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Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Native Garden Tour Returns to Oak Park & River Forest

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Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Native Garden Tour Returns to Oak Park & River Forest

The annual West Cook Wild Ones garden walk “Birds, Bees & Butterflies: A Native Garden Walk” is back Saturday, July 23, from 1 to 5 p.m. The walk is designed to inspire and teach home gardeners about the beauty, ease and usefulness of the plants that have lived here for thousands of years, and the animals and insects that depend on them. Habitat loss is among the primary factors driving population declines of important local and migratory species. Each new native plant garden—no matter how small—can help support vital insects, birds and other wildlife.

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Remembering Monty and Rose + Why There is Hope

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Remembering Monty and Rose + Why There is Hope

Monty and Rose are the two beloved piping plovers that surprised the Chicago birding community by settling at busy Montrose Beach to nest and raise their young for three consecutive years. When they first arrived in 2019, the number of their endangered species had diminished to 70 nesting pairs in the Great Lakes region.

After Monty died recently after making the spring migration back to Northern Illinois, and after Rose did not return, we reached out to Bob for his thoughts and those of others in the birding community.

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Rare Prairie's Survival is Threatened: Save Bell Bowl Prairie

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Rare Prairie's Survival is Threatened: Save Bell Bowl Prairie

One of the last remaining prairies in Illinois—8,000-year-old Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford—is slated for destruction as the Chicago Rockford International Airport expands. Bell Bowl is a gravel prairie—among the rarest type of remaining prairie—and it contains some of the most intact and undisturbed natural plant communities found anywhere in the state. If the expansion occurs as the airport currently proposes, then rare, threatened, and endangered species will be destroyed—driven by growth in international shipping and Rockford’s role as a cargo hub for Amazon and UPS.

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Young Filmmakers Contest Kicks Off Earth Week Mini Film Fest with Short Student Films

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Young Filmmakers Contest Kicks Off Earth Week Mini Film Fest with Short Student Films

The One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest will continue the celebration of award-winning student films via a virtual event to kick off Earth Week Mini Film Fest in April. See eight short, student films from among 13 honorable mention/notable winners on Monday, April 18, at 5 p.m. CDT.

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Young Filmmakers Contest Reveals Passion for Animals and Planet

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Young Filmmakers Contest Reveals Passion for Animals and Planet

From manatees to koalas to pangolins, endangered wildlife was a recurring theme among 148 submissions to the 2022 One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest. Students ages 8 to 25 revealed the impact of weather extremes and plastic pollution on people, animals, and the planet, with a new note of urgency about the climate crisis in their short films.

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Announcing. . . Our 2022 One Earth Lineup of Films

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Announcing. . . Our 2022 One Earth Lineup of Films

It’s what you’ve been waiting for. . . our 2022 lineup of tide-turning films is here! All screenings are free (with a suggested $8 donation) and open to the public. Seventeen virtual events will screen during the week of March 4-13. If the Omicron surge cooperates, we will be adding up to 15 in-person events—they will be offered at the same times and days as the virtual events.