Morton Arboretum partners with NASA on tree research
The goal is to find out how much stress trees can handle so that crews can better determine whether a tree is safe and can be left standing.
Young wildlife photographer shares love of nature
Brendon Lake is often on the scene of rare wildlife sightings and likes to get outdoors to a new location just about every weekend.
Rare snakes released into wild near Chicago
The smooth green snakes are categorized as an Illinois species in the “greatest need of conservation."
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Morton Arboretum partners with NASA on tree research
(POSTED: 9/20/12) Morton Arboretum scientists partnered with NASA aeronautical engineers earlier this month to investigate what makes trees stand and what makes them fall. Using Space Shuttle technology, the research team, which included local sci
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Young wildlife photographer shares love of nature
(POSTED: 9/10/12) With a camera in tow, Brendon Lake stood about 25 feet from a great grey owl in Grand Teton National Park when the magnificent bird swooped to the ground, snatched a vole and flew off in the mountain sky. A few clicks of his Cano
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Rare snakes released into wild near Chicago
(POSTED: 8/30/12) Eighteen smooth green snakes were recently released in the wild near Chicago as part of a “head start” program run by Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lake County Forest Preserve District in an effort to reintroduce the rare species in
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Study: Chicago more at risk of West Nile virus than suburbs
(POSTED: 8/20/12) Downtown Chicago may be more at risk of exposure to West Nile virus than a wooded forest preserve in the suburbs, according to a new study by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute. In the study, scientists measured the ex
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Experts: Watch for sick birds at Montrose Harbor
(POSTED: 8/6/12) Experts believe a small outbreak of avian botulism, a potentially fatal disease that causes paralysis in birds, may have hit Chicago’s lakefront near the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. At least three birds were found dead after
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Where are all the squirrels?
(POSTED: 7/23/12) Typically during this time of year Brian Nigbor spends part of each week cleaning up after the squirrels in his yard. The rodents like to nest in a big maple tree in front of his North Side home and often make a mess of old leaves a
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Wildlife center tries to “re-wild” pet fox
(POSTED: 7/2/12) Fox Valley Wildlife Center is trying to “re-wild” a young red fox that was purchased from an exotic pet store in Yorkville. A woman, who said she doesn’t believe wildlife should be kept as pets, recently dropped off the fox
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Fireflies return, light up Chicago’s summer nights
(POSTED: 6/25/12) Fireflies are back in Chicago lighting up the night sky with their dazzling glow. Also called lightning bugs, the insects, which are a type of beetle, emerged from the ground earlier this month and can now be seen flying througho
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Deer rescued near expressway ramp in downtown Chicago
(POSTED: 6/20/12) Illinois State Police shut down the Ontario St. feeder ramp to I-90/94 for about 20 minutes yesterday after a buck was found roaming the entrance to the expressway, according to the Chicago Tribune. The deer was first reported n
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Lecture: A history of Chicago’s parks
(POSTED: 6/18/12) Though Chicago’s motto reads “Urbs in Horto,” which is Latin for “city in a garden,” the region was anything but garden-like when Chicago was incorporated in 1837, according to Julia Bachrach. “It was really kind of a
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Deer finds new home in Lake View backyard
(POSTED: 6/11/12) Some Lake View residents might find a surprise when they return from vacation: A deer has reportedly moved in to the backyard of their home, located just a few blocks from Wrigley Field. Neighbors say the deer has been living the
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Wildlife center: Best to leave young animals alone
(POSTED: 6/8/12) Folks at DuPage County's Willowbrook Wildlife Center have a reminder for residents who may encounter baby animals this spring and summer: “If you care, leave them there.” Though some people worry to see baby animals by themsel
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Teen birders making a mark in the field
(POSTED: 5/29/12) On a recent Friday morning in Oak Park, Ethan and Aaron Gyllenhaal identified more than 30 different kinds of birds, including a few rare warblers, before they even left for school. “Birds are everywhere,” said Aaron, a fresh
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Des Plaines River Journal: The landscape of our history: The oak savanna
(POSTED: 5/22/12) Until the American frontier was officially closed about 120 years ago (the superintendent of the U.S. Census of 1890 then wrote, “there can hardly be said [anymore] to be a frontier line”), Americans could find wilderness by tra
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Leftover fishing line “a death trap” for hundreds of birds
(POSTED: 5/7/12) Dianne Fieri, a volunteer for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, once pulled enough fishing line and debris from the environment in one year to cover nearly 100 square feet. Collecting the waste is not an easy task: The
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