Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Urban Nature Needs Special Care
Renewing the Promise of the Forest Preserves of Cook County for People and Nature
Chicago Region
Forest Preserve District of
Cook County
• Established in 1914
• 68,000 total acres protected • 55,000 acres in a natural state
Forest Preserve Mission: ...to acquire... and hold lands containing one or more natural forests or
parts thereof or lands connecting such forests or parts thereof, or lands capable of being forested, for the purpose of protecting and preserving the flora, fauna, and scenic beauties within such district, and to restore, restock, protect and preserve the natural forests and such lands together with their flora and fauna, as nearly as may be, in their natural state and condition, for the purpose of the education, pleasure, and recreation of the public...
From the Illinois Enabling Act
Woodland sunflowers bloom in an oak savanna
People Worked to Protect Nature…
• Many people, including Jens Jensen and Dwight Perkins, had the vision to protect nature for future generations.
• They thought the job was done, the land was protected and nature would carry on …
Jens Jensen
Illinois Prairie Club circa 1900
Dwight Perkins
Protection Wasn’t Enough . . .
Buckthorn has killed off the wildflowers, grasses and eventhe tree seedlings.
• Native plants and animals were disappearing
• Open areas were becoming impassable
• New plants began replacing others over large areas
Our “protected” preserves began to look radically different.
The very things we wanted to The very things we wanted to protect were disappearingprotect were disappearing
WHY?
Why was “protection” not enough?
• Fragmentation• Human population increase• Lack of human set fire• Introduced plant and animal species• Changed hydrology• Changed human relationship with nature
Morton Arboretum scientists
in the field.
The conditions have radically changed.
Humans in a sea of nature
Land Cover cir. 1800
Land Cover cir. 2000
Nature in a sea of humans
How Conditions Changed:Lack of Fire
• Our ecosystems developed through time with human set fire
• Woodlands, wetlands, savannas, and prairies need fire to keep shrubs and trees in balance
Fire supports the growth of woodland grasses and
flowers. Lack of fire allows shrubs to invade this savanna
How Conditions Changed:Lack of Fire
Pale purple coneflower seeds germinate faster with smoke!
Without fire,
Without fire, these sun loving flowers will not survive
Fire maintains the prairie as home forthe threatened Franklin’s Ground Squirrel
Lack of fire allows invasive buckthorn to grow
• Crowd out native plants and animals
• Are “junk food” for wildlife
• After outright destruction, is the most critical threat to natural lands
How Conditions Changed: Introduced Non-native Species
Garlic Mustard snuffed out all the wildflowersOriental Bittersweet
will smother trees
Purple Loosestrife destroys a wetland
• Unique Communities• Homes for Rare Animals and Plants• Reduce Climate Change• Protects Water Quality & Reduces
Flooding• Is More Family Friendly
Why the Health of Urban Nature Matters
Why the Health of Urban Nature Matters
Unique Communities• Continental meeting place of woodland, savanna,
prairie, and wetland communities• Oak Savanna - more endangered than the rainforest• Animal and plant communities not found anywhere
else on earth
Forest preserves are home to carnivorous sundews and sand loving cactus!
Why the Health of Urban Nature Matters
The greatest number of rare animals and plants find a home here in Northeast Illinois.
Upland Sandpiper Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly Henslow’s Sparrow
Franklin’s Ground Squirrel Blanding’s Turtle Snowy Egret
Why the Health of Urban Nature Matters
Climate ChangeHealthy
Preserves:• Capture
carbon at many levels
• Lock more carbon into the soil
• Are more resilient
Illustration: Chicago Wilderness Illustration: Heidi Natura, Conservation Research Institute
Why the Health of Urban Nature Matters
Water Quality and FloodingHealthy Preserves:• Don’t have soil erosion• Allow water to soak into the soil• Keep pollution out of rivers, lakes and
streams• Clean the water before it enters lakes
Dense shade killed off the wildflowers and grasses that anchor the soil. With every rain, soil washes into
the river.
Why the Health of Urban Nature Matters
Family Friendly
How do we ensure that the Preserves are healthy and continue
to provide all the benefits just described?
We must restore the conditions that support healthy nature in
our Preserves!
