From fire to slag and back again: A brief introduction to the Natural History of the Calumet region
Introduction Times moves on, and I have parted ways with the Chesapeake Bay watershed. I have now assumed a full time position as a naturalist with the Forest Preserves of Cook County in the urban and post-industrial south suburbs of Chicago. As a native of the southern Great Lakes area, it feels good to return to the friendly and more laid back atmosphere of the Midwest. Working as a naturalist in the Chicago region will be both rewarding and painstakingly challenging. In the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, conservation challenges were numerous, and included (but were not limited to) large amounts of trash and debris as well as urban runoff from a seemingly endless population growth. However, the region seemed well equipped to deal with some of the larger environmental issues, and despite a growing human population and increased land development, the health of the Chesapeake Bay has been steadily improving (Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 2012). Figure 1: For the first time in over