Wild Things 2025

Humans and animals have existed side by side for thousands of years. But some species of animal have an easier coexistence with us. In order to thrive humans depend on animals for numerous ecosystem services. Bats provide many such services. This interactive talk looks at the ways in which the western world views bats and opens a dialogue about how humans and bats are each better because of with the existence of the other.

Urban Rivers and Shedd Aquarium have partnered to host weekly Community Nights at Park 571 at the confluence of Bubbly Creek on the South Branch of the Chicago River to provide opportunities for members of the Bridgeport, McKinley Park, and Pilsen communities to engage with the river via science and kayaking opportunities. From fishing to water quality testing and getting eye to eye with man made floating wetland habitats we have seen individuals' excitement and visions for the river’s future grow. Join us as we reflect on a summer of sharing joy and finding healing spaces in nature.

The Village of Downers Grove has a commitment to stormwater management, to reduce flooding, and improve stormwater quality. This commitment led them to implement a stormwater utility fee, in order to improve stormwater management throughout the Village. This fee can be reduced for landowners if they provide qualifying rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable pavers, and other projects that reduce the total volume or peak volume of stormwater, and/or improve the quality of stormwater leaving a parcel. Examples include green roofs, cisterns, and other Best Management Practices. As part of the overall stormwater management plan, the Village of Downers Grove commenced its innovative Green Streets/ Sustainable Stormwater (Bioswale) Program in 2012.
The Bioswale Program is a public/private partnership developed to convert existing roadside drainage ditches into beautiful, beneficial landscape areas, at no cost to the homeowner. Each year, residents apply for a grant to construct a bioswale on their property, and funds are applied on a first-come, first-served basis. Village staff work with the homeowners to verify that the desired location is appropriate, to coordinate the design of the bioswale, and to assist in the selection of custom plants that are suitable for their site and that meet personal preferences. Upon approval, the Village prepares the site and installs live, native plants. The Village provides routine maintenance of each site, including mowing and weeding, for the first year, after which residents assume all management responsibility. Benefits of these bioswales are plentiful. The deep root systems of the native plants reduce stormwater runoff up to 30% and improve water quality of creeks and streams by filtering pollutants. Bioswales replenish ground water levels in local aquifers and reduce mosquitoes by absorbing stagnant water. They save time and money, as they require less watering and mowing than traditional landscaping, which also reduces air pollution. The bioswales enhance aesthetics while attracting wildlife, such as birds, butterflies, bees and dragonflies. Due to the success of these bioswales, consistent increases in homeowner applications to the Program have been noted.

Join us for a discussion about the acculturation process for newcomer populations, common integration barriers, and effective solutions using nature therapy and ecopedagogy. Presenters will describe the Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge (REACH) model, which works to increase newcomer communities' access to natural environments and outdoor learning experiences. REACH Peer Mentors (refugee youth leaders) will provide insight into the transformative growth they've experienced through deeper engagement with the natural world and others. We will also share recent outcomes of a collaborative initiative with the Forest Preserves of Cook County to connect more newcomer communities to nature. In this workshop, participants will develop an understanding of acculturation as a multi-dimensional process and consider avenues for newcomers to engage in and actively contribute to their programs, organizations, and communities.

In the dynamic landscape of social media, the convergence of passion, expertise, and creativity can result in powerful collaboration to transform public engagement and education from ordinary to extraordinary. This session explores how organizations can effectively leverage social media to share information, enhance learning, and meaningfully engage communities. A case-study of a viral series created by The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will share ways individuals from multiple disciplines came together to harness their passion, technical and creative skills, and knowledge to develop compelling, fun, and educational social media content that increased awareness of the District’s conservation mission.

The American Bird Conservancy through our Conservation and Justice Program has built activities to support a Pop-Up Neurodiverse Nature Trail with Birding Activities, celebrating nature while promoting understanding of neurodiversity. The activities feature tools and equipment in a self-contained trailer to support an accessible trail designed for individuals with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing differences, providing an inclusive nature experience for neurodiverse individuals and their families. The events aim to foster awareness, engage participants in bird-watching and conservation, and strengthen community bonds.

Beth Drucker and Kim Stone, founders and co-facilitators of Go Green Illinois, will show you why your community would benefit from a citizen’s sustainability group and how to start one today. Learn how suburbs all over Chicagoland have started groups with just a few people and limited funding. Beth and Kim will review the history of Go Green Illinois and share some of the many successes and challenges of member groups, and how regional collaboration helps us have a greater impact.  

KT Peterson of Go Green Des Plaines will provide examples of some of the ways her group has made progress in just two years since they were founded.

You’ll leave with a clear idea of what steps to take to become the next Go Green group.

We’re most familiar with ‘VIP’ standing for ‘very important person’. The ‘P’ in VIP can also stand for places, phenomena, project, or passion. During this session you will explore your own Climate VIP and come away with tools to help people view the climate crisis as something that affects them directly. After identifying their Climate VIP, people can begin the conversation about how each individual already possesses the interests and skills needed to take climate and environmental justice action regardless of age, prior knowledge, or background.

