Newsletter from Thursday, April 14th, 2022
Dear NCH2 Community,
We hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy. Please submit materials for the next newsletter by April 27th, 2022 so we can make sure to include them. Submit items by emailing [email protected].
Earth day is coming up on April 22nd and there are many opportunities in the Chicago-land area to get outside, appreciate nature, and help clean up our shared green spaces. If you're out and about on Earth Day weekend send us pictures or a description of your interaction with nature and let us know if you would like to be featured in our next newsletter! Also tag NCH2 (@NCH2Network) in your Earth Day social media posts.
This week's newsletter includes a save-the-date for an in-person "May is Mental Health Awareness Month" event, an introduction to NCH2's new director Laura Derks, upcoming local events, volunteer and job opportunities, information on the City Nature Challenge, and links to articles in the popular press.
Earth day is coming up on April 22nd and there are many opportunities in the Chicago-land area to get outside, appreciate nature, and help clean up our shared green spaces. If you're out and about on Earth Day weekend send us pictures or a description of your interaction with nature and let us know if you would like to be featured in our next newsletter! Also tag NCH2 (@NCH2Network) in your Earth Day social media posts.
This week's newsletter includes a save-the-date for an in-person "May is Mental Health Awareness Month" event, an introduction to NCH2's new director Laura Derks, upcoming local events, volunteer and job opportunities, information on the City Nature Challenge, and links to articles in the popular press.
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Follow Us!
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. All can be found using the handle @NCH2Network or by clicking the links below: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter CREATE your own stories on Instagram and tag @NCH2Network so we can share your outdoor adventures; we would love to see them. Email Us! Keep us updated on local events, exciting opportunities in the area, and send us pictures of local nature to be featured on the website. Contact us at [email protected]. |
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Come Join Us -
Discovering Mental Health in Nature: Big Marsh Park Date: Tues, May 17th Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Location: Big Marsh Natural Area 11555 S. Stony Island Ave. Chicago, IL 60617 (Parking onsite) Description: Save the date for this community leaders engagement event at Big Marsh Park on Chicago’s South Side during Mental Health Awareness Month. Join us as we:
We hope to see you there for this informative and fun in-person event highlighting nature and mental health in the Chicago area! This event is free but registration is requested! Register in advance here. |
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Laura Derks named Director of NCH2
Laura Derks, founder of Flybird Experience LLC, and current member of the NCH2 Steering Committee, has accepted the newly created position of Director of NCH2. As Director, Laura will implement the Health and Nature Catalyst program funded by the Walder Foundation and fully integrate the Catalyst with the activities of NCH2. Laura brings over thirty years of experience in community health and health policy derived from her former positions such as the Director of Program Development for the Office of Community Affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Director of the South Side Healthcare Collaborative. Laura also brings extensive connections with the environmental conservation community through her work as Chair of the Energy and Environment Commission for the Village of Oak Park, IL, the Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connections to the Outdoors, and many other activities. Laura’s passion is promoting the role of nature as a social determinant of health and the need to focus efforts on the role that nature can play in preventive medicine. She looks forward to engaging with the NCH2 community to promote these goals. You can reach Laura by emailing [email protected].
Local Events
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Chicago's Annual Citywide Clean & Green
Date: Sat, Apr 23rd Description: On Saturday, April 23rd, you and your neighbors can make an immediate difference in your community by volunteering for Chicago's citywide Clean & Green Day of Service. Clean & Green is a great opportunity for residents, school groups, and organizations to team up and beautify areas in their neighborhood. The city will provide the brooms, rakes, shovels, and bags needed for clean up. Deadline for registering your neighborhood event is Monday, April 18th. For more information, or to register, call 311 or visit www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/clean---green.html. Photo by Karol D |
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Chicago Park District: Spring Early Birds at NPV
Date: Sat, Apr 16th Time: 8:00 - 10:00 am Location: North Park Village Nature Center Park 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. Chicago, IL 60646 Description: The Nature Center is open early each Saturday in April and May at 8am for morning hikes and bird watching during the spring bird migration. Binoculars and field guides are available for free use upon request. Join a group of birders or enjoy a self-guided walk. Beginners are welcome. Co-sponsored with Chicago Audubon Society. No registration necessary, parking and entry are free! For more information, click here. Photo by Tina Nord |
Forest Preserves of Cook County: Wildflower Walk
Date: Sat, Apr 16th
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Sagawau Environmental Learning Center
12545 West 111th St
Lemont, IL 60439
Description: Enjoy a walk looking for wildflowers while learning how to identify these ephemeral beauties. Registration required: Call Sagawau at 630-257-2045.
