Illinois; Cook County Wild Landscaping - Rain Gardens Aren’t Only for Rain - Chicago

8/3/2019 Illinois; Cook County Wild Landscaping - Rain Gardens Arent Only for Rain - Chicago

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Celebrating our wilderness connections in the Chicago Regio

Complimentary SPRING 201

[Te ree speaks]: Come to me, here beside the River.

Plant yoursel beside the River.

Maya Angelou

Our Creeks & StreamsThe Littlest Creatures

Paddling the Kishwaukee

River Otters

Rain Gardens


2/20

Christopher B. BurkeEngineering, Ltd.

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508 N. Evergreen Ave. Arlington Heights IL 60004

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One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is to share your

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of outdoor play and exploration!

Visit www.chicagowilderness.org to find a June event near you.


3/20

Way of the WILDS | Spring 2011 | Page

As beautiul as the winter is, and with my love o the changing seasons,

still there is a wonderul thrill as Spring arrives. Te smell o reshness

in the air, the returning birds and wildlie emerging, all eels magical

to me.

In this issue we are highlighting streams and rivers in our region, and eature some great

articles Im sure youll enjoy.

Tis is the third issue o Way o the Wilds, and Im hoping we can continue publishing

and distributing this important magazine. Te biggest challenge has been unding, as I

know so many are eeling these days. I you or anyone you know is interested in advertis-

ing, investing, or has ideas to share, email me at [email protected] please

dont hesitate to write. My intention has been to expand the awareness o the natural

world in our area. Id love (and need) to have additional support and involvement!

Tis issue introduces expanded articles on our website youll see the green www icon

(at right) near these articles. Just go to the website, click on the issue and a largerversion will open or you. You can download this pd, or read it online.

Happy planting, and I hope to see you again with the summer issue!

Debbie Mackall, Publisher

Tis ree magazine educates and

inorms through articles written by local

experts, oering ideas or experiencing

and taking ownership and pride in the

earth and its processes around them.

We are dedicated to providing local

photography and inormation o interest

to those involved in local stewardship

as well as pieces o interest or everyone

interested in conservation, recreation

and their amilies.

Publishers:

Debbie Mackall, Kerry Leigh

A portion of every issue ofWay of

the Wildsis donated to support our

natural resources.

To place an ad in Way of the Wilds, please

call Debbie at 847-726-2093, visit www.

wayofthewilds.com, or email debbie@

wayofthewilds.com for information and

ad rates.

Thanks to our sponsers!

Applied Ecological Services

Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.

Integrated Lakes Management

Editorial

Please send your editorial suggestions

or other correspondence to debbie@

wayofthewilds.com.

2011 Way of the Wilds. All rights

reserved. Way of the Wildsis a registered trade-

mark of Shine Visual Communications, Inc.

We do not endorse the products or services

and are not responsible for any claims made

in advertisements. We reserve the right

to refuse advertising which we feel is

not compatible with our intention.

No part of this publication may be reprinted

without permission from the publisher. The

goal ofWay of the Wildsis to educate and

inform, bring people and nature together and

encourage interaction with our natural world.

www.wayofthewilds.com Cover photo by Ray Mathis

Over 4,000 volunteers will gather for a day

of hands-on environmental work along the

Chicago River. Volunteers will collect

garbage, remove invasive vegetation, spruce

up river-edge trails, and much more.

Be part of the revival of the Chicago River!

To find a Chicago River Day location near

you, visit www.chicagoriver.org and sign

up today!

19th Annual

ChicagoRiver Day

Saturday, May 14, 2011

9 am 12 pm

Presented by

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847-726-2093 | www.shinevc.com

Debbie Mackall is the Creative Director

and artistic visionary of Shine Visual

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oversee your project, designing and

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most dynamic and impressive image for

your company.

As needed, we will provide all of your

media needs from design, writing and web

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Lets get started!

SeeusonFacebook!

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4/20

Page 4 | Way of the WILDS | Spring 2011

TeMagical

Bond

Between

Earth& Water

A stream is a magical bond between

two elements, earth and water bound

unto themselves, bound together, and

pulled through the landscape by gravity.

A stream is a ribbon o lie etching a

mosaic barren and lush; scoured and

piled; torrential and tranquil. Tis rib-

bon o lie, when healthy, maintains a

delicate balance between the water, the

soil, the creatures and the plants.

When streams have room to move

around in their active oodplains they

create backwaters, oxbow lakes, wetlanddepressions and riparian grasslands.

When streams are prevented rom this

dance o dynamic sel creation, these

diverse wetlands begin to vanish rom

the landscape as we have seen in our

urban streams that have been restricted

in their movement by channelization.

By not allowing a stream to erode and

move in the landscape, and by mak-

ing the riparian zone all the same, the

stream and its biology begins to die.

In the beginning

A stream begins with a drop o water

on a lea, perhaps in an oak savanna on

a hill o piled sands and gravels. Te

drop is pulled by gravity through root,

soil and till. Deep below the hill, the

drop joins with billions o others which

collectively we call groundwater. Due

to the cohesive nature o water, gravity

is briey over-powered setting a spring

into motion, pushing up and through

the earth. Te spring boils into a seep,

where the cohesive orces o the water

have sliced a small escape wedge through

the ground materials once deposited by

great glaciers.

