Calumet

Prior to European settlement, Lake Calumet and the surrounding wetlands, rivers, and lakes made up one of the biggest freshwater wetland complexes in the United States. Its sheer size made it a critical area for hundreds of species of birds in every season. With the rapid rise of Chicago, natural history soon gave way to industrial history. Beginning in the late 1800’s and continuing right up to the end of the 1990’s, the some 22,000 acres of wetlands were reduced to roughly 500 as development slowly transformed the region into an industrial mecca.

Despite the scars that steel mills, factories, and chemical plants have left on the landscape, the Calumet region continues to be immensely critical for birds. Well over 250 species of birds rely on the region’s remaining habitats for migration, nesting, and overwintering. Public landowners have invested in revitalizing the area, as the shadow of irresponsible industrial practices has started to subside. Remarkably, a resilient ecosystem has been revealed.

The Chicago Ornithological Society has long recognized potential in the Calumet area for a new type of urban park — one that helps preserve not just avian biodiversity but all plants and wildlife that require wetlands as an ecosystem type. Additionally, we would like to see increased recreational opportunities for the surrounding community, which has lacked access to high quality outdoor spaces.

Throughout its history, COS has been an advocate for birds and their habitats in the region. Conversations are finally shifting from simply fighting to save what’s left to discussing how to heal and restore these places. The time is now to renew our commitment to the Calumet region. We invite you to learn more about our vision, what we’ve done so far, and join us in realizing a future with thriving parks, communities, and birds.

In demonstration of that commitment, COS has developed a master plan to guide our work in the Calumet region. You can view an outline of our master plan or read the full plan (coming soon) by clicking on their respective buttons below. Many of the projects and ideas laid out in this plan are already in motion. To learn more about these projects and how COS’s Calumet Master Plan is making a difference for people and wildlife today, continue scrolling!

Excited by what you see? Have questions? Want to join the team and help us make a difference? Contact the Calumet team via the button on the left. If you want to contribute financially specifically to the Calumet Project, please kindly use the donation button on the right.

MAPS Bird Banding Station

In 2020, Chicago Ornithological Society established the Big Marsh Bird Banding Station. The station is part of the Institute for Bird Populations’ MAPS Program (Monitoring Avian Productivity & Survivorship), which deploys a standardized bird banding protocol for studying breeding birds and offers us a glimpse into the lives of urban birds.

Participating in the MAPS Program allows us to contribute to science that helps us better understand longevity and breeding success of birds in a way that only capture and release can. Birds are caught using passive mist-netting deployed during a set banding period and are checked every half hour. Birds are processed quickly. While the bird is in the hand, the banders work to determine the age and sex of the bird, affix a numbered band to their leg, and is then released usually in about five minutes or so. It is our hope that the banding station will help us to better understand the health of songbird populations at Big Marsh, and also provide other opportunities for scientific research with partners.

MOTUS

In partnership with the Chicago Park District, COS has erected an antenna as part of the Motus wildlife tracking system, a network of receivers designed to help scientists track wildlife from birds, to bats, to butterflies on their epic migration journeys. This is the first such receiver in Chicago and Cook County, and one of only a handful operating in Illinois. We know that the Chicago region sits on a major migratory flyway which sees billions of birds pass through every year. By placing Motus towers in Chicago, we are joining a global scientific community working to reveal the secrets of migration and greatly improve our understanding of bird movement not just in Chicago but across the country. Given the Calumet region’s position on this flyway and it’s known significance to birds year round, it makes sense that our first tower should be located here.

Park 566, State of the Birds Report

Park 566 is a large public park stretching for over a mile along the Chicago lake front from 78th to 85th streets. A remnant of the once massive U.S. Steel South Works site, it is very much a poster child for past, present, and potential future of the Calumet region. The entire park is a non-natural landfill composed entirely of steel slag, a by product of the steel production process, with no natural shoreline. Approximately half of the site was acquired by the Chicago Park District while half remains with U.S. Steel and subject to possible development. The habitat present would be considered a poor quality grassland with the majority of plants being invasive species.

Despite this history and the only very recent commencement of restoration, the park has proven to be an incredibly important site for birds. For the last several years, COS board member Dan Lory has meticulously documented the avian diversity of this park. What has emerged is a picture of wildlife returning to and indeed heavily using the park. From common to endangered species, the diversity of birds present rivals that of some of the highest quality natural areas and speaks not only to the importance of conserving this site, but to its immense potential as restoration work continues. Park 566 represents the intersection of urban, industrial, and natural landscapes in its starkest and rawest form. We are excited to contribute to efforts to monitor, protect, and enhance this unique park. We are especially proud of the work Dan Lory has done to document this baseline diversity and present his annual reports here for all to see.

Excited by what you see? Have questions? Want to join the team and help us make a difference? Contact the Calumet team via the button on the left. If you want to contribute financially specifically to the Calumet Project, please kindly use the donation button on the right.