We love it when a plan comes together!

On April 7, the Chicago Park District announced that 3.1 acres would be added to the Montrose Beach Dunes Natural Area. This outcome is the result of a coordinated effort that included:

-A documentary film on an endangered species
-The proclamation of Piping Plover Day by Gov. Pritzker
-The support of Ald. Cappleman
-Dozens of emails as well as public comment
-An op-ed and letter in the Sun-Times
-Interface with local media throughout
-Direct outreach to Park District leadership

Cheers to the expansion of Chicago's lakefront natural areas!

By Kara Morrison

On this day in 1935, Hazel M. Johnson, founder of People for Community Recovery, was born. After first moving to Chicago in the 1950s, Johnson and her husband moved to Altgeld Gardens Homes, a public housing project originally built to house African American veterans on Chicago’s south side, in 1962. By the time Johnson’s family moved there, Altgeld Gardens Homes had been taken over by Chicago Housing authority and housed almost 10,000 mostly low-income residents. In the early 1970s, after seeing a television program connecting cancer to certain environments, Johnson began suspecting her husband’s death from cancer just a few years earlier may also be linked to their community’s environment. She began investigating and found that not only was there a higher rate of cancer among her neighbors, but also that there were many children in the area, including her own, suffering from various skin and respiratory issues. She soon learned that Altgeld Gardens was not only teeming with toxic emissions from surrounding landfills, toxic waste dumps, and industrial factories, but that Altgeld Gardens Homes had actually been built on a landfill. Johnson educated and organized her neighbors, founding People for Community Recovery. They collected data and health surveys showing evidence that their low-income, minority community suffered from a disproportionate amount of surrounding pollution. Johnson and People for Community Recovery confronted many of the companies polluting their community, even confronting the Chicago Housing Agency itself, and later working with them to carry out projects that could help improve their living conditions. Johnson turned her grassroots movement into a larger effort to fight against environmental racism in communities of color across the U.S. Later, Johnson at time worked with EPA and even worked towards urging President Clinton to sign the Environmental Justice Executive Order.

You can find more information about environmental racism and its more recent impacts here.

Sources cites: Chicago Public Library, The EPA Blog

By Kara Morrison

On this day in 1900, the Chicago Drainage Canal officially opened, connecting the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River and reversing the direction of the Main Stem and South Branch of the Chicago River, making it flow away from Lake Michigan. Prior to this, the Chicago River had flowed into Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, the water from the Chicago River flowed rather slowly into Lake Michigan and, as the population of Chicago increased, the river became increasingly contaminated with sewage and pollution. This sewage ran right into Lake Michigan, polluting the area located around the mouth of the Chicago River, where Chicago also happened to get their water supply.

After an 1885 storm washed contaminants much farther throughout Lake Michigan, people became heavily concerned this would cause an epidemic. In 1887 it was decided to build the Chicago Drainage Canal in order to avoid these public health concerns, as well as to supplement the shallow and polluted Illinois and Michigan Canal. Engineer Isham Randolph planned to cut through the 12 miles that separated the Great Lakes drainage system from the Mississippi drainage system, and the Sanitary District of Chicago was created to carry out these plans. Although many obstacles were met during the creation of the canal, such as a large 1893 strike, the canal was completed in 1900. The opening of the Chicago Drainage Canal was announced January 2, 1900, and the reversal of the Chicago River is still considered a major feat in civil engineering.

Sources cited: American Society of Civil Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey 

By Kara Morrison

On this day in 1916, Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, held hearings in Chicago to gauge public opinion on a “Sand Dunes National Park.” Over 400 people attended, with many speaking in favor of the park, and without a single person speaking in opposition. While the movement to turn the dunes into a national park largely stalled for another 40 years, the work to preserve the dunes continued. After a 10-year petition, the Indiana Dunes State Park opened in 1926. Later, in 1952, Dorothy Buell met with a group of women to discuss a campaign to preserve the dunes and establish an Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, ultimately founding the Save the Dunes Council. Around the same time, many politicians and businessmen were also trying to obtain funds to construct a “Port of Indiana” and link the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Buell and other council members began a fundraising campaign to save the dunes and were eventually able to purchase a 56-acre area of what is now Cowles Bog. ​