For more information, click here.
Photo Credit: Forest Preserves of Cook County
Date: Sat, Apr 16th
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Sagawau Environmental Learning Center
12545 West 111th St
Lemont, IL 60439
Description: Enjoy a walk looking for wildflowers while learning how to identify these ephemeral beauties. Registration required: Call Sagawau at 630-257-2045.
For more information, click here.
Photo Credit: Forest Preserves of Cook County
Forest Preserves of Cook County: Forest Therapy Walk
Date: Tue, Apr 19th
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Rolling Knolls
11N260 Rohrssen Rd
Elgin, IL 60120
Description: Awaken your senses and renew your bond with the nature and the Preserves. Certified Forest Therapy guide. Ages 18 & up. Registration required: Call 224-456-8602.
For more information, click here.
Photo Credit: Forest Preserves of Cook County
Date: Tue, Apr 19th
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Rolling Knolls
11N260 Rohrssen Rd
Elgin, IL 60120
Description: Awaken your senses and renew your bond with the nature and the Preserves. Certified Forest Therapy guide. Ages 18 & up. Registration required: Call 224-456-8602.
For more information, click here.
Photo Credit: Forest Preserves of Cook County
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Evanston Skokie School District 65’s Climate Action Teams: 10 Second Film Festival
Date: Fri, Apr 22nd Time: 6:30 pm Location: Rotary International Headquarters 1560 Sherman Avenue Evanston, IL 60201 Description: Join D65 students for a showing of their 10+ second videos on how they're taking action or want to see others take action to fight the climate crisis. Please note: Rotary International facility guidelines require proof of vaccination and the use of a mask while inside their headquarters. Tickets are required due to space and social-distancing limits but they’re free – Get yours HERE. For more information, click here. Photo by Markus Spiske |
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Brookfield Zoo: Earth Day - A Party for the Planet
Date: Sat, Apr 23rd
Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Brookfield Zoo North Parking Lot
8400 31st Street (1st Avenue and 31st Street)
Brookfield, IL 60513
Description: Every day is Earth Day at Brookfield Zoo, but on this very special day, we'll be showcasing some of the steps you can take that will truly make a difference for animals across the globe! If you've been storing items in your basement and garage, waiting for the perfect time and most Earth-friendly way to dispose of them, you can recycle them at Brookfield Zoo! On Saturday, April 23, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., the zoo will be collecting electronics, textiles, and used books. There is no charge to drop off recycling; however, tickets or membership is required if you plan to visit the zoo. The process is easy. Drive into the north parking lot and representatives from the zoo and its partnering organizations will collect your items for recycling. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
For more information and a list of acceptable donation items, click here.
Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo
Date: Sat, Apr 23rd
Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Brookfield Zoo North Parking Lot
8400 31st Street (1st Avenue and 31st Street)
Brookfield, IL 60513
Description: Every day is Earth Day at Brookfield Zoo, but on this very special day, we'll be showcasing some of the steps you can take that will truly make a difference for animals across the globe! If you've been storing items in your basement and garage, waiting for the perfect time and most Earth-friendly way to dispose of them, you can recycle them at Brookfield Zoo! On Saturday, April 23, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., the zoo will be collecting electronics, textiles, and used books. There is no charge to drop off recycling; however, tickets or membership is required if you plan to visit the zoo. The process is easy. Drive into the north parking lot and representatives from the zoo and its partnering organizations will collect your items for recycling. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
For more information and a list of acceptable donation items, click here.
Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods: The Universe at an Exhibition
by Modest Mussorgsky
Date: Sat, Apr 23rd
Time: Youth and Family Concert
10:15am: Pre-concert activities
11am: Concert followed by Q & A with Dr. José Francisco Salgado
Matinee Concert
3:15pm: Pre-concert activities
4pm: Concert followed by Q & A with Dr. José Francisco Salgado
Location: The Christ Episcopal Church
410 Grand Avenue
Waukegan, IL 60085
Description: Set to Mussorgsky’s original piano version of Pictures at an Exhibition, audiences are guided through virtual galleries of art-like images and science visualizations of the cosmos, including producer Dr. Salgado’s own astrophotography. Patrons are taken beyond the frames, as they travel inside these works of art, immersed into space, as they fly past Earth, planets, stars, black holes, and entire galaxies. The film features images from NASA’s Great Observatories (Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra) and major ground observatories (eg, European Southern Observatory) as well as visualizations from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois.
For more information, click here.
To register in advance, click here.
Photo Credit: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
by Modest Mussorgsky
Date: Sat, Apr 23rd
Time: Youth and Family Concert
10:15am: Pre-concert activities
11am: Concert followed by Q & A with Dr. José Francisco Salgado
Matinee Concert
3:15pm: Pre-concert activities
4pm: Concert followed by Q & A with Dr. José Francisco Salgado
Location: The Christ Episcopal Church
410 Grand Avenue
Waukegan, IL 60085
Description: Set to Mussorgsky’s original piano version of Pictures at an Exhibition, audiences are guided through virtual galleries of art-like images and science visualizations of the cosmos, including producer Dr. Salgado’s own astrophotography. Patrons are taken beyond the frames, as they travel inside these works of art, immersed into space, as they fly past Earth, planets, stars, black holes, and entire galaxies. The film features images from NASA’s Great Observatories (Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra) and major ground observatories (eg, European Southern Observatory) as well as visualizations from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois.
For more information, click here.
To register in advance, click here.
Photo Credit: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
Planning Ahead
- Nature Rx: Social Emotional Learning for Students and Teachers A graduate course for educators held at the Kendall County Outdoor Education Center in Yorkville June 6-10, 2022. This 5-day course focuses on SEL standards and how to use natural outdoor settings for implementation. Team building, field trips, activity and reflection fill the week as participants can earn three graduate credits. Visit kcoutdoored.org for more information. Flyer: https://www.kcoutdoored.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Flyer-Rx-2022.pdf
Volunteer Opportunities
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Volunteer in Evanston Parks with Citizens for Greener Evanston/Natural Habitat Evanston (https://greenerevanston.org/community-habitat-certification-program) to pick up trash, remove invasive species, and do trail maintenance. Days and times vary with park. Each park has a steward who organizes workdays. You will also need to sign a waiver to participate in workdays. Bring your own gloves, mask, tools if you have them, and physically distance when working. Here is a list of parks with regular workdays and stewards.
Photo by Anna Shvets |
Job Opportunity
Friends of the Forest Preserves: Forest Preserve Experience Program Crew Leader
Friends of the Forest Preserves is hiring Crew Leaders for the 2022 Forest Preserve Experience Program (FPE). We are looking for leaders in both the Chicago Heights and LaGrange areas. The FPE program is a summer high school program introducing youth to nature and the Forest Preserves of Cook County. We perform restoration work and provide environmental education, job readiness skills, and environmental enrichment activities to our youth. Program dates are July 5th - August 5th plus leader training from June 23rd - July 1st. Positions will be filled on a rolling basis.
To see the job posting, click here.
For more information and to apply: Please NO calls, faxes, office visits, or emails (other than emails presenting resume and cover letter). Send cover letter, resume, and two references to: Hannah Miller, Program Coordinator, at [email protected].