Falling down the rim o the valley, the

velocity o the conjoined drops gather

speed, and transer energy back into the

earth by tumbling gravel and carrying

clay. Tis process is called sediment

transport, and without it, a stream

would not have a diverse array o streambottoms or substrates, nor the ability

to ertilize its oodplain. Several more

seeps join each other as our rst drop

rom the oak savanna lea arrives at the

bottom o the valley rim, now a ull-

edged creek.

Tis newound energy begins to push

larger pieces o earth, but carves shrewd-

ly as the bonded droplets are pulled by

gravity the quick and easy way. Te liq-

uid ribbon begins to spin: rst let thenright, then let, then right again. Tis is

called helical ow, and important creek

sh such as hornyhead chub and com-

mon shiner rely on this process to bring

them ood. Large piles o stone begin to

sort where elevation changes are greatest.

Te increased velocity rom a quick drop

in elevation slings the liquid ribbon that

By Frank Veraldi


5/20


is our creek to the opposite side o the

channel spearing the bank and bed. Te

spinning ribbon, like a corkscrew, shaves

o clay, sand and stone rom the bank,

and in one motion, drops them to the

other side o the channel just down-

stream. Tis process is called cut and ll

alluviation which produces that classical

snakelike meandering pattern o a creek

viewed rom the sky looking down.

A summer thunderstorm swells the

creek so that it overtops its banks and

begins to ow aster with much momen-

tum. Te liquid ribbon is no longer a

delightul cork screw, but a raging del-uge o suspended rock and stone. Tis is

called a channel orming event in which

the water reworks both the channel and

the oodplain into new congurations.

A weakened clay bank gives way to this

natural sandblaster its plants, soil, and

till melt away into the ow.

A week ater the storm the shrunken

deluge has returned to the clear liquid

ribbon rom ground ed droplets. Te

atermath is revealed; the stream nowows let where it once owed right,

and in its place is let a weakly connect-

ed backwater that will slowly ade into

the surrounding woodland a masked

ootprint o what once was.

At the rst terrace o the valley, the

changes in elevation are slight, and

gravity gently loosens its grip and cre-

ates a hemi-marsh, a mix o vegetation

and open water that is bowl shaped

with a wet prairie rim. Here the liquid

ribbon loses much o its energy and the

corkscrew stops spinning. Te stream

splits into braided paths, and in some

areas, just a mass jumbling o reeds and

open water. At the edge o this terrace, a

narrow outlet releases the liquid ribbon

back into a helical knie this sediment

ree ribbon is now an extra ne blade.

As the ribbon o water alls down the

side o the ancient river valley terrace, it

gobbles up clay, sand and gravel, creat-

ing a large ravine, the oor o which is

now occupied by a very large creek.

And Now From Creek to River.

Te wet prairie has long turned into

dark orest. Te vast oodplain o the

Illinois River has now silted in with

upland clays to create prime conditions

or huge trees. Te once oak savanna

spring now transers its mass o water to

the greater river, becoming one with the

helical energy that drives stream lie, the

magical bond between earth and water.

Te same orces that drive lie on earth

also govern the universe we know. With-

out these orces there can be no lie.

Stream lie requires the constant pres-

sure o an applied orce o owing water

called hydraulics. Te word hydraulic

comes rom the Greeks, hydr water

and aulos musical instrument. Tese

orces, as intended by nature, are impec-

cably musical. Streams can be beautiul

melodies that erode and deposit, and

resonate through and over the land. U

Frank Veraldi is a biologist with the

US Army Corps o Engineers at the

Chicago District.

urtle photo by Brian ang, stream photo by Hank Erdmann


6/20

Making a Dierence on our Waterways

StreamLeaders By Laura Barghusen

Te exciting discovery o a young Slipper-

shell mussel, an Illinois State Treatened

Species, by a volunteer in the meanders

last August was an early encouraging sign

that the restoration may oer high quality

habitat to support diverse species.


Community

Involvement

We started the StreamLeadersvolunteer

program at OpenLandswith partners

such as the Illinois Department oNatural Resourcesand Shedd Aquarium

in 1995 to encourage volunteerism

and acilitate partnerships between

volunteers and proessionals to under-

take projects that would improve

stream habitat.

Te volunteers come rom many

dierent backgrounds: engineers who

want to better understand the waters

or which they design systems; a lawyer

and his amily looking or somethingun to do together; students seeking

experience in the eld; teachers who

want to bring lessons back to their

classrooms; artists who seek inspiration

in nature; and volunteer site stewards

who want to get more involved. What

they have in common is their love o

being out in the water, in prairies and

woodlands, people who want to connect

with lie in the creek and learn how to

evaluate the health o creeks and rivers

to make a dierence in preserving and

protecting the places they love.

StreamLeadersvolunteers put on waders

and step o the banks and into the

water. Working quickly, they scoopup sh that have been momentarily

stunned by a sheries biologist using

a backpack electroshocker. Later, they

kneel in the water and push their hands

into the streambed eeling or native

mussels embedded in the sand, silt

or cobbles. Finally they do the rife

dance moving their eet quickly to

dislodge macroinvertebrates rom rife

rocks and drive them into a net. Back on

land, the sorting, separating, and iden-

tiying begins. Volunteers learn to tell

stoney larva rom sowbugs, and know

the dierences between a White and a

Creek Heelsplitter mussel. Te goal is to

see how healthy the stream and its

biological community is. O course

there must be number crunching, and

counts have to be put into equations

such as the Index o Biotic Integrity

(IBI) or sh, the Mussel Classication

Index (MCI), and the Macroinverte-

brate Biotic Index (MBI), beore we cansay how diverse or healthy the stream is.

