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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Podcast: "Saving the Ecosystem with Wild Backyards (and other awesome endeavors!)"

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Rivera Sun and Sherri Mitchell
Rivera Sun and Sherri Mitchell of Love (and revolution) Radio contacted me for an interview about native plant gardening and reconciliation ecology. They are warm and encouraging radio hosts. We had a wonderful talk. Here is the link to the podcast. 

 From the Love (and revolution) Radio website: 

 "Rivera Sun is a novelist and non-violent mischief maker. She is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, Billionaire Buddha and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars. She is also the social media coordinator and nonviolence trainer for Campaign Nonviolence and Pace e Bene. Her essays on social justice movements are syndicated on by PeaceVoice, and appear in Truthout and Popular Resistance.www.riverasun.com.


 Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot) is an Indigenous rights attorney, writer and activist who melds traditional life-way teachings into spirit-based movements. Follow her at Sherri Mitchell – Wena’gamu’gwasit." 

 Rivera and Sherri interview all kinds of folks about sustainable living, so readers might want to subscribe to their email newsletter here.

 Related Posts:
Ethics and Ecosystem Interactions: Why Reconciliation Ecology Matters
Urban Neighborhoods Can Be Good for Native Bees

Comments

Fernglade Farm said…
Hi Adrian,

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the podcast and that I agree with you and respect your choice to provide food and housing for the local (and international) birds and insects.

Your observation about the application of the permaculture principles rather than the replication of an equivalent model was very astute.

Books are everything too! I've never taken a course, but rather pick, test and chose what works here and most of that information comes by way of the art of reading.

Plus, I appreciated hearing of your spiritual beliefs and how they apply to your work in the ecosystem. I respect the Quakers.

Thanks

Chris
June 21, 2016 at 5:44 AM
Adrian Ayres Fisher said…
Hi Chris, I really appreciate your comments, especially since I'm interested in what you are doing so far away in Australia. I think that books are one of the greatest of human technologies. The poet Gary Snyder wrote that for many of us, "books are our ancestors." Quakerism is my path, but it's just one of many spiritual paths that can lead a person or a whole society to care for their environment in beneficial ways. We must all be allies, I think.
June 22, 2016 at 2:40 PM
Fernglade Farm said…
Hi Adrian,

Thank you for saying that and also for the excellent quote. Allies is a great way to put it.

Cheers

Chris
June 22, 2016 at 8:31 PM
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