Steve Silic, a senior fishing biologist at Audubon Great Lakes, stands on a water control structure that allows water to flow from Powderhorn Lake to other areas on Oct. 23, 2023. Audubon Great Lakes and the Cook County Forest Preserve District, along with partners at Great Lakes Commission and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have completed a habitat project that restored more than 100 acres of wetlands by reconnecting Powderhorn Lake to Wolf Lake.
Alarmingly, we are losing freshwater habitats, especially wetlands, at three times the rate of terrestrial spaces such as forests. The United Nations estimates one-third of the world’s wetlands have been destroyed since 1970, cutting down biodiversity and threatening food and water shortages in many regions. An example close to home: The remnant marshes around Lake Calumet are the only surviving wetlands in Chicago. According to the U.S.
By investing in freshwater conservation research in the western suburbs, supporting high school and college on-the-ground student education, and mobilizing volunteers through action days and the Cook County Forest Preserves’ Ecological Stewardship program, we are restoring and building resilience in dynamic freshwater wetlands — insulating our state from the growing list of threats and natural disasters.