For the past two years, StreamLeaders

have been monitoring a project, or the

Forest Preserve District o Will County,

to re-meander a straightened section o

Spring Creek in New Lenox, returning

it to a more natural condition. Water

moves very quickly through straightened

channels, resulting in erosion and loss o

high quality habitat. Te meanders were

recreated using a historic photographas reerence, the ditched section was

lled in, and the creek waters redirected

through the meanders. U

Laura is the Associate Greenways

Director at Openlands. o learn more

or to volunteer go to www.openlands.org.


7/20

By Jim Bland


LivingwithW

ildlife

Illinois has lost about a third

o its stoney species.

We do not usually associate insects

with winter months but there are two

stoney amilies which are dubbed

winter stoneies. In watersheds that

get signicant groundwater inputs, sum-

mer water temperatures can be cooler

and winter temperatures warmer than

in streams ed exclusively by surace

run-o. Winter stoneies have dark

coloration and they have an anti-reeze

substance in their bodies to resist winter

low temperatures. Many amilies o

stoneies are active predators on other

stream invertebrates; others areshredders, shredding lea materials

into edible ractions.

Te Illinois RiverWatch Networkis one o

a variety o similar programs around the

country designed to monitor the bio-

logical health o regional streams. Tis

statewide program educates and trains

volunteers to collect high quality data

on the biological health o our regional

streams. Ater training and outtting

with appropriate collection equipment,volunteers collect stream invertebrates,

identiy them, calculate various stream

metrics based on their collection, and

report their data to RiverWatch.U

Large selection of quality outdoor

bird seed, feeders and housesMon-Sat: 10-5, Sunday: Noon-5

Free home delivery in McHenry, Lake,Northern Cook and Northern Kane Counties

Stone Hill Shopping Center934 Route 22 Fox River Grove, IL

847-639-6594 wbc-frg.com

Wild Bird Center of Fox River Grove"Your Backyard Nature Specialist"

Te Littlest Creatures

On a recent trip to Alaska my wie

and I were introduced to grizzly bears,

sea lions, humpbacked whales, and

bald eagles. Tese reasonably can be

called charismatic megaauna. Tey areeasy to see and easily capture peoples

imagination. Whales eed on krill, a

microcrustacean; bears, eagles, and sea

lions eed on sh, which in turn eed on

tiny invertebrates in the water. o my

mind the littlest creatures o the natural

world dont get enough exposure. Tese

littlest creatures are called macroinver-

tebrates. Te name is meant to convey

that they are large enough to be seen by

the naked eye, roughly 1 mm all the wayup to 450 mm. Macroinvertebrates are

critical creatures or the health o our

stream sh. Tey are what are called the

rst producers as they break up organic

matter in the stream and in turn become

ood or the larger creatures.

One example o a macroinvertebrate

group is stoneies (Plecoptera). Tey are

typically ound in ast owing, highly

oxygenated healthy streams. Some biolo-

gists regard stoneies as one o the mostendangered o the aquatic aunas. Tey

are among the most sensitive organisms

in response to stream degradation and

habitat modication. It is thought that

Over 1700 individuals have received RiverWatch certication in stream

monitoring and have collected an unprecedented amount o inormation or

evaluating Illinois streams since the program was established in 1995. Data

collected by volunteers over multiple years allows us to gauge the health and

integrity o our streams and helps proessionals make inormed decisions about

water resources. Vera Bojic, RiverWatch program manager or the National

Great Rivers Research and Education Center.

For additional inormation about RiverWatch or to request the power point

presentation, contact Vera Bojic,at 618-468-2881 or email [email protected].

Jim Bland is the author o Aquatic

Macroinvertebrates o Illinois: A

Supplement or the Illinois RiverWatch

Programwhich will be available through

RiverWatch in Spring o 2011.


8/20

k

Page 8 | Way of theWILDS | Spring 2011

WildSpots

Flint Creek Watershed, Lake County

by om Vanderpoel

Flint Creek Preserves

co-owned by Citizens or Conservation

and the Lake County Forest Preserve

District. Tis en is home to eight en-

dangered species and is being managed

intensely to keep the community rom

degrading and disappearing rom an

altered ground water regime. Te sec-

tion o Flint Creek that ows through

the orest preserve has a B rating quality

which is high or Lake County.Parking or Grassy Lake and Wagner Fen

Forest Preserves is at the Lake Barrington

Village Hall located at Old Barrington

Road just west o Miller Road.

Flint Creek Savanna

Tis savanna lies just south o Grassy

Lake. Te quality o the wetlands has

encouraged a pair o sandhill cranes to

nest or 14 consecutive years. Spotted

sandpipers, sedge and marsh wrens,

swamp sparrows and occasionally sora

rails have ound breeding homes in

the wetland vegetation. Four species

o rogs, toads, painted and snapping

turtles live in what were once tiled and

abandoned soybean elds. Habitat re-

strictive butteries such as eyed-brown,

black-dash skippers, and bronze coppers

oat above the sedges. Youll love it. U

Parking is located o o Route 22 south o

Good Shepherd Hospital. 847-382-7283.

Permission is needed to access.

