Urban Ecology Session Recap

ICA launched the Out and About Uptown series on Sunday, May 21st, 2017, focusing on Urban Ecology. Local partners Susan Ask of animalia project, Melanie Eckner of the Uptown Coastal Initiative, and Ted Jindrich of the Chicago Park District Natural Areas stewards shared their collective expertise covering Uptown’s past, present, and future. ​

Photo credit: Weiss Memorial Hospital

Following the presentations, the group walked to the Montrose Beach Dunes and Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary to take a tour and learn about ongoing opportunities to help preserve and provide stewardship for the natural marvels along Uptown’s coast.

​One highlight from the presentations was a look at Uptown’s unique urban fauna, the family of geese that annually resides at Weiss Memorial Urban Rooftop Farm. For three years, the geese have nested until the goslings are big enough to walk to Montrose Harbor, an event endearingly named the Weiss Waddle. During the guided tour of the Montrose Beach Dunes, participants found themselves walking in a similar single-file fashion to maintain the trails!

Thanks to our Partner:

About Out and About Uptown's Coast

Out & About Uptown's Coast partnered with the Uptown Coastal Initiative to raise awareness of Uptown's lakefront and parks through nine experiential, educational sessions that offer attendees rich opportunity for meaningful engagement with the ecology and culture of this Great Lakes coastal community.

The project connected residents, workers, and visitors, and strengthen links between the well-being of the coastal ecosystem and the health and well-being of those who live, work, and visit Uptown’s coast.

Highlighting local expertise and creating a space for diverse attendees to learn about and explore the area together, each session’s unique lens targeted different subjects and circle back to universal accessibility to and stewardship of Uptown’s coast across a spectrum of disciplines.

At the close of Out & About Uptown's Coast, the Uptown Coastal Initiative team created a toolkit highlighting the different approaches taken and lessons learned to help inform future programming as well as participant stewardship and engagement around sustainability in the coast.

For more information about Out and About Uptown's Coast, contact coastalinitiative@ica-usa.org.