Most people think eco-tourism means traveling to far-off places like Africa and Asia to watch exotic wildlife or to restore the rain forest. But long-distance expeditions are not the only way to be an active eco-tourist-you can begin in your own back yard.
So what if it’s been years-eons, actually-since a herd of elephants has been spotted in the Midwest, and you can’t remember the last time you came across a 5,000-acre rain forest anywhere in the Chicago vicinity. If your closest link to nature is through the endless parade of armchair safaris courtesy of cable TV, here’s another option.
There are more than 130,000 acres of oak savannas, wetlands and prairies, and an array of wildlife, in northeastern Illinois alone. Depending upon the season, you can help replant prairies, clean up rivers, track eagles, examine insects, pollinate orchids and monitor butterflies and migrating birds. And experts in the Illinois Field Office of the Nature Conservancy, one of the country’s largest environmental organizations, have done all the work for you in finding the ecological hot spots, with their one-of-a-kind publication, “Prairie University.”
A comprehensive catalog of ecological field trips, workshops, courses and activities from nearly 100 area organizations and institutions, “Prairie University” puts local eco-tourism right at your fingertips by featuring almost all that northeastern Illinois has to offer.
The new fall ’94 catalog, for instance, has 312 programs from 95 institutions-but quantity is not the point, says Laurel Ross, the conservancy’s northern Illinois field representative and coordinator of the nearly 4,000-strong Stewardship Network. “It’s not just more listings from more institutions,” she explains, “but a focus on quality programs from quality institutions.”
Some, like the Chicago chapters of the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society, are part of national organizations that foster environmental awareness. Others, like the Morton Arboretum and the Little Red School House, are local environmental havens-a simple visit to these places is like an eco-tour. Overall, “Prairie U.” institutions seem to recognize that their students may be on a budget: Many offerings are free, and most cost only a few dollars.
You say you’re too overwhelmed to do anything else this summer? Don’t despair. “Nature is out there 12 months of the year,” reminds Ross. And accordingly, “Prairie University” is published three times a year, offering ecological activities every weekend, year-round.
The fall ’94 edition of “Prairie University” will be hot off the presses on Monday. Send $2 to The Nature Conservancy, Illinois Field Office, 79 W. Monroe St., Suite 900, Chicago, Ill., 60603, or pick up a free copy.
To whet your environmental appetite, here are a few current “Prairie U.” courses.
Sierra Club’s Annual Chicago River Clean-up, Boating and Brown-Bag Picnic, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Free. Preregistration required. Call Travis Marlatte at 708-476-7547 to sign up for the shore- or canoe-based crew and for meeting location. Without maintenance days like this one, the Chicago River would really be up a creek. On the shore-based crew, you’ll patrol a one-mile section of waterfront, picking up litter and clearing debris. In the two-person canoes, you’ll make your way down a five-mile stretch of the river, collecting litter with gloves and nets. The canoes are usually piled high by the end of the morning.
Beginning to Watch Birds, 8:30-11 a.m. Aug. 27, $8 (Morton Arboretum members, $7). Morton Arboretum, Lisle. Pre-registration required. 708-719-2468. If you can’t tell a warbler from a wood duck, expert guide Anne Haverstock will show you how to increase your birding I.Q. during this nature walk through three habitats. In wetland areas, expect to see hooded or Canada warblers; in the woods, you’ll probably find Cooper’s hawks and migrating thrushes; and in the open meadow you’re likely to spot Eastern meadowlarks and bluebirds. Bring binoculars. Haverstock will teach how to use them.
Adopt-a-Park/Adopt-a-Beach program, Friends of the Parks, in cooperation with the Chicago Park District. Year-round. Free. 312-922-3307. Here’s a chance to give something back to Chicago’s 7,400 acres of land and 29 beaches. Friends of the Parks will help prioritize the needs of your group’s area, from mulching and watering trees to planting flowers to removing and recycling litter. A minimum of six scheduled workdays over one full year is all the organization asks. Plus, your group gets officially thanked at a special ceremony in City Council chambers. Talk about an easy way to generate personal and civic pride.
Natural History Walks, 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday or 1-2:30 p.m. Sunday. Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Rd., Highland Park. $5 residents; $6 non-residents. Preregistration required. 708-433-6901. Take a stroll among the glorious tall grasses and colorful flowers of some of Highland Park’s prairies. You’ll learn about the grasslands of yesterday and today and the variety of wildlife they are home to. This is a spectacular time of year to wander the prairie. Flowers such as the impressive purple liatris (or blazing star) and numerous species of goldenrods are in full bloom, and monarch butterflies are migrating through the area, sharing the air with dragonflies and a variety of songbirds.