Sources cited: National Park Service, Save the Dunes, Digital Public Library of America, University of Illinois at Chicago

Sources cited: South Bend Tribune, The Daily Journal, The Bremen Enquirer

MEARS, Mich. -- The weekend of October 10-11 brought us to western Michigan for filming on piping plover breeding grounds, specifically the locations where Monty and Rose hatched in 2017. We gained enormous insight into the life cycle of Great Lakes piping plovers while there, but it was the towering sand dunes of Silver Lake State Park that left the biggest impression on us. These dunes are vast and a sort of mini-Sleeping Bear Dunes, about halfway south along the mitten, between Ludington and Muskegon. 

Sarina Haasken of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Project kindly joined us and showed us around the majestic landscape. We trekked to a high point on the dunes, between Lake Michigan and Silver Lake itself, which is ringed by open sands and forested inclines. While we were there, we were astonished to find two piping plover eggs from the previous nesting season. The eggs were from an early clutch belonging to YOGi and BYL, and dated to June, according to Sarina, who carefully recovered them. They were found in an expanse surrounded by acres and acres of sand in every direction. 

From there, we traveled to Muskegon State Park, which was a true pleasure as well. Plover monitors Carol Cooper and Heather Sellon showed us where piping plovers have nested near the beach house there. For us, this was a more conventional setting for piping plover nesting, as it had some resemblance to Montrose Beach in Chicago. 

In addition to these sites, we visited Ludington State Park and met local birders Dave Dister and Joe Moloney, who gave us some of the history of piping plovers in Mason County. It was wonderful to meet birders on the other side of Lake Michigan and share the story of Monty and Rose with them.

We are thrilled with the video we captured on this trip and look forward to sharing it when the time comes to complete "Monty and Rose II."

--Bob Dolgan

By Georgie Lellman 

Despite the odds, an innovative new bill hailed as the greatest piece of land conservation legislation in decades became law this summer. The bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, sponsored by Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, received support from 59 senators and passed on June 17. It was a rare moment of bipartisanship in today’s political climate, making the August 4 signing of the law even more monumental. 

But what exactly does the Great American Outdoors Act actually accomplish? 

The act has two primary goals. Its long-term objective is to provide permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which funds public lands. The LWCF was created in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but has only been funded by Congress in its full amount of $900 million per year twice since its creation. In the past, the funds have instead been used for unrelated projects. The Great American Outdoors Act ensures that the funds, from this point forward will be allocated annually to the LWCF to conserve and protect public lands across the nation. 

These new permanent funds will increase funding for the U.S. Forest Service by $285 million annually, and by $95 million annually for both the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Together, these organizations encompass over 588 million acres of land, that's approximately five times the size of the entire state of California. 

And, while public lands should see extraordinary benefits from the Great American Outdoors Act, it will also provide advantages for communities across the nation. According to economists, every dollar invested by the Land and Water Conservation Fund generates a $4 return in their communities, boosting the economies in localities closely connected with public lands. 

The secondary aim of the legislation stipulates that $9.5 billion be set aside over the course of the next five years in the Public Lands Restoration Legacy Fund to address previously neglected maintenance issues that affect many national and state parks. According to the American Hiking Society, “There is a nearly $12 billion backlog of maintenance projects across our public lands. When annual maintenance needs go unaddressed, long-term problems arise, seriously hampering the public’s access to outdoor recreation.” This backlog has been created by an increase in visitors to public lands by over 50% since 1980 and a parks budget that has remained relatively unchanged. 

Of the money placed in the Public Lands Restoration Legacy Fund, $6.5 billion is specifically intended to be used across the national park system, while the remaining funds will aid wildlife refuges, forests, and other public lands. Interestingly, the $1.9 billion provided annually will be generated from oil and gas drilling revenues on the Outer Continental Shelf, submerged land along the east and west coasts of the U.S. as well as the Gulf of Mexico. This allows the American people to see a return for energy development and resources taken from their public land. The passing of the Great American Outdoors Act is a sign of hope that the challenges that the American people face in pursuing outdoor recreation opportunities at national and state parks will now be addressed through this influx of funds, which have been absent for decades. 