Friends of the Forest Preserves is hiring Crew Leaders for the 2022 Forest Preserve Experience Program (FPE). We are looking for leaders in both the Chicago Heights and LaGrange areas. The FPE program is a summer high school program introducing youth to nature and the Forest Preserves of Cook County. We perform restoration work and provide environmental education, job readiness skills, and environmental enrichment activities to our youth. Program dates are July 5th - August 5th plus leader training from June 23rd - July 1st. Positions will be filled on a rolling basis.
To see the job posting, click here.
For more information and to apply: Please NO calls, faxes, office visits, or emails (other than emails presenting resume and cover letter). Send cover letter, resume, and two references to: Hannah Miller, Program Coordinator, at [email protected].
Chicago Wilderness:
Calling All Community Scientists and Conservation Organizations - Site Proposals Accepted until April 15th
Calling All Community Scientists and Conservation Organizations - Site Proposals Accepted until April 15th
We need your help organizing events to document the wildlife that calls our communities home. Together, we can break last year's amazing record!
The City Nature Challenge, a global biodiversity competition, takes place from April 29 through May 2, 2022. It's a great opportunity for you to engage city residents and visitors in learning about their local nature. Your event also helps researchers and land managers better understand and protect urban nature.
Ideas for your City Nature Challenge event
We'll help promote the events and share your results.
Want to do even more? After the City Nature Challenge is over, we need experts and community scientists to help with species identification. It's a great way to stay involved year round.
Learn more about the City Nature challenge here.
Submit your City Nature Challenge Event here.
Photo: Results from Last Year's Challenge - Chicago Wilderness
The City Nature Challenge, a global biodiversity competition, takes place from April 29 through May 2, 2022. It's a great opportunity for you to engage city residents and visitors in learning about their local nature. Your event also helps researchers and land managers better understand and protect urban nature.
Ideas for your City Nature Challenge event
- Host a group hike or a BioBlitz, or create a "do your own BioBlitz"
- Explore a city street or local park and show people how to use iNaturalist
- Have an afternoon for journaling, nature writing, or art about the species in your location
- Invite people to document bees, butterflies, or trees in their garden or schoolyard
- Have a guided sunset stroll or early morning bird walk
- Host a night time moth or bat watch, with flashlights and s'mores
We'll help promote the events and share your results.
Want to do even more? After the City Nature Challenge is over, we need experts and community scientists to help with species identification. It's a great way to stay involved year round.
Learn more about the City Nature challenge here.
Submit your City Nature Challenge Event here.
Photo: Results from Last Year's Challenge - Chicago Wilderness
In the News
Earth Day is April 22nd. This year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet.” The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Harvard Business School and the Trust for Public Land offer an array of types of investing. The Chicago Field Museum also has resources on taking action against climate change which can be found here. On Earth Day the universe itself offers the early-morning bonus of the Lyrid Meteor Shower.
Overview: Earth Day Chronicle
The Almanac’s “10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day” also includes a brief history of this annual holiday – which in some communities has expanded to Earth Week or Earth Month. In the yard and garden, support pollinators, use native plants, plant a tree, eliminate chemicals (inside as well), and conserve water.
While Earth Day is relatively new, the poet Eben Eugene Rexford (1848-1916) penned these lines:
The “green things growing” whisper me
Of many an earth-old mystery.
–Eben Eugene Rexford (1848–1916)
Read more: www.almanac.com/content/earth-day-date-activities-history
Photo by Akil Mazumder
The Almanac’s “10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day” also includes a brief history of this annual holiday – which in some communities has expanded to Earth Week or Earth Month. In the yard and garden, support pollinators, use native plants, plant a tree, eliminate chemicals (inside as well), and conserve water.
While Earth Day is relatively new, the poet Eben Eugene Rexford (1848-1916) penned these lines:
The “green things growing” whisper me
Of many an earth-old mystery.
