We All Should Vote Yes for the Forest Preserves of Cook County

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For Cook County residents, here's an incredibly easy way to help fight climate change and support biodiversity. A slightly different version was published in the   Oak Park Wednesday Journal on October 18, 2022. At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of farsighted people had the novel idea to create the Cook County Forest Preserves system, the first of its kind in the country. It was a daunting task to plan, persuade people, and get laws through the legislature. Only then did the real work begin of purchasing and managing vast acreage, developing public programs, and conserving biodiversity while catering to humans. None of this was easy. Starting with an initial purchase of 500 acres in 1916, today the FPDCC comprises 70,000 acres of natural and recreational areas stretching from Lake-Cook Road south to Steger Road. Consequently, Cook County, home to over 5 million people, can also boast that it’s the most biodiverse county in the state.  In this time of global warming, en
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Garlic Mustard Update

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Today in the woods I discovered several garlic mustard plants with the telltale holes in the leaves that indicate insect munchers, and several others that appeared to have some sort of fungal disease. Perhaps some sort of shift is beginning, so they'll eventually settle into the ecosystem?

Comments

Diana Studer said…
When I was carefully ripping out Paterson's Curse, I found a tiny caterpillar. Now what, do I leave a few?
May 9, 2010 at 2:44 PM
Adrian Ayres Fisher said…
Hmmm. What is Paterson's Curse? I'll have to go look that up.

I was just interested to see these signs on the garlic mustard because so far, biologists haven't found any biological controls that would keep it in check. I did leave those particular plants and will probably go back in a couple of days and look at them again.
May 9, 2010 at 9:12 PM
Anonymous said…
The whole garlic mustard issue is very interesting. If enough people start loving garlic mustard pesto,that could help. Re: Asian carp: noticed an article about a Chicago chef who is serving a ceviche made of that fish, and his customers liked it. :et's hope lots of chefs will follow that lead.
Good job on awareness raising.
M.
May 10, 2010 at 3:08 PM
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