Elizabeth S. Kessler, Chicago Wilderness Chair

McHenry County Conservation District

James J. Jerozal, Jr.
Chicago Wilderness Vice-Chair
Nicor Gas

Join the conversation with Dr. Carolyn Finney as she helps Chicago Wilderness define a new vision of conservation that can carry us into the future and involve the participation of all people. 

Dr. Finney seeks to develop greater cultural competency within environmental organizations and institutions, challenge media outlets on their representation of difference, and increase awareness of how privilege shapes who gets to speak to environmental issues and determine policy and action.

A storyteller, author, and cultural geographer, she is the author of the best-selling book Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. 

Dr. Finney will speak, followed by a conversation with Dr. Kristen Voorhies of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, with time allocated for audience questions and answers. 

The conversation serves as a launching point for a new Green Vision, where diverse communities in our region are engaged to promote health, economic vitality, and well-being for all. 

This event is free and open to all. 

Help us spread the word about this event by sharing this information in your newsletters, social media and member outreach materials.  

Want to Do More? Sponsor the Dr. Carolyn Finney Event!

"In the case of race and the environment, it's not just who we imagine has something valuable to say. These assumptions, beliefs, and perceptions can be found in the very foundation of out environmental thinking, how we think of ourselves in relationship with the environment. Who do we see, what do we see?"

_From Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors.

A close companion to CW's development of a new Green Vision is to advance the mapping tools that depict and support it. CW has always leaned on good maps of the region, whether in two editions of the Atlas of Biodiversity, two versions of the Green Infrastructure Vision, maps of Oak recovery, or maps that framed the conservation possibilities in the Calumet region. But it's now almost a decade since CW systemically updated its mapping capacity, and new developments in data, in mapping platforms, and in public engagement make this an urgent priority for the Alliance. On October 27, a Cafe was held to gather folks interested in some next steps in mapping, with topics including a potential new interface (or "hub") for mapping products, how the hub can be the place to track progress on Green Vision goals, and possible new sources of data. More than 50 people attended and showed strong interest. A next Cafe is scheduled for January 28, 12-1, at which Mark Johnston, GIS Manager at the Field Museum, will display more of the capacities of the hub as a potential shared resource for the Alliance. A working group including representatives from CMAP, NIRPC, SEWRPC, Openlands, Argonne, TetraTech, and the Field Museum has guided the conversation so far; in 2021 new ways to engage in the process will be developed in concert with the further articulation and implementation of CW's Green Vision goals.

TEAM and WORKING GROUP UPDATES

We encourage all partners to participate on committees. Simply login to the CW Partner portal to join and participate on the committees. Watch this short training video for more information.

Want to add members of your staff to the CW portal so that they can get involved? Send Laura Reillytheir name and email address.

The Corporate Council met on November 12 to discuss ways that the corporate council, rights of ways and municipalities can contribute to the Green Vision.  Mark Bouman and Mark Johnson from the Field Museum shared mapping and hub concepts that could be useful in advancing this work. Join the next CWCC meeting on February 11 at 1 PM. 

The Chicago Wilderness Education Team teamed up with LVEJO to conduct a virtual Toxic Tour. This tour detailed Little Village locations such as Semillas de Justicia Community Garden, 26th & Sacramento, Cook County Jail, and the Collateral Channel, with a keen eye on community contributions, environmental justice, cultural tolerance and active learning. The tour attracted 53 virtual attendees and introduced many Chicago residents and non-residents to the beauty that is Little Village.

Members of the communications committee met in November to talk about promotional strategies for the Dr. Finney event and plans for a year-end giving campaign. The committee will meet regularly over the next few weeks to support co-promotion of the Dr. Finney event and CW's communications strategy. We encourage people to join us or invite their colleagues in outreach, marketing, PR, fundraising, or graphic design to participate. Email Maria Sadowski or view the communications committee's page on the CW Partner Portal for more information. 

Join the Natural Resource Meeting on December 7 from 3:30 pm to 5 pm about where the Chicago Wilderness Green Vision is headed and what we are focusing on.  
At the meeting we would also like to have a discussion about two items concerning invasive species.
      1. The first is the development of an Illinois Invasive Species Board.
       2. The second is the development of Cooperative Weed Management Areas across the CW region.

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