The Animals of Summer, Upclose, 1 p.m. Aug. 27. Free. Little Red School House Nature Center, 9800 S. 104th Ave. (one mile west of Illinois Highway 45 and one mile south of Archer Avenue), Willow Springs. 708-839-6897. Just because you love to look at and learn about insects and everyone thinks you’re really creepy, don’t let it bug you. Summer is the season when insects abound, and this educational afternoon session features up-close encounters. The many-legged critters you might come across include woolly bear caterpillars, grasshoppers, katydids, cicadas and field crickets.
Volunteer Workday, North Park Village Nature Center, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Free. No pregistration required. 5801 N. Pulaski Rd., Chicago. 312-744-5472. The Nature Center is devoted to restoring its 61 acres of prairie, savanna and wetlands to the mid-1800s, pre-settlement condition of pristine wilderness. Year-round workdays differ according to the season; this one focuses on two acres of prairie and savanna. Activities include collecting plant seeds and cutting and clearing invasive European buckthorn brush so that native plants have “breathing room” to grow.
When it comes to treating natural areas with TLC, the Nature Conservancy’s Volunteer Stewardship Network has northeastern Illinois covered. Prairie and woodlands restoration workdays are scheduled every weekend of the year throughout Kane, Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Lake and Will Counties and include anything from seed collecting to brush cutting and clearing, controlled burns, weed removal and general management.
Because no prior experience or preregistration is required, you can attend these sessions simply on a whim and work up a sweat with the trained volunteer stewards.
A sampling of this weekend’s workdays is listed below. A few are held weather permitting, so call to confirm. All, as always, are free of charge.
A few tips:
– Dress for the weather: Long pants and sturdy shoes or boots are a must.
– Bring water and a light snack.
– Use sun protection or bring a hat when needed.
And remember, the work is usually vigorous; don’t expect to sit back and smell the wildflowers, except on a break!
Wolf Road Prairie Workday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Meet at Wolf Road and 31st Street parking lot, Westchester. Call Neil McDermott to confirm, 708-485-5822.
Brookfield Woods Workday, 10 a.m. Sunday. Meet at 26th Street and 7th Avenue, Brookfield. Call Gary Horn to confirm, 708-442-9304.
Great Western Railroad Prairie Workday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Berkley Avenue at the Illinois Prairie Path, Elmhurst. Call Keith Olsen to confirm, 708-834-7357.
Paintbrush Prairie Workday, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday. 154th Place and Millard Avenue, Markham. Rain or shine. 708-333-2549.
Oakhurst Forest Preserve Workday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. 5th Avenue east of Farnsworth, Aurora. 708-428-5594.
Persimmon Woods Park Workday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Take Illinois Highway 25, east on Stonehedge Road, left on Fox Chase Boulevard, left on Keim Trail, St. Charles. Meet at park entrance. 708-428-5594.
Seed Collecting Workday at Wadsworth Prairie, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. U.S. Highway 41 to Wadsworth Road east, to Wadsworth canoe launch lot, Wadsworth. Confirm with Jim Steffen, 708-872-8924.
Highmoor Prairie Workday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Meet at preserve parking lot at Keats Lane and Ridge Road, south of Illinois Highway 22, Highland Park. Confirm with Jim Steffen, 708-872-8924.
Seed Collecting/Plant Survey Workday at Chain-O’Lakes State Park, 9 a.m.-noon Sunday. U.S. Highway 12 to Wilmont Road north, follow signs to State Park entrance, follow signs to maintenance building; Spring Grove. Confirm with Harry Horner, 708-546-4993.
Harms Woods Workday, 9 a.m. Sunday. Meet at Forest Preserve Grove parking lot on west side of Harms Road just south of Glenview Road, Glenview. 312-878-3877.
Poplar Creek Forest Preserve Seed Collecting and/or Brush Collecting, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday. Meet in parking area west of Illinois Highway 59 between Shoe Factory Road on the north and Illinois Highway 58 (Gold Road) on the south; Poplar Creek. Bring a bag lunch. 708-843-0489.
“Prairie People” Workday at Old Plank Trail, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Saturday: on Elsner Road one mile south of U.S. Highway 30; Sunday: on Owens Road (116th Street) a half mile south of U.S. 30; Frankfort. 815-727-8700.
In Will County, some volunteer Stewards are taking a day off from restoration work with these interactive wildlife programs:
Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Interpretive Program, 9, 10 and 11 a.m. Saturday. On Renwick Road east of U.S. 30, Plainfield. 815-727-8700.
Guided “Earth Walk” at Forsythe Woods, theme: “Bugs,” 2-3 p.m. Sunday. On Kaehler Road one mile east of Illinois Highway 102, Wilmington. 815-727-8700.
