Image courtesy of Friends of the Chicago River
Imagine a blue-green ribbon of wildlife habitat winding straight through the heart of Chicago. A system of open spaces, parks, and habitats that benefit all residents of the city, not just the human ones. Friends of the Chicago River recently published an incredibly extensive new project they call Chicago River Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Action Plan. The plan highlights the importance of the Chicago River as a “corridor” for animals to move safely between fragmented habitats and patches of protected land. It’s presented using a new interactive tool called a Story Map. This new technology combines regular aspects of visual story-telling, like photos and videos, and links them to specific coordinates on a map. Friends of the Chicago River are fitting this new tool into their wider Chicago River Conservation and Recovery Plan to better understand opportunities to improve biodiversity throughout the city. Connecting these ideas to specific points will help illustrate spatial relationships and form stronger senses of place for even the most casual reader. The story map does a great job at presenting information about habitat restoration, water quality, highlighting a number of “favorite” reptile, mammal, bird, and other animal species.
For this project, Chicago Audubon Society was recruited to co-lead two workshops specifically related to birds. Participants made sure the map highlighted areas for improved bird habitat, and opportunities to balance restoration and development efforts. They even decided which bird species to feature in the story. Notable birds featured front and center in the project are: Hooded Merganser, Black Crowned Night Heron, Canada Warbler, and Northern Flicker. These birds were given a spotlight because they represent the various ways birds utilize, and depend on, different areas of the river. Each bird is differentiated by a brief description of where they thrive, primary threats to their survival, and successful nesting and hunting strategies. With so many incredible birds to choose from, selecting only four is no easy task, but presenting the right birds as the “focal” species will make it easier for non-birders to form connections between the river and its avian residents.
Image Courtesy of Friends of the Chicago River
The new map allows users to cycle through a variety of “layers” covering every variable from water ways, important habitat sites, and types of vegetation to urban zones and suitable places to coordinate new projects. With the ability to look at the entire Chicago-Calumet watershed in full, or zoom in to incredible detail, it offers a whole new way to connect to a map of our city. Now, even though a lot of research has gone into creating this map, you don’t need to be an expert geographer to understand it. A big strength of the map is that it’s relatively user friendly and can be opened on both desktops and mobile devices, making it accessible to everyone. One aspect that may be of interest to bird lovers is the ability to filter all types of variables including water depth, overhanging vegetation, and slope of river edge, giving you a better understanding of specific areas and the potential birds that live there.
