BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Nestled near steel processing plants, a massive landfill, and busy railroad lines and roads lies a beautiful nature area that is an oasis for both resident and migrating birds. Hegewisch Marsh Park (13200-13298 S. Torrence Avenue, Chicago, IL 60633) features 129 acres of native marsh, … Continue reading Hegewisch Marsh Park: Great Birdwatching and Hiking and an Inspiring Story of Ongoing Environmental Restoration
In the darkness yesterday morning at 6:00 a.m., a single bulldozer began tearing into and destroying an ecosystem that had existed for tens of thousands of years. Bell Bowl Prairie was bulldozed as part of a runway expansion for Chicago Rockford International Airport and the construction of a distribution facility. Bell Bowl Prairie was located … Continue reading Bell Bowl Prairie Was Destroyed Yesterday—But the Fight Continues to Protect Wildlands in Illinois and Beyond
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Today is the six-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland, and I'm so happy to have written more than 225 articles about the woods, wetlands, prairies, lakes, and other natural areas that make up Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. I'm pleased that Nature in Chicagoland has … Continue reading Celebrating the Six-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
When an alderperson or other elected official fails to hold himself or herself to high levels of ethical behavior and personal and professional decorum and is under multiple investigations by the FBI, the Chicago Board of Ethics, the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, and the Office of the Inspector General, the public loses confidence in them, … Continue reading Meet Susanna Ernst, a Candidate for Alderperson of Chicago’s 45th Ward
When an alderperson or other elected official fails to hold himself or herself to high levels of ethical behavior and personal and professional decorum and is under multiple investigations by the FBI, the Chicago Board of Ethics, the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, and the Office of the Inspector General, the public loses confidence in them, … Continue reading Meet James Suh, a Candidate for Alderperson of Chicago’s 45th Ward
Looking for a place where you can: view as many birds as possible have the chance to hike several miles on a loop trail enjoy some solitude visit someplace new If so, you should visit Pine Dunes Forest Preserve, which is located in Antioch, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border. It’s part of the Lake County … Continue reading Pine Dunes Forest Preserve: Birding, Biking, and Easy Hiking
I wasn’t lucky enough to be friends with Lin Brehmer (the beloved WXRT disc jockey who died yesterday), but I was a fan of his for more than three decades. I once made him laugh at a holiday party. I was with my wife at her friend’s party at a high-rise condo in Streeterville. Many … Continue reading Remembering Lin Brehmer and the Time I Made Him Laugh
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I want to thank my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2022. I continue to love writing this blog, and wish I had more time in my daily life to do so. I visited many nature destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West … Continue reading Goodbye 2022…Hello 2023!
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND All he wanted to do was to walk the city streets in peace every day. Joseph Kromelis walked and walked the streets that sprawled below the steel and stone canyons of Chicago’s Loop, Magnificent Mile, and Streeterville, past bustling businessmen, tourists walking five abreast … Continue reading An Elegy for Chicago’s Walking Man
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND To paraphrase the Bible, of dust we were made, and to dust we will return once our time on earth ends. This fact is immutable, but I think we all long for some type of permanence after we die. If we lived good lives, our … Continue reading Remembering My Community of Saints on Día de los Muertos
Nature in Chicagoland 