Defenders' Experts
Chicago Wilderness
Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
The Chicago Wilderness coalition is an alliance of more than 140 public and
private organizations working together to protect, restore, study, and manage
the Chicago Wilderness-areas in the Chicago region that contain natural
ecosystems and communities of native plants and animals. Most importantly, this
effort is occurring in a highly urbanized region that is home to more than nine
million people. The overall goal of the Chicago Wilderness is "to protect the
natural communities of the Chicago region and to restore them to long-term
viability, in order to enrich the quality of life of its citizens and to
contribute to the preservation of global diversity." In 1999, a Biodiversity
Recovery Plan was developed and adopted by two regional planning agencies and 40
other government and private entities. The plan recognizes sprawling development
and degradation as the major threats of the already protected 200,000 acres of
natural lands that stretch from southeastern Wisconsin, through northeastern
Illinois, and into northwestern Indiana. To address these threats, the plan
recommends restoration and proper management of the protected areas and
preservation of land connections among the habitat patches and additional high
quality habitat. The plan received the American Planning Association's 2001
Outstanding Planning Award for a Plan.
Chicago Wilderness partners also conduct research and ecological monitoring and provide education and outreach, natural landscaping initiatives, land management programs (such as prairie restorations), technical assistance to local governments, prescribed burn training, and classroom instruction with hands-on stewardship to introduce thousands of students to nature. All partners have pledged to work together to protect the region's rare natural communities and to restore them to long-term viability. The work is on-going and funded from a variety of sources, including member organizations, grants from state and federal governments, and from private sector contributions.
Chicago Wilderness's publication Protecting Nature in your Community helps guide counties, municipalities, park districts, and wastewater authorities in understanding and using existing tools to preserve biodiversity. Chicago Wilderness has wisely targeted these agencies since 90 percent of regional land use decisions are made at the local level. The conservation tools described in the guidebook include comprehensive plan revisions, compatible zoning and subdivision regulations, improved storm water management, wetland protection, natural landscaping ordinances, improved wastewater management, open space preservation, natural areas management and restoration, and public education.
In this section. . .
The West Eugene Wetlands Plan addresses the need for protection of significant natural lands within designated growth areas while still allowing some development.
The Beginning with Wildlife Program provides habitat maps, species descriptions, and guidance to local communities to help integrate biodiversity protection into local land-use planning and guide habitat conservation decisions.
The purpose of Arizona's Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan is to ensure the long-term protection of "the heritage and natural resources of the west in Pima County."
The goal of the Chicago Wilderness is "to protect the natural communities of the Chicago region and to restore them to long-term viability, in order to enrich the quality of life of its citizens and to contribute to the preservation of global diversity."
The Willamette Restoration Strategy addressed water quality and habitat issues in Oregon's Willamette basin and adopted a strategy to protect and restore the basin's ecological health.
The BioMap project's goal was "to promote strategic land protection by producing a map showing areas, that if protected, would provide suitable habitat over the long term for the maximum number of Massachusetts' terrestrial and wetland plant and animal species and natural communities."
The Landscape Project's goal is "to protect New Jersey's biological diversity by maintaining and enhancing rare wildlife populations within healthy functioning ecosystems."
In 1994, Defenders initiated the Oregon Biodiversity Project which produced a statewide biodiversity assessment and a conservation strategy that included 42 "Conservation Opportunity Areas" across the state.
Maryland's two important planning programs are the Green Infrastructure Assessment and the GreenPrint Program.
The Southeast Ecological Framework Project used GIS technology and landscape ecology principles to identify ecologically significant areas and connectivity in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida.
