Category Archives: Urban ecology

Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Michael Bryson

Question: What do the northeastern Illinois communities of Arlington Heights, Batavia, Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Northbrook, Oak Park, Plainfield, and St. Charles have in common with Cincinnati, OH; Nashville, TN; Pittsburgh, PA; Sioux City, IA; and Topeka, KS? Answer: All of them … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Joliet, Land use, News, Politics, Sustainability, Urban ecology | Comments Off

Burning Rock Run: Fire Management in a Will County Marshland

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Michael Bryson

From my perch this morning at the Joliet Public Library’s West Branch, I’m looking out at the Rock Run Forest Preserve of Will County, which is adjacent to the library. Looks like folks from the FPDWC are doing a prescribed … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Land use, Parklands, Sustainability, Urban ecology, Wetlands | Comments Off

Snow on the Ground, Water on the Mind

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Michael Bryson

Last Saturday, Feb. 23, my SUST 220 Water students (both past and present) joined me at a wonderful annual event here in the Windy City: the Chicago River Student Congress, convened by the environmental conservation organization Friends of the Chicago … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Classes, Education, Events, Faculty, Field Trips, Pollution, Rivers, Roosevelt, Students, Sustainability, Urban ecology, Water | Comments Off

Winter Symposium on Sustainability at Augustana College

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Michael Bryson

Today I head west to the city of Rock Island, which hugs the Mississippi River in northwestern Illinois (right across the water from Davenport, Iowa). I’ve been invited to give a talk on urban sustainability issues in Chicago at Augustana … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Conferences, Photography, Research, Rivers, Sustainability, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Water | Comments Off

Canoeing the Upper North Branch of the Chicago River

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Michael Bryson

This past Saturday, students in my SUST 220 Water and PLS 391 Natural Science seminars at Roosevelt University joined me for an urban ecology adventure on the Upper North Branch of the Chicago River. We convened mid-morning at Linné Woods, … Continue reading →

Posted in Classes, Field Trips, Parklands, Rivers, Roosevelt, Students, Sustainability, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Water | Comments Off

Assessing Water Quality on the Chicago River’s North Branch at West River Park

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Michael Bryson

Saturday, Sept. 8th, was the first day of class for my Sustainability Studies 220 Water seminar at Roosevelt University. Instead of staying inside our classroom all day, though, we took advantage of excellent late-summer weather here in Chicago to take … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Classes, Field Trips, Parklands, Pollution, Rivers, Science, Students, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Water | Comments Off

City Creatures: A New Blog

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Michael Bryson

Here’s an exciting new blog to check out: City Creatures, a place of insightful writing about animals (and their human neighbors) here in Chicago’s urban and suburban environments. This is a project of the environmental non-profit organization, the Center for … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Literature, Rivers, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Water, Wildlife | Comments Off

City Creatures Retreat at the Indiana Dunes (Pictures and Random Thoughts)

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Michael Bryson

I’ve never been invited to a writer’s retreat before (not to mention a writers and artists retreat), and despite long anticipation and careful planning for this one, I almost didn’t get to go to this one when my spouse took … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Chicago, Community, Events, Field Trips, Literature, Parklands, Research, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Wetlands, Wildlife | Comments Off

City Creatures Writer’s/Artist’s Retreat at the Indiana Dunes (Midstream Reflections)

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Michael Bryson

There are many times when I give thanks for having the wonderful job of being a professor — and today is one such day. I’m writing this update from a motel room in Chesterton, Indiana, where I’m attending a writer’s/artist’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Chicago, Conferences, Events, Literature, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Wildlife | Comments Off

Paddling Bubbly Creek: Water, Food, and Urban Ecology

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Michael Bryson

This past Sunday, 29 April 2012, students from my SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class joined staff and student interns from Growing Power‘s Chicago Lights Urban Farm for a canoe trip on Bubbly Creek, aka the South Fork of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Chicago, Classes, Field Trips, Food, Pollution, Rivers, Students, Urban ecology, Urban nature, Water | 3 Comments