The Great American Outdoors Act deserves praise as it will help to ensure the continued beauty of our natural spaces and that public lands remain accessible for generations to come. 

Georgie Lellman is a recent graduate of Kenyon College and an intern for Turnstone Strategies. She is interested in environmental law and passionate about wildlife issues. 

Sources:
The Wilderness Society. 2020. “Land and Water Conservation Fund fully funded after decades of uncertainty." 

Harsha, Dan. 2020. “The biggest land conservation legislation in a generation”. The Harvard Gazette. 

Leasca, Stacey. 2020. “The Great American Outdoors Act Could Give Billions of Dollars to National Parks — Here’s What You Need to Know”. Travel + Leisure.

By Georgie Lellman

On March 26, as the pandemic was beginning to have serious and far-reaching impacts within the United States, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot closed the Lake Michigan lakefront for all recreational activities. The closure meant that Montrose Point, a spot that attracts crowds of birdwatchers--and birds--would have nearly zero observations in April and May, a far cry from the 237 bird species observed in 2019. 

“It’s a perfect place for migrants flying over or along the lake to land, rest, and fuel up for their next flight,” said birdwatcher Isoo O’Brien. 

Montrose attracts birdwatchers because of its convenient location, diversity of habitats, and eye-level bird sightings. However, because of the closure, eBird data show how birders went elsewhere. Graceland Cemetery, a shaded cemetery and arboretum just blocks from Montrose, experienced one of the biggest increases in observations, even as it has slowly been gaining in popularity among birders in recent years. Graceland recorded more bird species in 2020 spring migration (153 to be exact) than had been recorded in the last 10 years combined. Additionally, Graceland saw 30 distinct warbler species this past spring, while recording only 28 species during spring migration over the last decade. Weekly maximum sightings during spring migration for several migratory species included: 35 Hermit Thrushes, 20 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and 20 Baltimore Orioles, compared to previous records of 17, 15 and nine observations of these species, respectively. 

By Kara Morrison

​Henry Chandler Cowles passed away on this date in 1939 at 70 years of age. Cowles was an American botanist and early ecologist who was fundamental in founding the Ecological Society of America and his work helped lead to the creation of Indiana Dunes National Park. Cowles’ research emphasized and investigated the inherently changing nature of plants and their natural environment. More importantly, unlike many botanists and ecologists at the time, he was less focused on his own research and more focused on the work of his students. Cowles often took his University of Chicago students to areas around the Great Lakes and even as far as the West Coast.

​Although he traveled far and wide to study ecology, his greatest influence was his own local area. He first visited the Indiana Dunes in 1896, and continued to travel to observe the dunes throughout various seasons over the years, eventually developing concepts around plant succession and climax formation that would become crucial to ecological studies. Cowles Bog, a part of what is now Indiana Dunes National Park, is named in honor of Cowles and his work that brought such widespread attention to the Indiana Dunes. 

Kara Morrison is a recent graduate of Kenyon College and a contributor to the Turnstone Strategies blog. She is passionate about making historical and educational information accessible to the public.

Sources cited: National Geographic Resource Library, University of Chicago Centennial Catalogues

Todd Pover is a Senior Wildlife Biologist at the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and manages populations of beach nesting birds including piping plovers, least terns, and black skimmers. We had the opportunity to speak with him about the importance of piping plover monitoring and the challenges these endangered birds face. Edited for length and clarity. 

By Georgie Lellman 

Why is monitoring piping plovers so important? 
Well, first of all piping plovers are federally listed and in New Jersey, where I do most of my breeding field work, they’re state listed. So, in order to be able to track the species you have to have really solid and pretty intensive monitoring. If you are not doing really close monitoring you can’t figure out the causes for nest or brood loss. Because our goal is to recover the species, in order to better manage them we have to know those causes. Piping plovers are in a sandy environment, so when you get a windy day or a rainy day the evidence of predators can disappear quickly. So you really need to be there on a daily basis to be able to determine some of these issues. 

