Riverwood Forest Preserve – Close to Home Conservation

Riverwood Forest Preserve is the newest natural area under the care of DeKalb County, Illinois. Born from a “2020 acquisition and land preservation and grant partnership with the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation”, Riverwood is a conservation work in progress. It is already showing spectacular results. The former Oak Club Golf Course is 103 acres

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The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

Who is more obsessed? The feather thief, Edwin Rist or the author of The Feather Thief, Kirk Wallace Johnson. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century covers the bizarre museum “heist” by American flutist, Edwin Rist. At the time of his crime, Rist was only 20 years old and

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Save Bell Bowl Prairie, The Hidden Gem by the Chicago Rockford International Airport

Save Bell Bowl Prairie is a grassroots effort to protect an ancient, remnant gravel prairie called Bell Bowl Prairie. The prairie is modestly sized at 12-14 acres (reduced from 25 from recent construction). The most important area of this is only 4.88 acres. The prairie is located adjacent to the Chicago Rockford International Airport and

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The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World is a downer of a book that catalogs the massive decline amongst insects. Over the last several decades, nearly every single group of insects from butterflies to beetles, fireflies to bees has been in a downward spiral. Author Oliver Milman is a

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Nature’s Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests

Nature’s Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests by Joan Maloof was originally published in 2016 but has since been revised and expanded in 2023 by Princeton University Press. Joan Maloof, PhD, is the founder and director of the Old Growth Forest Network. This quick read starts out with the basics: “What is an Old

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Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Empidonax and Pewees

Princeton University Press’s Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Empidonax and Pewees is definitely geared towards more serious birders. It includes the highly similar Empidonax flycatcher family as well as four pewees and Olive-Sided Flycatcher. The guide is split into two parts: How to Use the Guide and the Field Guide proper. How to Use

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