remnants, oak savannas, and wetlands of the Des Plaines River and Burr Oak Woods. Notable sites within the network include the Morton Arboretum grounds, the Indiana Dunes National Park, the Grand Calumet River watershed, the Palos Forest Preserves, and the Tinley Creek system. Soils and landforms reflect Pleistocene glaciation associated with the Wisconsin Glaciation and influence communities similar to those studied at the Konza Prairie Biological Station and the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Floristic assemblages include remnant populations of species documented by botanists affiliated with the Chicago Academy of Sciences and collections within the Field Museum of Natural History. Faunal conservation links to regional populations monitored by the Chicago Ornithological Society, the Indiana DNR amphibian programs, and the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.
Conservation and Restoration Programs
Conservation efforts coordinate with federal programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act initiatives and state-level conservation funding administered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana State Nature Preserves Commission. Restoration projects have been implemented at sites managed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Lake County Forest Preserve District, the McHenry County Conservation District, and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. Programs address invasive plant control influenced by research from the USDA Forest Service and collaborate with the Natural Resources Conservation Service on restoration of prairie and wetland hydrology. Species-focused efforts have included reintroductions and habitat management guided by experts at the Shedd Aquarium for aquatic systems, the Chicago Zoological Society for terrestrial mammals, and the Lincoln Park Zoo for urban wildlife outreach. Landscape-scale planning draws on frameworks developed by the Metropolitan Planning Council and uses conservation finance mechanisms promoted by the World Resources Institute and the NatureServe program.
Research and Monitoring
Scientific monitoring leverages partnerships with academic institutions including University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Purdue University, Lake Forest College, and Loyola University Chicago. Long-term ecological research protocols align with standards from the Long Term Ecological Research Network and employ remote sensing products from NASA and the US Geological Survey. Biodiversity inventories employ taxonomic expertise from the Field Museum of Natural History entomology and botany departments and the Chicago Botanic Garden conservation science unit. Citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist and collaborations with the Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum expand species occurrence data; avian monitoring coordinates with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society of Greater Chicago migration studies. Data stewardship practices reference the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and regional GIS layers from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
Education and Community Engagement
Education programs connect to K–12 curricula via partnerships with the Chicago Public Schools STEM initiatives, after-school programs run with the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago), and field-based learning hosted by the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Morton Arboretum. Public outreach includes volunteer restoration days organized with the Chicago Park District and urban greening collaborations with Openlands and the Trust for Public Land. Youth leadership and workforce development projects have links to the Chicago Conservation Corps model and internship pathways with the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History. Community science engagement is amplified through events in partnership with the Chicago Public Library system and regional festivals coordinated with the Friends of the Forest Preserves and the Illinois Audubon Society.
Organization and Governance
The partnership operates as a regional alliance convening member institutions such as the Field Museum of Natural History, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Audubon Society of Greater Chicago, and the Nature Conservancy. Governance combines a steering committee with technical working groups and funding partnerships from foundations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Packard Foundation, and local support from the Chicago Community Trust. Strategic plans have been informed by regional agencies including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and urban planning entities such as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Collaborative agreements utilize conservation planning tools developed with contributions from the World Wildlife Fund and data standards aligned with the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) community.