Citizens or Conservation, a nonprot

group in the Barrington area, could see

a large wave o development coming

in the 1990s, so it went to work on a

plan that called or a greenbelt along

the creek and surrounding areas. Tis

unremarkable little creek led to a plan

that has seen a twenty year quest to save

some o this open space and restore its

ecosystems. o date the creation o a

680 acre Lake County orest preserve

called Grassy Lake, two Citizens or

Conservation preserves totaling 150

acres, and two Village o Lake Bar-

rington preserves totaling 50 acres all

line up along the creek.

Grassy Lake Preserve

Te Grassy Lake preserve has 3-1/2

miles o limestone hiking trails that

travel through large oaks along the

creek. Part o this trail allows tantaliz-ing views o the Fox River which will

be greatly enhanced when the 90 acre

newest addition is opened. Tis section

boasts a natural hill or kame that rises

dramatically above the Fox River and is

ull o history. When the trail veers away

rom the creek it takes you on a journey

through even larger oak groves that rise

above Grassy Lake and its large marsh.

Wagner Fen Nature Preserve

Wagner Fen is the northern terminus o

the trail and is a 100 acre wetland that is

Watershed Features 3-1/2milesoflimestonehikingtrails

traveling through large oaks

Windsthrough106acreprivatepreserve

Beatuifulviewofnaturalhill(Kame)

which rises dramatically above the

Fox River

Windsthrough3/4milewithrestord

oak woods, prairies and wetlands.

Nestingspotsforspottedsandpipers,sedge and marsh wrens, swamp sparrows

and sora rails as well as many others.

Flint Creek winds its way north through

the Barrington area eventually nd-

ing the Fox River as it has done or

millennia. In the late 1980s it was still

surrounded by arm elds, rolling oak

groves, and had intermittent rifes in

the water that sparkled in the sunlight.

om is a biologist with Citizens

or Conservation.

urtles and duck on log, by Susan Clark,

Marsh Wren photo by Brian ang.


9/20

T


Paddling the Kishwaukee River

Places to Play

Te arrival o spring marks the end o the long anticipation

and the beginning o the paddling season or many

enthusiasts.eKishwaukeeRiverisoneofChicagolands

paddling jewels and is one o the most paddled o the

Illinois Water rails.

eKishwaukeeRiversystemismadeupofseveralbranches

and many tributaries totaling over 160 miles o canoeable

waterways. Adopted in 1999, the Northeastern Illinois Water

TrailSystemincludesalloftheKishwaukeeRiverasitowsthroughMcHenry,BooneandWinnebagocounties.Kishwau-

kee is the Potawatomi name or sycamore tree.

eKishwaukeeisalsooneofthethreehighestwaterquality

rivers in Illinois. Te Illinois department o Natural Resources

hasclassiedtheKishwaukeeasaClassAstream,meaning

that it is amazingly clean and healthy.

Te section o river or this paddle is County Line Road in

Marengo to Red Horse Bend, just east o Belvidere. Along this

three to our hour adventure, youll encounter arm bridges

and a ew homes and arm buildings, but the character o

this pristine small stream remains remarkably wild wildlie

is diverse and plentiul. As you silently paddle along, keep

your senses sharp and tune into your surroundings. One can

expect to see deer, mink, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, owls,

vultures, great blue herons and various species o ducks. Te

river banks are mostly wooded and the spring orest oor will

be in bloom.

Good boat handling skills will be needed to negotiate two

very small runnable dams. Because o the many turns in the

river and a possible downed tree, portaging is always a pos-

sibility. Breaks or lunch can be enjoyed on one o the sandbars

or beaches you nd along the way. Tey will also provide you

with a wonderul opportunity or a swim.U

Steve Voss is an avid paddler o well over 1500 miles a year.

With over 40 years on the water, Steve is a member o the

Prairie State Canoeists; Illinois Paddling Councils Paddler

Patrol; Des Plaines River Water rail Keeper and maintains

the Nippersink Water rail.

by Steve Voss

Put In Location: Route 20 west through Marengo to County

Line Rd. Turn right on County Line Rd. past the Bridge Out

signs to the end o the road. Unload and carry boats and gear to

river. Many paddling clubs use this.

Take Out Location: From the Put In Location, drive south to

Rt. 20 and turn right. Continue on Route 20 to Garden Prairie

Rd. and turn right. Cross the bridge over the Kishwaukee River

and turn let onto Lawrenceville Road to Red Horse Bend Park.

For more regional water trails inormation, check out the

Northeastern Illinois Water Trails Map link: http://openlands.org/Northeastern-Illinois-Water-Trails/View-category.html

Dont Forget:

An approved PFD (personal otation device),

Whistle, extra paddle, bow/stern ropes,

Plenty o uids, snacks/ood, frst aid kit,

Dry bag with rain gear and a change

o clothes, Sunscreen, lip balm, hat and

insect spray.

You are paddling on private lands so it isimportant to be respectul and carry out all

o your trash.

Lawrenceville Rd

Red HorseBend Park

Take Out

Route20/GrantHwy.

To Ma

To Belvidere

County Line Rd

Put In

GardenPrairieRd.

EpworthRd.

LoganAve.

Kishwaukee River

Heron photo by Brian ang


10/20

Spring is a time o renewal in nature;

most olks think o birds nesting,

owers blooming, and trees getting

new leaves as signature signs o

spring. Te warmth o spring

brings activity to streams and

rivers as well.

