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People: Nurture & Nature
As a society, are we becoming disconnected from nature? Will our children grow up to protect wilderness?
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS takes a look at the human residents of the region, with a special focus on children. > Learn more
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS takes a look at the human residents of the region, with a special focus on children.
Topics include:
- Cultural trends that indicate children are spending more time indoors.
- The broad and alarming effects of the consumer electronic revolution on our health, our families, and our society.
- A view across generations: what could today’s children learn from the experiences of their parents or grandparents?
- Evaluating the value of sports and other organized outdoor activities versus unstructured experiences in nature.
- The Fear Factor: how overly cautious parents may be cheating their children of key early encounters in the wild.
- The launch of a major new initiative called Leave No Child Inside, inspired by the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.
- Recommendations for parents who want their children to connect to nature early and often.
About the author
Katherine Millett writes about wild places from Chicago to East Greenland to the bottom of the ocean. Born in Colorado, she plays the cello and takes her two sons hiking whenever she can get them away from video games. She practiced law for 10 years after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, then turned full-time to freelance writing. Favorite topics include discovering the outdoors, making a life in chamber music, and crossing cultural borders. She has written for Chicago Wilderness Magazine, Yankee, Climbing, Rock & Ice, Chicago Magazine, The Strad, Chamber Music Magazine, Strings, the Chicago Tribune Magazine, Dance, and many others. Past articles appear on her web site. > Close the section
Water: The Quality Test
Is our water clean? What does "clean" mean? Improving water quality is a complex and urgent goal.
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS examines freshwater needs for people and nature. > Learn more
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS examines freshwater needs for people and nature.
Topics include:
- The Chicago River’s apparent comeback in terms of appearance and recreation.
- The historical circumstances that led to the reversal of the Chicago River.
- The role of the lowly mussel in quality testing and water advocacy.
- Stream and groundwater contaminants and where they come from.
- Reports of recent and significant contaminations throughout the region.
- What the City of Chicago is already doing to preserve water as a precious natural resource, and what you can do.
About the author
Jerry Dennis, who lives near Lake Michigan in Traverse City, Michigan, has written numerous books and articles about nature and the outdoors including The Living Great Lakes, Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas. While researching this article last summer, Jerry competed in the Flatwater Classic Canoe and Kayak Race on the Chicago River. His first report, on water supply, appeared in the Winter’07 issue of Chicago WILDERNESS. > Close the section
Water: Demand & Supply
The water supply of the chicago region is not infinite. How can we preserve this vital natural resource?
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS examines freshwater needs for people and nature. > Learn more
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS examines freshwater needs for people and nature.
Topics include:
- The historical circumstances that led to the reversal of the Chicago River.
- The reversal’s effect on the natural hydrologic cycle of the region and the Lake Michigan watershed.
- The role of wetlands in preserving biodiversity and filtering pollution.
- The effects that current human development patterns have on groundwater levels.
- Local species and wetlands engangered by dropping water levels in the ground surface and aquifer.
- What the City of Chicago is already doing to preserve water as a precious natural resource, and what you can do.
About the author
Jerry Dennis, who lives near Lake Michigan in Traverse City, Michigan, has written numerous books and articles about nature and the outdoors including The Living Great Lakes, Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas. While researching this article last summer, Jerry competed in the Flatwater Classic Canoe and Kayak Race on the Chicago River. His second report, on water quality, will appear in the next issue of Chicago WILDERNESS. > Close the section
Roads: The Great Divide
Every road changes the environment in some way. Nature suffers and traffic gets worse.
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS examines the effects of new roads on biodiversity, with a special focus on the new I-355 extension, currently underway, and the planned Prairie Parkway. > Learn more
In this special report, Chicago WILDERNESS examines the effects of new roads on biodiversity, with a special focus on the new I-355 extension, currently underway, and the planned Prairie Parkway.
Topics include:
- Urban sprawl and the effects of population growth and real estate development in recently rural counties such as Kane and Kendall.
- The role of roads in encouraging the spread of invasive species.
- The various effects of roads on formerly continuous natural habitats, including groundwater pollution, salt pollution, and animal communities and travel.
- The costs of road construction versus public transportation.
- Local species and green areas already affected or about to be disturbed by these new construction projects.
- Suggestions for further research and public action.
About the author
Christopher Hayes is a Senior Editor at In These Times and a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute. His work has appeared in a variety of publications, including In These Times, The Nation, The American Prospect, The New Republic, The Washington Monthly and the Chicago Reader. > Close the section