Alpasan, Eunice. “$1.2M Wetlands Restoration Project on City’s Southeast Side Aims to Alleviate Flooding, Restore Wildlife Numbers.” WTTW News, 23 Oct. 2023, https://news.wttw.com/2023/10/23/12m-wetlands-restoration-project-city-s-southeast-side-aims-alleviate-flooding-restore
After three years, Audubon Great Lakes, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Great Lakes Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have finally completed restoring 200 acres of wetland habitat at Powderhorn Prairie and Marsh Nature Preserve in Chicago. They did this by installing underground pipes to reconnect Powderhorn Lake and Wolflake to the north, with the intention of restoring historic water levels in the area. These connecting waterways would also allow fish and turtles to move between lakes. They also installed a water gauge, which allows them to control water levels more easily and protect marsh birds. Additionally, this project was carried out in an area known for heavy industry, so this restoration is sure to improve the local air quality.
Projects like these give me hope. Here is a project carried out by many different organizations made of passionate people bound together in their goal to help local wildlife and the surrounding community. It is amazing how people can come together like this, and I commend these citizens’ efforts. It is easy to forget the ecosystem services that these restoration projects bring back, like flood protection and improved air quality, so this is a reminder of that. This relates to environmental science because the article discusses interactions between the land and species within the nature preserves of Chicago. It also discusses the environmental solutions to fragmented habitats, which I found especially innovative.
After I originally heard about the wetland restoration project that happened in Menlo Park earlier this year, I felt hopeful thinking about how much nicer it would look, and the more life that would be able to thrive like birds. After reading this, it was great to read and hear about a larger project in an industrial area that is working and hear about specific things I am most excited about with the plan going through(more animals like fish, birds, and turtles). I agree with you on how much hope they give you hope. Do you feel like with all the issues Chicago faces today, they should continue spending such amounts of money on habitat restoration projects? Do you feel like this is reasonable funding or too expensive?