When I first heard that Chicago homicide detective Luis Munoz is also an avid birder, I thought it was an unusual story. I shouldn't have. When I learned that rock musician Rick Mosher hunts for rare moths and other insects late at night after his gigs, I thought, "That's remarkable." But it's not so.

In fact, it's absolutely normal — not out of the ordinary — for people in all walks of life, of all ages, races, professions, to love nature and to find great pleasure and enjoyment in its midst.

Henry Cilley. Photo by Blaire Skinner.

The stories of Luis and Rick and of Robbie Hunsinger, an oboist and volunteer bird protector, are emblematic of Chicago Wilderness. Many people in our region connect in a daily way with nature. Many of these people are extraordinary, wonderful people. But their connection with nature is not the unusual part.

I shouldn't be delighted when people, adults especially, show an affinity for nature. I should be astonished when they don't. Kids naturally gravitate toward animals — the attraction is a fundamental part of us. It's innate, that affinity for other creatures that share our world. The astonishing part is how many of us have lost that connection.

Chicago Wilderness is all about making this natural connection complete again, between people and wild places. (Hence our name, for starters.) Cindy Crosby finds solace for her spirit and inspiration for her craft in walks at Schulenberg Prairie. Nine-year-old Henry Cilley campaigns for turtles. All these people fit Chicago Wilderness — a new kind of magazine and a new kind of place (with less harangue and more heart). A new paradigm for urban dwellers.

Even golfers are getting into the swing (pardon the pun) as our story on the growing trend of restoring nature on area courses demonstrates.

In April Robyn Thorson stopped in Chicago Wilderness on her way to a new home in Minnesota. She's the new regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Chicago Wilderness is a great model," she said. "Public support is the key to the kingdom." Partnering is crucial to conservation. "If we don't have public support," she added, "then we're just shoveling the tide." After all, whom do you trust to deliver messages about what's happening in our world? she asked us. "Not the government!" The government can help make things happen only when people take those things to heart.

We'll stick with messengers this magazine is full of — like Luis and Robbie, Henry and Deb Petro. We'll celebrate the Aphrodite fritillaries, crab spiders, bees and our human neighbors, all of whom are necessary to foster that great mystery, Chicago Wilderness.

With this issue we bid farewell to Alison Carney Brown, devoted volunteer and crackerjack news editor for these last four years. Alison plans to spend more time with her twin daughters and on longer writing projects. (Look for her byline from time to time in our pages.) She has spread good will throughout Chicago Wilderness. We wish her well.