What ecological role do piping plovers play?
This is a question I hear quite frequently over a couple of decades of work. I think a lot of people focus on species that when you pull them out of the ecosystem the whole system collapses. That’s probably not the case for piping plovers. We don’t know the intricate ecological web of how these species fit together, but I think more importantly piping plovers sort of represent whether you have a healthy functioning ecosystem, because those that are severely altered and changed less frequently have piping plovers. In New Jersey we are a highly developed and recreated beach so we have these protected natural areas and that is where our highest concentration of plovers are. 

How did the 2020 monitoring season go? 
This year was a particular challenge because of COVID and the pandemic. We did find, because nature was one of the things that people were able to get out into, our beaches were actually busier than normal in the spring, which is a critical time when birds are trying to set up. That could have impacted them in a negative way.

Generally speaking, birds did pretty well in New Jersey this year. I'm responsible for Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and that site has 39 pairs of piping plovers this season and is one of the most important spots in New Jersey and happened to do very well. Of the 39 pairs, they fledged about 1.7 chicks per pair, which is above the Atlantic Coast Recovery level of 1.5. In New Jersey this is our Achilles heel. We have historically had a lot of difficulty fledging young. We do pretty well with our hatch rate, but fledging is where we come up short. So for us to have a high level like that was a good outcome for us. 

Why do you generally have low success fledging chicks? 
Well, there are a lot of factors, so it's hard to pinpoint the exact one. It could be a bad weather year or something along those lines, but generally speaking New Jersey is really highly developed. In fact, beaches are so highly used that we could put a fence around the areas or the nest and keep people out but once the piping plovers hatch they'll leave those areas to forage at the water's edge. Often those areas at public beaches can’t be protected in the same intensive way. That impacts their survival. Because the breeding ground is so close to the beach area, there are restaurants and houses and it's close to sources of food for predators, so we have a higher concentration of predators around the beach. It's a combination of those things. Lastly, the factor we understand least is highly engineered beachfill, which we think probably impacts the foraging suitability. More and more we’re understanding that access to really good undisturbed, but also highly productive foraging areas, is really important for survival for those chicks.

How have the numbers of piping plover pairs changed over the time you have been monitoring them in New Jersey? 
Well for me, yeah. This is 25 years plus for me, so I’ve seen a lot of fluctuation. From a high of about 140 pairs to a low of 90-some pairs, percentage wise that's a big change. Unfortunately, we’re sort of at the lower edge of that at the moment and we’re struggling to get back. We have years where we have better numbers, but we’re a little bit stuck on the wall at the moment. For the last 5 years we have seen higher fledge rates than we probably have ever seen over the same period so we’re hoping that’s going to push us to the next level. 

A huge caveat though is once the birds leave you’re facing the same issues. What happens is during migration and wintering the birds spend more time away from the breeding grounds than on it and their survival during migration or over the winter impacts our populations. Hurricanes that have hit Florida and the Bahamas, where you have wintering plovers, have really bad impacts potentially on survival. So, we can have a really good year, but have a lot of mortality over the winter due to hurricanes or other factors. 

What are some of the biggest obstacles to the success and survival of piping plovers in New Jersey? How do you overcome these obstacles?
Well, the habitat really matters and I think it all starts with really good habitat, but we’ve also seen situations where birds can do okay in slightly less suitable habitat. Unfortunately it's not a magic button answer. It really is a case where we need everything for them to do well. So you need the habitat, really strong protection, and management of everything from the people component to the predators. 

And then I think outreach is really important. I think we’ve seen that, in a lot of cases, people don’t really want to disturb or negatively impact birds, but they just aren’t aware that their activity is going [to have that impact]. So, trying to have someone at the sites, the public ones at least, is a really important part of it as well. Communication, outreach, and management all have to fit together for a successful piping plover program. 

Georgie Lellman is a recent graduate of Kenyon College and an intern for Turnstone Strategies. She is interested in environmental law and passionate about wildlife issues.