Insect activity increases as the wa-ter warms. Look or spidery looking

insects called water striders actually

walking on top o the water. When the

light is just right you will see six shad-

owy spots where its delicate eet touch

the surace with breaking the water

tension. Te skittering movements o a

small group o water striders oten look

like a synchronized dance routine.

Blue gills prepare their gravelly nests

or spawning when the temperature othe shallows is approaching 75 degrees.

Watch closely as the male sh deend

their nesting territories; it can be quite

a show.

It is not uncommon to see a snapping

turtle lumber onto land looking or a

place to lay her eggs. Ater mating in

the water, the emale looks or a nest

location where a hole is easy to dig. She

will deposit up to 100 eggs in the nest,

cover the hole and return to the water. urtle photo by Robert Visconti,Wood Ducks by Mike Umbreit

Te eggs develop into baby turtles using

the warmth o the nest. I you are lucky

enough to nd a nest, visit it oten so

you dont miss the parade o baby turtles

making their way to the water.

Beavers make their home in most o the

larger rivers and lakes in the Chicago

area. Tough evidence o beavers iseasy to identiy (look or the chewed

trunks o trees near the water) catching

a glimpse o one is truly special. wo

actors make beavers hard to spot: they

are most active at night and can hold

their breath or a long time. ry to visit

an area where beaver live near dusk.

Walk quietly near the stream and keenly

listen, a nervous beaver may slap his tail

on the water in disapproval i you

startle him.Te true reward in your visit to a

streams edge during the spring is the

personal renewal you eel by being in

nature; the bonus will be the heron or

wood duck liting o the water or the

mink trying to secretly sneak into the

waters reuge. U

Nan is a long time stream explorer with

the Lake County Forest Preserves.

Exploring a Stream EdgeBy Nan Buckhardt

TAKE CARE:Walk slowly and evenly

as you approach the streams edge quick

movements and unexpected shadows can

interrupt viewing! ake this warning to

heart to get the best look at the critters that

live in and near the water.

Fild Gude



11/20

www.naturalistinabox.com

Naturalist in a Box is a realistic,

hands on, quality environmental

education material for children

developed by a Montessori

Teacher and conservationist.

Open a boxand explore...

Way of the WILDS | Spring 2011 | Page 1

As winter slowly ends, all o nature

eagerly awaits the coming o spring and

animals o all kinds prepare or their

young to be born. Tis time o year, the

river otters in the waterways o Northern

Illinois choose their mates. Last year, at

Glacial Park in McHenry County, one

pair o otters ound a deserted muskrat

den and made it their home.

River otters, like so many animals, are

sensitive to water pollution and willdisappear rom areas with polluted water.

Teir new home in the wetlands o Gla-

cial Park gave them plenty o space along

the winding Nippersink Creek. Otters are

carnivorous. Tis means they eat other

animals to survive. Teir diet is mostly

sh but theyll eat just about anything

they nd including eggs and young birds,

shellsh, and insects.

Besides hunting, otters spend most o the

spring, summer, and all playing. Ottersplay more than most wild animals do.

Tey wrestle, play tag with each other,

and slide on the river banks. Teyll also

toss clamshells and etch them just like a

dog etches sticks!

River Otters

wo or three babies are usually born

to a litter in the early spring. Te

baby otters are called kits and are

helpless at birth. But soon theyll

be ready to learn everything their

mother can teach them like how to

swim and hunt. Mother otters have even

been known to catch and release prey so

their little ones can quickly improve their

hunting skills. Otter dads rarely help.

Otter kits grow quickly. When theyreabout two months old theyll start

exploring outside their den. Tree

months ater that theyll be hunting or

themselves. Te young otters leave home

when theyre about twelve months old

because by then, their mother has a new

litter o kits to raise. Te young otters at

Glacial Park will spend the spring, sum-

mer, and all playing their otter games.

In two years, they too will settle down

and raise their own amilies.U

Denise is the author o several novels and

childrens books and is a keen observer o

the natural world. She lives at Glacial

Park with her husband Ed.

by Denise Collins

Did You Know?

Riverotterearsandnosescanopenandclosejustlikeoureyelidsdo?

Tis special eature is very useul or swimming underwater.

eyhaveextralongwhiskerstohelpthemfeeltheirwaythroughmurky

water?

Riverotters,likeskunks,areMustelids?eybothhavestinkyscent

glands that they use to mark their territory.

Youcanlearnmoreaboutriverottersat:www.defenders.org/wildlife_

and_habitat/wildlife/river_otter.php

Young Wild Explorers


12/20

And he hasnt been alone in his eorts.

Organized by Friends o the Chicago

River, this annual event inspires an

average o 4000 volunteers to head out

to worksites along the river to clean

up and restore habitat. Sean has been

a tireless leader in the eort, having

trained, inspired and educated hundreds

o volunteers to participate in Chicago

River Day.

As the 2009 recipient o Chicago

Audubon Societys Protector o the

EnvironmentEducation Award, Sean

brings a unique perspective to Chicago

River Day. He explains that he is always

thinking o new and creative ways to

engage and connect his ellow volunteers

with nature. When working with volun-

teer high school students, or example,

he says that teens couldnt be happier

with loppers and tools, and that he uses

that as a starting point to dig deeper to

get them to see the bigger picture. He

hooks his audience young and

old - right at the beginning bytalking about one o Ronan

Parks most wanted

plants, garlic mustard,

and then eating it.