The Conditions for Healthy Nature
Prairie, almost full sunlight0-10% canopy
Savanna, sunny with some shade 10-50% canopy
Woodland, dappled sunlight 50-80% canopy
Forest, less light 80-100% canopy
© Paul Nelson, The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook
Controlling Invasives and Restoring Structure
Collecting and Planting Seeds
Renewing the Promise.People and Nature - Working Together
Again
Returning Fire
Monitoring the Results
People and Nature - Working Together
Prescribed Fire• A carefully planned and managed fire is
conducted to achieve a goal - healthy communities for plants and wildlife.
• Conducted only under specific safety standards and weather conditions by trained personnel.
People and Nature - Working Together
Prescribed FireNo other method accomplishes
everything that fire can
Pulling Garlic Mustard
Cutting down buckthorn
Treating cut stumps with
herbicide
People and Nature - Working Together
Control Invasives & Restore Structure
Seed collecting in a remnant prairie
People and Nature - Working Together
Collecting and Planting Seeds
This
People and Nature - Working Together
Lacking fire this oak woodland became choked with buckthorn.
All the ground vegetation had been killed by buckthorn.
With Buckthorn Gone… an
Oak Woodland is Revealed
With increased sunlight and seeding with native plants,this area is recovering.
Three Years Later, the Woodland is
Thriving
With the resumption of management the number of plants
and animals increases though time. The amount of human effort decreases -
community health increases
By keeping humans and nature interacting through the
ecological management our Preserves, we will ensure their
health for our children and their children in perpetuity.
Monitoring the Results of the Work
• Are we restoring the conditions that support healthy nature?
• How are species composition and habitat structure changing?
• How are species of conservation concern doing?
White Oak Plots
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
3-6 7-9 10-12 13-19 20+
DBH (in)
RIV
White Oak
Red Oak
Sugar Maple
Black Cherry
Ash species
Oak Health in the Forest Preserves
Oaks are being replaced by other species and are not reproducing
Not a single seedling white oak was found
Data from the 2007 Cook County Land Audit, Audubon - Chicago Region
Common Birds Now In Decline:
Percent Decline Since 1967
97%
87% 52%
Case Study- How People Are Helping Birds
WatchList Status, by Habitat, of 700 Native Birds in the Continental U.S.
Wetland
Grassland
Shrubland
Woodland Multiple
Stable Threatened Imperiled
Spring Creek Forest Preserves
Restoring Declining Bird Populations
Restoring Declining Bird Populations
Grassland Bird Response
How You Can HelpVolunteer Roles
Just Show Up! • Seed Collector & SorterHerbicide Applicator • Workday Leader • Monitor
How You Can HelpWildlife and Plant Monitoring
Bird Blitzes • Frog Surveys • Dragonfly Monitoring • Plants of ConcernLand Audit • Butterfly Monitoring
Join a monitoring group to:• Learn about the plants and
animals you love• Monitor their abundance
and diversity• Track their health over time
www.habitatproject.org
280volunteer
s
170volunteers
220volunteers
40volunteer
s
200volunteer
s
150 volunteers
100volunteers
Hundreds of trained citizen scientists collect data annually
How You Can HelpMonitoring Volunteers
How You Can Help Busse Woods
JOIN US!
June 14, 10 AM -1PM Busse Woods Grove 16
Families Welcome
No Experience Needed
We provide all the tools
How You Can HelpBusse Woods
Monitoring volunteersMonitoring Volunteers
Special Event Volunteers
Stewardship Volunteers
We are the stewards. We can choose to help or we can choose to do nothing and
watch plants and animals continue to disappear.
More InformationForest Preserve District of Cook County, Volunteer
Resources (773) 631-1790
Douglas Chien, Sierra Club(312) 251-1680 x2 [email protected]
Benjamin Cox, Friends of the Forest Preserves(312) 356-9990 [email protected]
Justin Pepper, Audubon - Chicago Region(847) 328-1250 x12 [email protected]
Matt Haas, Busse Woods Volunteer Steward(414) 405-8090 [email protected] www.bussewoods.net
www.fpdccVolunteers.org
www.habitatproject.org
