Wilderness in the Chicago Region

photo: Jim Schultz, Chicago Zoological Society

The Chicago region contains some of the best remaining remnants of our Midwest wilderness, including some of the best surviving examples of eastern tallgrass prairie and open oak woodland. We call this region, and the natural jewels scattered throughout it, Chicago Wilderness. It stretches from southeastern Wisconsin through the six-county Chicago region and into northwestern Indiana. Chicago Wilderness is home to nearly 200 threatened or endangered species, and contains natural communities that are more rare than tropical rainforests.

photo: Fermi National Accelerator Lab

The Chicago region's wild places offer people space to enjoy the outdoors and explore the natural world. Wander through Chicago Wilderness and you may catch sight of a bluebird, a fox, or a sandhill crane. Look closely among the prairie grasses or in the litter of the forest floor and you may discover a tiny smooth green snake, or a blue spotted salamander.

Concerned local residents are working to protect these creatures and their homes. It is up to all of us to make the Chicago region a greener, healthier, more enjoyable place to live and to ensure that future generations will be able to experience the wonders of Chicago Wilderness.

 E-mail to a friend