–Eben Eugene Rexford (1848–1916)
Read more: www.almanac.com/content/earth-day-date-activities-history
Photo by Akil Mazumder
Overview: Connecting a Million People to Nature by Transforming an ‘Endangered’ River Corridor
Writing for Trust for Public Land in February of this year, Amy McCullough described the Chattahoochee RiverLands project and its impacts on health, equity, community, and inclusion. It will ensure cleaner drinking water, improve flood control, conserve wildlife habitats, and connect more than one million people to the river and its natural resources. In her introduction to the piece, for which she interviewed many participants in the projects, she wrote: “Spanning 100 miles from Buford Dam north of Atlanta to Chattahoochee Bend State Park, the Chattahoochee RiverLands is a network of greenways, a blueway (the river itself), tributary trails, and parks—all working together to connect people to the outdoors. When completed, it will link 19 cities and seven counties and include 42 water access points and eight proposed campsites. “
Read more: www.tpl.org/our-work/chattahoochee-riverlands
Photo Credit: Trust for Public Land
Writing for Trust for Public Land in February of this year, Amy McCullough described the Chattahoochee RiverLands project and its impacts on health, equity, community, and inclusion. It will ensure cleaner drinking water, improve flood control, conserve wildlife habitats, and connect more than one million people to the river and its natural resources. In her introduction to the piece, for which she interviewed many participants in the projects, she wrote: “Spanning 100 miles from Buford Dam north of Atlanta to Chattahoochee Bend State Park, the Chattahoochee RiverLands is a network of greenways, a blueway (the river itself), tributary trails, and parks—all working together to connect people to the outdoors. When completed, it will link 19 cities and seven counties and include 42 water access points and eight proposed campsites. “
Read more: www.tpl.org/our-work/chattahoochee-riverlands
Photo Credit: Trust for Public Land
Overview: WWF Looks at Sustainable Cities
The World Wildlife Federation notes that to meet the needs of increasing urban populations, “In the next four decades humanity must create as much infrastructure as they've built so far throughout recorded history.” These projects must be resilient as well as low-carbon if they are to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming to the safe limit of 1.5°C.
WWF is focusing on five areas: supporting city leaders, testing innovative financing tools, developing infrastructure frameworks and patterning for cities’ climate financing.
Read more:
wwf.panda.org/projects/one_planet_cities/what_we_do/financing_sustainable_cities/
Photo Credit: World Wildlife Federation
The World Wildlife Federation notes that to meet the needs of increasing urban populations, “In the next four decades humanity must create as much infrastructure as they've built so far throughout recorded history.” These projects must be resilient as well as low-carbon if they are to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming to the safe limit of 1.5°C.
WWF is focusing on five areas: supporting city leaders, testing innovative financing tools, developing infrastructure frameworks and patterning for cities’ climate financing.
Read more:
wwf.panda.org/projects/one_planet_cities/what_we_do/financing_sustainable_cities/
Photo Credit: World Wildlife Federation
Overview: Thoughts on Investing Sustainably
Tim Stobierski is a marketing specialist and contributing writer for Harvard Business School Online, asked and answered this question in a recent issue of Business Insights: “What is sustainable investing?”
Also called “socially responsible investing” or “ESG investing,” sustainable investing entails considering more than immediate profits. It looks instead at how a company will use its more to promote societal benefits and corporate responsibility as well as long-term financial profit – a triple bottom line.
Read more: online.hbs.edu/blog/post/sustainable-investing
Photo by Alena Koval
Tim Stobierski is a marketing specialist and contributing writer for Harvard Business School Online, asked and answered this question in a recent issue of Business Insights: “What is sustainable investing?”
Also called “socially responsible investing” or “ESG investing,” sustainable investing entails considering more than immediate profits. It looks instead at how a company will use its more to promote societal benefits and corporate responsibility as well as long-term financial profit – a triple bottom line.
Read more: online.hbs.edu/blog/post/sustainable-investing
Photo by Alena Koval