Embedded Files
Chicago Wilderness
Chicago Wilderness
Summary of Conservation Objectives
Summary of Conservation Objectives
Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance leading strategy to preserve, improve, and expand nature and quality of life. By connecting leaders in conservation, health, business, science, and beyond, we tackle challenging issues to ensure a resilient region. Building on a 20-year legacy of collaboration, our broad alliance of member organizations advance work in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. We are…one region. one vision. one voice.
Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance leading strategy to preserve, improve, and expand nature and quality of life. By connecting leaders in conservation, health, business, science, and beyond, we tackle challenging issues to ensure a resilient region. Building on a 20-year legacy of collaboration, our broad alliance of member organizations advance work in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. We are…one region. one vision. one voice.
By working as part of a regional alliance we are able to more efficiently combine skills, resources, and funding to improve connectivity for wildlife across the region and conserve species. The vision of the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan is “To establish a broad policy of beneficial coexistence in which the region’s natural heritage is preserved, improved, and expanded even as the metropolis grows.”
By working as part of a regional alliance we are able to more efficiently combine skills, resources, and funding to improve connectivity for wildlife across the region and conserve species. The vision of the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan is “To establish a broad policy of beneficial coexistence in which the region’s natural heritage is preserved, improved, and expanded even as the metropolis grows.”
Basic Statistics
Basic Statistics
Driver(s) of Conservation Efforts
Driver(s) of Conservation Efforts
There is a long history of open space protection in the Chicago region, beginning with the founding of Chicago park district in 1869 and the Cook County Forest Preserve District in 1914, the largest forest preserve district in the country (>69,000 acres). Guided by landscape architects Daniel Burnham and Jens Jensen, these parks were constructed/protected along boulevards and the outer beltline of rivers in Chicago, thus preserving land with an indirect focus on connectivity. In the mid-1990s, alliance of Chicago Wilderness was initially founded from voluntary effort of local environmental organizations. Over time, there has been an increase in citizen pressure in the region. There is a robust community of environmental stewards and environmentally-conscious citizens in Chicago, and the awareness for the importance of natural areas for both humans and wildlife is increasing.
There is a long history of open space protection in the Chicago region, beginning with the founding of Chicago park district in 1869 and the Cook County Forest Preserve District in 1914, the largest forest preserve district in the country (>69,000 acres). Guided by landscape architects Daniel Burnham and Jens Jensen, these parks were constructed/protected along boulevards and the outer beltline of rivers in Chicago, thus preserving land with an indirect focus on connectivity. In the mid-1990s, alliance of Chicago Wilderness was initially founded from voluntary effort of local environmental organizations. Over time, there has been an increase in citizen pressure in the region. There is a robust community of environmental stewards and environmentally-conscious citizens in Chicago, and the awareness for the importance of natural areas for both humans and wildlife is increasing.
It will be interesting to see how the support for the regional collaboration changes now that Chicago Wilderness is under a major transition. Recently, CW closed their offices and no longer has a paid staff due to lack of funding. In some ways, this suggests a lack of support from governmental and corporate community; however, all segments of cash-strapped Illinois are experiencing massive budget cuts. Participating organizations plan to move forward with their programs and collaborations despite the dissolution.
It will be interesting to see how the support for the regional collaboration changes now that Chicago Wilderness is under a major transition. Recently, CW closed their offices and no longer has a paid staff due to lack of funding. In some ways, this suggests a lack of support from governmental and corporate community; however, all segments of cash-strapped Illinois are experiencing massive budget cuts. Participating organizations plan to move forward with their programs and collaborations despite the dissolution.
Key Readings
Key Readings
Web Resources
Published Articles
Moskovits DK, Fialkowski C, Mueller GM, et al (2004) Chicago Wilderness: A New Force in Urban Conservation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1023:215–236. doi: 10.1196/annals.1319.011
Ross, L.M. (1997) The Chicago Wilderness: A coalition for urban conservation. Restoration and Management Notes 15: 1.
Heneghan L. et al. (2012). Lessons Learned from Chicago Wilderness—Implementing and Sustaining Conservation Management in an Urban Setting. Diversity 4: 74-93.
Book
Natural History of the Chicago Region
Image Credits
Image Credits
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Nature Boardwalk (Lincoln Park Zoo) - George Hess
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