Although he oten

gets an

ew, gross! reaction rom the crowd,

what they dont know is that he oten

throws the invasive plant in his salads at

home.

Some o Seans avorite Chicago River

Day memories are when hes able to put

down the loppers and teach something.

One year, he says, we saw a coyote

on the other bank o the river so we

stopped and talked about it and what

it means that its there being able to

show people that this is habitat and it is

wildlie, and its not scary. Tose are the

teachable moments he looks or.

When we asked Sean why he keeps

coming back to volunteer at Chicago

River Day, he says Its a un and worth-

while day outside with like minded

people. You really get to see the dier-

ence you make that day, and every time

you visit. One o the best eelings, he

says, is coming back to Ronan Park and

having to search or Buckthorn when

it used to be everywhere. U

When Sean is not volunteering at Chicago

River Day, you can nd him leading na-

ture walks and showing kids the wonders

o earthworms at the North Park Village

Nature Center.

Makin

gaDifference

MeetSeanShafferby Cynthia Fox


Sean Shaer (above let) has been getting

his hands dirty (literally) at Ronan Park

or over a decade. As a volunteer Site

Captain at Ronan Park or Chicago River

Day, Sean rolls up his sleeves every year to

do hands-on restoration work on behal o

one o the states most important water-

ways.

o volunteer with Sean, head over to the

Nature Center at 5801 N. Pulaski Road

Chicago, IL 60646. o nd out how to

volunteer at Chicago River Day on May

14th, please visit: www.chicagoriver.org/

events/chicago_river_day


13/20


by Ed Collins

Te ancients held that our primal

elements existed rom which all other

things could trace their creation. Earth,

Air, Fire and Water each possessed

unique characteristics marking their

relationship with the physical world.

Air ruled ideas, earth that o physical

matter, re the spark o intellect and

water the deep emotions.

While in the world o philosophy the

elementals rarely interacted with one

another, this is certainly not the case in

the realm o ecological restoration. Here

re, water, air and earth orm a sublimepartnership passionately expressed in the

art and science o prescribed burning.

Earth is represented by the prairie,

woodland and wetland restorations

that are a hallmark o our region. Tese

natural communities require periodic

interaction with wildre to remain

healthy. Te speed o such res are con-

trolled by the prevailing winds on any

given burn day. Finally it is water, in the

orm o re breaks such as NippersinkCreek, and used to create burn lines that

ultimately direct the course and move-

ment o the ames.

Prescribed re is crucial to the health o

nearly every Midwestern natural com-

munity type, including paradoxically,

those ound along streams and rivers.

Te riparian marshes and sedge mead-

ows historically dotted the oodplains o

the Chicago Region evolving under the

sculpting hand o landscape scale res.

oday those same communities

respond to the caress o re as they

have through the centuries. Flower-

ing increases, seed set is higher, the

plants grow robust and healthy, and as

a result the wildlie dependent upon

that plant community also benets.

Invasive shrubby brush and other

exotic non-native species are set back

by periodic controlled res. Te

blackened ground warms aster in

the early spring sun promoting seed

germination and plant emergence.

Even the river itsel benets romincreased insect populations depen-

dent on healthy streamside plants

communities. Tese in turn become

the ood source or sh, amphibians

and reptiles living in and around

the water. Plant debris entering the

stream becomes the detritus that eeds

everything rom resh water mussels to

invertebrates.

So next time you see the annual

ames o spring and all in your localorest preserve or municipal park,

know that this ecological rite is help-

ing to bring a vanishing landscape

back to lie rom the ashes. U

Ed Collins is the Natural Resource

Manager with the McHenry County

Conservation District and project man-

ager o the Nippersink Re-meandering

project at Glacial Park.

When

Fire andWater Mix


14/20


Artand Soulby Kerry Leigh

nature has a broad appeal to people

everywhere, I believe that my paintings

are particularly relevant to the people o

Chicago. Much o what we know about

habitat restoration was developed right

here, and we have

much to celebratein that!

Aldo Leopold,

Monetand Robert

Bateman were

prime inuences.

Bateman

in particular was

an artist with a

strong environ-

mental ethic and a

high standardo accuracy.

Melissas paint-

ings are bold, rich,

ull o depth, movement and lie. Tey

express a passionate understanding o

the wholeness o lie in a ragmented

world, and intimately reect the soul o

the woman.

Melissa has also begun pen and ink

botanical drawings, learning how to stillthe artists hand. Her desire is not just

or accuracy, but or these drawings to

retain an aliveness that many botanical

drawings strive or. U

See Melissas work at:

melissablueneartandgardendesign.com

Meet Melissa, a woman who loves

water and mud.

She also loves butteries and Rumi, and

once spent entire days at the wrong time

o year searching or skunk cabbage.

Her rst memorieswere very visual,

and she was always

coloring, every sur-

ace around her.

Her tolerant par-

ents were scientists

and although her

rst degree was in

biology, the visual

kept tugging at

her and she tookclasses in art.

When she was a

buttery monitor

or Te Nature Conservancyat Illinois

Beach State Park, Melissa began to really

understand the interactions o plants,

insects and soil. Tis was her moment

o crystallization, a moment where the

richness, vibrancy and riotous colors o

the natural world began to pour out o

her in the medium o acrylics.

As I looked at her work, she spoke to me

about what inuenced her.