The topic of native plants in early childhood and youth education is vital and often overlooked. Discover practical strategies for integrating local flora and fauna into the classroom and at home, fostering a deeper connection to nature. We'll share hands-on, age-appropriate activities designed to spark curiosity and teach children of all ages about biodiversity and ecosystem health. Leave equipped with simple, creative ideas to make nature education interactive and impactful. Together, with hands dirty and hearts full, we can inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Langham Island is a one-of-a-kind nature preserve, known informally as "the island of rare plants." It is the only known natural station of the Illinois endemic Kankakee mallow, and was once home to the federally endangered leafy prairie clover and state threatened buffalo clover. However, the island’s dynamic ecology and disturbance-intensive history has resulted in vast changes to its biodiversity. In 1985, some 310 vascular plant species were recorded on the island. By 2024, this number had surpassed 500 species. Ryan will describe the island’s history, current ecology, and the strange assortment of taxa found during this effort, including discussion of species/community trends and what they may imply for other natural areas in the region.

Great Lakes basin wetlands are rapidly degrading with anthropogenic influence, thus losing functions to mitigate climate change effects and provide biodiversity refugia. To understand shifts in wetland communities, we developed two spatial models to understand the relationship between changing wetland community structure and rare species diversity. The first presenter will share results on how freighter wake wave action impacts wetland plant community identity and structure in the St. Marys river, which connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Shifting in scale, the second presenter will share results on how how wetland plant community drives Utricularia (Bladderwort) species diversity and distribution across Michigan

The bumblebee is arguably the most important native insect pollinator in the Chicago region. Co-evolving with our native flowering plants, bumblebees are exquisitely adapted both physically and behaviorally for efficient pollen and nectar collection. The annual cycle of the bumblebee colony puts the bumblebee queen in a race against time to lay enough eggs—and the workers to raise enough young—for their genes to be passed along for one more year. This session provides an overview of the bumblebee lifecycle, and the discusses the many adaptations of both bumblebees and plants that allow the fittest to succeed.

Some are seemingly profound, some dramatic, some funny. From 40 years as a volunteer, then staff: with Illinois Nature Preserves, Nature Conservancy, Audubon, and finally as a volunteer again – gloriously so. These stories, focusing on great work by many, include lessons, insights, or even inspiration - or so I'm told. This is a “call and response“ session. There will be opportunitities for feedback. Then we’ll go on the next story and enjoy as many (and as much good exchange of ideas) as we can. The focus is on saving biodiversity, with fire, stewardship, advocacy, and by gosh and by golly.

The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis proposes that randomly determined disturbance events of medium frequency and intensity often result in maximum biodiversity on the landscape scale. Biodiversity and ecosystem stability can be influenced by ecological trajectories such as succession and retrogression, where ecological disturbances shape plant community composition and structure, as well as wildlife habitat.  In northern Illinois, case studies can be observed at well-developed restoration projects such as The Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa Grasslands where bison have been introduced as a keystone species. By utilizing applied science based on principles of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, a better understanding of effective stewardship protocols using adaptive management can be developed and adopted across the region.

Once a common sight devouring insects at your favorite night games, the increasingly un-Common Nighthawk is now in steep decline across its range. And yet, despite being one of the fastest disappearing birds in North America, very little data or trends exist to help explain why or how to slow these trends. In 2021, Chicago Ornithological Society launched a volunteer monitoring program to study and conserve them; one of the only such efforts in the country. This presentation will highlight the lessons learned from the last three seasons of monitoring and explore opportunities to help ensure Chicago remains a haven for these mysterious creatures.

Accommodating beavers on our watersheds would allow us to reap the benefits of the many  ecosystem services that they provide. Beaver ponds protect and improve water quality by absorbing nutrients from agricultural runoff, stormwater, and wastewater, and by capturing and filtering out sediment. As a keystone species, beavers create habitat that supports multiple other species of fish, birds, amphibians, and other mammals. Beaver-created wetlands also create increased floodwater storage capacity and would help our region develop climate resilience in the face of increased precipitation patterns. In fact, beaver restoration is being used around the country to restore streams and boost biodiversity. While beavers can cause flooding problems, properly designed culvert fencing and pond levelers are effective at preventing beaver damage and ultimately less expensive than the continuous cycle of trapping and killing beavers.

This study investigates the impacts of weather on oak masting in the Chicagoland region and explores its links to Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) populations. Over a eight-year period (2017-2024), we collected acorn data from northern red, white, bur, and pin oaks within the Chicago Wilderness Region. We tested hypotheses regarding factors that influence annual acorn abundances, with a focus on spring and summer weather conditions such as precipitation and temperature. Preliminary findings suggest that acorn mast cycles—characterized by years of low and high acorn production—are influenced by weather patterns and may drive changes in the populations of acorn-caching species like the Red-headed Woodpecker. Analysis of eBird data from 2016-2024 shows that acorn availability could influence woodpecker overwintering behavior and year-round presence in Chicagoland forest preserves. Our study highlights the ecological importance of oak masting on wildlife dynamics and provides insight into the drivers of acorn production and seasonal Red-headed Woodpecker habitat use.

2024 treated the Chicago Wilderness region to raucous choruses of 17-year cicadas, genus Magicicada. Drawing on lessons from the Calling Frogs Survey and Singing Insects Monitoring Program, the Magicicada Soundmap Project recruited volunteers to measure sound levels and record these choruses. The project also made use of wildlife recorders to examine hypotheses related to the impact of ecological restoration on Magicicada chorusing. I will describe the methods, display initial data, and how we plan to use the data for monitoring and land management.