[TEXT ARCHIVE WEB-PUBLISHED MAY 2001.
ORIGINAL PRINT PUBLICATION DATE: FALL 1997.]

What is Chicago Wilderness?

Many of us grew up knowing a little bit about nature. We climbed trees, fed squirrels, enjoyed the sound of birds and the sight of wildflowers. On vacations, we hiked, camped, canoed or biked in remoter regions, places we think of as real nature, as wilderness. But these places were always somewhere else. Certainly not in our own back yards.

Yet, the greater Chicago area, unlikely as it may seem, is home to the greatest concentration of threatened and endangered plant and animal species in the Midwest.

Moreover, this metropolitan area — not the surrounding farmland — harbors the world’s best remaining assemblage of our true and original Midwest "wilderness:" the tallgrass prairies and oak woodlands, the savannas and marshes. After all, what is wilderness? Is it not the land that the Potawatomi walked on — the plants and creatures in the natural communities that evolved here over the ages? These native plant and animal communities are more rare — and their survival more globally threatened — than the fabled tropical rain forests. To the extent that the grove and prairie wilderness exists anywhere, it exists here.

Thus, first and foremost, Chicago Wilderness is an archipelago of 200,000 acres of protected natural lands stretching from Chiwaukee Prairie in Wisconsin, through the six counties of northeastern Illinois and Goose Lake Prairie southwest of Joliet, to the dunes of northwestern Indiana. Yet Chicago Wilderness is not merely land. It is the plants and animals that live on the land, the blue-spotted salamander and red-shouldered hawk, the prairie white-fringed orchid and the Hines emerald dragonfly. And the people. Native Americans were part of the wilderness here, and you and I are part of it now. Or we can be. The rich lands that comprise Chicago Wilderness are here because people saved them from plow and pavement.

Thus, it was the human capital of the region, invested with intelligence and care, that bequeathed to us and our children a rare natural legacy. And it is this human capital of the region, invested anew in an unprecedented coalition of public and private organizations, that is also called Chicago Wilderness. To date, some 54 institutions have joined together in a consortium called the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council. They have pledged to work in concert to protect, restore and manage the precious natural resources of the Chicago region. This part of Chicago Wilderness is neither a place nor a thing. Instead, it is a collaboration of individuals and institutions committed to saving our rich natural heritage and helping to infuse knowledge of our native landscape into the cultural identity of the region.

We live in a land known for great pizza and a world-class basketball team — this goes without saying. But someday - for such is the goal of Chicago Wilderness — we will all recognize and cherish the fact that we also live in a land known for great prairies and woods. The story of Chicago Wilderness is a tremendous American story, a story of drama, imagination and heart.

With Chicago Wilderness — this magazine — we hope to tell that inspiriting story. We’ll bring you news and information on a quarterly basis about the member institutions of Chicago Wilderness and the projects they’re engaged in. We’ll introduce you to some of the best wild areas in the region and explore its wildlife. And we’ll feature some of the best writing, photography and illustration about the extraordinary nature here.

As with any newborn being, we are not yet what we hope to be. In future issues look for field notes from scientists, excerpts from settlers’ journals, lessons in landscape genealogy, book reviews, more photos and art, stories, essays and fascinating facts.

We’re looking for writers, photographers and artists to join us in this enterprise - and we’re seeking a family of readers and subscribers. That’s how we hope this magazine will naturally evolve and grow. We’re glad to say we can’t do it without your help and support - just as our precious wild places can’t survive without you either.

This premiere issue of Chicago Wilderness is being distributed free of charge. Please enjoy it and share it with your family, friends and neighbors. Subscribe today to receive future issues of Chicago Wilderness. Give gift subscriptions to colleagues and friends, your parents, your children, to people who’ve moved away or to folks who might move here. Give a subscription to start a conversation or to say thank you. We need to be big to be good. Become a benefactor of the magazine by making a tax-deductible contribution. Spread the word. And let us hear from you.

Debra Shore may be reached at editor@chicagowildernessmag.org.