Melissa said, I eel very ortunate to live

in an area where people are inormed

and dedicated to maintaining their

natural heritage. While the beauty o

Art today is caught on the horns o a dilemma

as to its relevance. Photographers skill and

passions in capturing stunning images areescalating while at the same time schools and

movements oten declare nature art as

irrelevant, pass, derivative. I believe that it

is this, the meeting o souls between the

artist, nature, and the viewer that make

nature art, and art in general vital and

very relevant.

Melissa Pierson


15/20

Way ofthe WILDS | Spring 2011 | Page 1

Rain Gardens

Arent Only for Rain!

by Bob KirschnerWildLandscaping DOchooseanareaofyouryardthatslopes

away rom the house, staying at least 10 eet

away rom your oundation (you dont want

the water seeping back into your basement).

DOlevelthetopofthegardensencircling

berm to maximize the amount o rainwater

captured.

DOemphasizeusingnativeplantsrecom-

mended or rain gardens they have deep

roots that help break up tight clay soils

and are well suited to wide uctuations in

soil moisture.

DOconsiderheight,color,texture,and

bloom season when selecting your plants.

Group species o plants together so their

beauty is more recognizable. Ater all, it

IS a garden!

DONTsiteyourraingardenwherewater

ponds ater a rainall. Tose soils are already

plugged and water inltration rates will

be low.

DONTuseseedtoplantyourraingarden;

use live plants or plant divisions instead.

Seed will wash away.

DONTbuildaraingardenthatstoosmall

or too big; consult the publication cited to

determine the best size. Many residential rain

gardens are between 100 and 300 square eet.

DONTworryaboutmosquitoesbreeding

in your rain garden. A properly designed rain

garden will drain most o its water within a

ew hours to a day (but mosquitoes need a

week or more o standing water to lay and

hatch their eggs).

Here are a few especially important

raingarden dosand donts:

A beautiful garden oasis in your yard that helps the environment?

Consider a rain garden!A rain garden is a shallow depression thats excavated into the landscape

with a small raised berm or lip on the down slope side to temporarily trap

rainwaterruno.Isthereagoodspotforaraingardeninyouryard?Ifyour

home has roo gutters and downspouts, then the answer is probably yes

since redirected downspout water is an easy way to water your

rain garden.

Rain gardens allow rainwater to slowly soak into the ground, helping to

recharge aquiers and reduce ooding by limiting the storm water runo

that drains into our sewers. As the rainwater travels through the garden

soil, urban pollutants are ltered out and so our water is cleansed keeping

pollution rom our streams and lakes. Tey also provide bird, buttery and

dragony habitat.

In September 2009, the Chicago Botanic Garden opened its newPlant

Conservation Science Centerwith a one-acre Rainwater Glen where you

can see many species o native plants that are great candidates or use in

rain gardens.

For more inormation download: Rain Gardens: A How-o Manual or

Homeownersat http://dnr.wi.gov/runo/rg.U

Bob Kirschner is the Curator o Aquatic Plant & Urban Lake Studies at the

Chicago Botanic Garden.

Photo courtesy o Integrated Lakes Management


16/20


plan. Aluminum sulate, or other clay

based products with ree radicals, tie up

the phosphorus dissolved in the water,

and make it unavailable or algal con-

sumption. I native aquatic plants areintroduced, their root systems stabilize

the soil, produce oxygen, and create

habitat or organisms that actually eed

on algae.

Once the phosphorous is settled out o

the water column it can re-dissolve into

the water i there is not enough oxygen.

Aerators (ountains and diusers) do a

great job o mixing, and thereore oxy-

genating a pond, which keeps the phos-

phorus in the sediment and unavailableor algae. In response to the greater need

or non-chemical solutions, manuactur-

ers have developed innovative equip-

ment to assist in these tasks. ools on

these machines can be interchanged to

harvest aquatic growth, remove sedi-

ment, or access places to do stabiliza-

tion work that couldnt be accessed

previously. For ponds and sections o

water where access in a developed area

is tough, these options go a long way toeconomically address water management

proactively. U

ManagingOur Resources

by Keith Gray

In nature, water bodies accumulate sedi-

ment and nutrients over centuries beore

they become home to algae and heavy

aquatic growth. In urban areas like the

Chicago region, lakes and ponds otenbecome nutrient rich and overgrown

much more quickly. Managing these

resources so that they are attractive,

unctional, and even more importantly,

a sae habitat or desirable wildlie can

be a challenge.

Continuing to treat symptoms instead o

addressing the cause o nuisance (aquat-

ic) growth might get short-term results,

but long term its costly because the

problem never really goes away. Progres-sive, responsible companies should con-

sider options aside rom the traditional

chemical applications. Aquatic resource

managers are looking at the claims made

by the sellers o enzymes and bacteria to

improve water quality, but phosphorus is

elemental, and no matter what you do,

it will always be phosphorus. Further

studies are needed to get a better idea o

their potential or commercial use.

Since phosphorus is a leading cause o

unsightly (and potentially toxic) algae

blooms, controlling phosphorus is a

logical step in a proactive management

Our Lakes and Ponds

Other ways to reduce phosphorus

in the water include:

discouraginggeese,whosewasteisvery nutrient rich;

eliminatingphosphorusinlawn

ertilizers (the middle number

should be 0on the label);

reducingerosioninthewatershed,

specically along the shoreline

where nutrient rich soil accumulate

in the lake and reduce water depth,

leading to conditions (nutrients,

sunlight, warmer water) that

promote algae growth; and

removingthesedimentand/or

aquatic growth rom the water

body.

