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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Best of luck,
Thomas
Thanks. The talk went really well.
I began by asking people what they think about when they think of a beautiful lawn. This sparked much good discussion and brought up childhood memories and associations. I then talked about the lawn in history (short), some different ways to think about beauty, and why the ecological lawn is better. Also ecological lawn care.
People seemed pretty enthused.
I started giving talks when I worked for the garden center. Garden clubs are always looking for speakers.
These days I try to do a few talks a year, often gratis. Usually someone I know invites me to speak. The groups are always small, but participants seem to respond well.
I'm thinking of applying to give a presentation at the next Chicago Wilderness Wild Things Conference in 2013, which would be a big step up.