Chicago Wilderness Magazine. Illinois Steward Magazine. Outdoor Illinois Magazine. I had the good fortune to write for all three publications. Each of them rich with words and images celebrating the equally rich nature of The Prairie State. But now, all three publications have succumbed to budget cuts, a down economy and cataclysmic shifts in the publishing industry.
First of all, props to Outdoor Illinois editor Kathy Andrews. As wonderful an editor as there is. Together, in the pages of this Illinois Department of Natural Resources publication, we were able to explore new prairies along the Chicago lakefront, the preservation of an ancient ravine in Apple River Canyon, hunting for a rare plant the size of a white marble in Chicago’s Calumet region, celebrating a mix of art and nature in a ravine at the former Fort Sheridan, and most recently the plumbing of Midewin.
Midewin is plumbed? Yep. Big time. Like about one third of Illinois. And at places like Midewin, often the first restoration step involves de-plumbing. If you’d like to read more, check out Man vs. Wetlands in the latest and last issue of Outdoor Illinois Magazine. RIP.