Keith is secretary or Mettawa Open

Lands Assoc., a board member or

National Ecological Contractors Assoc.,

and Liberty Prairie Conservancy.

He is also the ounder o an environmental

laboratory and the president o Integrated

Lakes Management.


17/20


When I call to mind my earliest impressions,

I wonder whether the process ordinarily reerre

to as growing up is not actually a process o

growing down; whether experience is not

actually a progressive dilution o the essentials b

the trivialities o living.

Aldo Leopold,A Sand County Almanac

By John Rogner

RiverSchooling

SeasonalMusingsSpirit of Place/

Place of Spirit

I rst read these words when I had not yet grown up mysel, but they struck

me even then as prooundly insightul. I was at the University at the time,

immersed in Latin names o stream shes and aquatic insects, the anatomy o

pondweeds, concepts o nutrient cycles and river ecology, darter zoogeography.

But with these words I was immediately transported to an earlier classroom o

endlesssummerdaysonmybelovedKishwaukeeRiver,buildingaportfolio

o pure experience that would later oster scientic curiosity and eventually a

career.

Rivers are powerul ormative agents. In those days there was little worry that

kids with access to a river would ever suer rom nature decit disorder. When

school let out in early June, it was down to the river or the next three months,

shing, swimming, catching craysh, and daydreaming. Each morning re-

quired a bike ride down to its banks to see how the river had changed over-

night. Dry spells revealed the mysteries o a previously hidden river bed that I

had only imagined my lure dancing across. Spring ows drove home the rivers

raw power, once nearly claiming this young swimmer while trying to reach an

island during April high water. Te drone o late summer cicadas in the ancient

silver maples, the smell o drying algae and rotting September cottonwood

leaves, the magic o daybreak on a sultry July morning while waiting or the

rod tip to twitch - all high denition memories that intervening years o study

and proessional practice have not dimmed.

Tese are more than just childhood diversions and odder or middle-aged nos-

talgia. Early and direct outdoor experiences lead to lielong pastimes and career

paths. Tey also create the ertile ground or what eventually grows into a land

ethic - the idea that there is a right and a wrong in how we treat our lands and

waters, and a commitment to act.

Tis river world did have limits. Just beyond the towns last bridge crossing

was the wastewater treatment plan, but treatment seemed secondary to simple

collection and discharge. What I remember is roth and oam rom bank to

bank, past the bend and out o sight. Tis was the end o our river playground- you just didnt go any urther downriver.

It seemed a travesty to me that we would pour suds into living waters that were

home to such magnicent creatures as northern pike, sotshell turtles and, as

I would learn much later, banded darters. At the time it just seemed wrong.

But in other places it was ar worse. Tese were the days when rivers actu-

ally caught re. Fortunately there were powerul voices speaking out against

environmental desecration, people like Rachel Carson who, grounded in early

experiences and later armed with science and ree speech, persuaded Congress

and a country that we needed to change course. Americans nally

said enough.

Te years that ollowed produced the most remarkable and progressive set o

environmental laws passed by any nation. Congress decreed that Americans

had rights to things like clean water, clean air, and biological diversity. We

have a long way to go. But suds no longer pour out o that treatment plant

andtheKishwaukeeRiverremainsoneofthemostbiologicallydiversestreams

in Illinois. And I have no doubt that it still creates magical aternoons and

career paths or kids ortunate enough to live within a bike ride o its banks. U

John is works as the assistant director o the Illinois Department o Natural

Resources and still loves to muck about in rivers.


18/20


Healing the Earth

With

RootKeeper

Native Trees

815-943-8733

[email protected]

The Center or Humans and Nature will host

the Chicago public premiere o Green Fire:

Aldo Leopold and the Land Ethic in the

21st Century. Details coming soon. Visit

the Centers website to learn more about the

flm and other Center projects.

www.humansandnature.com

Make energy use in your home or business

more efcient and aordable with the Nicor

Gas Energy Efciency Program.

To learn more, visit our website.

www.nicorgasrebates.com

Naturalist in a box is realistic, hands on,

quality environmental education material

or children developed by a Montessori

teacher and conservationist.

Open a box and explore

www.naturalistinabox.com

Since 1985, C&M Wilkins have been

making homeowners dreams come true. As

Chicagolands certifed green renovators

and cabinetry company, owners Charlie

and Maggie Wilkins keep their jobs on

time and in budget no job is too large

or small.

www.cmwilkins.com

Our gardens are asleep and we turn our

attention to Winter ancies! Whimsical

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riendly git baskets, trash to treasure

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den spaces in the Spring! 708.205.5126.

www.prairiegodmothers.com

Wish your lie had a reset button? It exists!

Renewal in the Wilderness oers canoe/

kayak trips o spiritual and lie renewal.

Eective or over 6000 years!

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Here is where you can buy or rent a canoe

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carrier, get your crat repaired, paddling

accessories o all kinds, and our 70 years

o practical experience.

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www.renewalinthewilderness.org


19/20

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of Chicagos natural areas.

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Specialists in theScientific Restoration,

Developmentand Preservationof Natural and

Designed Systems

www.appliedeco.com


20/20

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Illinois; Cook County Wild Landscaping - Rain Gardens Aren’t Only for Rain - Chicago

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