Hands-on Habitat Restoration with the Evanston Interreligious Sustainability Circle

Meet at the Forest Preserve parking lot on the west side
of Harms Road, just south of Glenview Road. Come dressed for the woods.

Most of the original landscape of the Chicago
region was lost before 1900, due to agriculture.
Then, the vision of farsighted Chicago leaders from
the early 1900s created a vast system of over
200,000 protected acres throughout our region.

Today these precious landscapes are threatened.
Development sprawl, loss of habitat, and fragmen-
tation of remaining habitat has put many species at
risk. Much of the scenic beauty and the rich variety
of ecosystems in our forest preserves has also
declined significantly with the encroachment of
invasive plant species, largely due to the suppres-
sion of natural processes such as fire.

Ecological restoration is about reversing human-
caused degradation. In order to restore ecosystems,
invasive plants often must be removed and natural
processes that have been repressed must be reintro-
duced.

Habitat restoration is FUN! It is an activity appro-
priate for young people (generally ten and older)
and senior citizens. This habitat restoration after-
noon will offer two alternative activities: pulling up
Garlic Mustard plants and sowing seeds of native
species that were collected last fall.

For more information call Steve Perkins at
(773)269-4055, or email to: steve@cnt.org. We’d
like to know how many people are coming. But,
most important, just come. Remember, the short
religious ceremony will start at about 1:15.