Online discussion groups and blogs are a great way to interact, particularly on your favorite esoteric topic. (Almost every organization has a facebook or twitter presence as well, but those are not listed here.)
Blogs
- A Midewin Almanac: “Recovering 20,000 acres of prairie. One volunteer day at at time.” — authored by Arthur Melville Pearson
- City Creatures: Not 100% regional, but excels at exploring the relation of humans in an urban environment with the natural world. — authored by Center for Humans & Nature
- Habitat 2030: A variety of stories of humans and nature interacting. — authored by a wide range of contributors
- Nature Inquiries: Focuses on natural history in northeastern Illinois and the surrounding environs with a particular attention to singing insects, damselflies and dragonflies. — authored by Carl Strang
- Neighborhood Nature: A family’s nature blog. — authored by Eric D. Gyllenhaal
- Strategies for Stewards: from woods to prairies: “Eco-restoration in tallgrass savanna, prairie, woods, and wetlands—inviting input from all—especially people participating in this newborn discipline of ecosystem healing.” — authored by Stephen Packard
- Vestal Grove: Stories on Somme Prairie Grove’s plants, wildlife, fun, and beauty. — authored by Stephen Packard
- Wild Things Community: “A nexus for grassroots Chicago region conservation.” — authored by various volunteer & professional contributors
Discussion Groups
Want to chat with others about conservation ideas? Below are some discussion groups you may wish to join:
- The Stewards Listserve: This Yahoo discussion group has been set up by The Nature Conservancy to facilitate and encourage discussion among Illinois stewards, co-stewards, monitors, and others. Discussion topics might include management plans, monitoring techniques, volunteer recruitment, stewardship techniques, tools, the status of animal and plant species, and so on. Here
are instructions on how to join. - Chicagoland Frogs: Frog monitors use the chifrogs Yahoo discussion group to keep in touch with each other about exciting sitings, curious critters, and burning questions that arise during the spring/summer mating season. See chifrogs for more information.
- Chicago Region Bird Monitors: The beebzz Yahoo discussion group encourages discussion among BCN bird monitors, stewards, land managers, researchers, and others interested in conserving bird habitat in the natural areas of the Greater Chicago (Chicago Wilderness) area. To join, please follow these instructions .
- Illinois Birders Forum: a website for discussion of all things related to Illinois birds—identification, behavior, latest sightings, events, conservation, and more.
- IBET (IL Birders Exchanging Thoughts): an e-mail list for the discussion of wild birds and birding issues relating to Illinois. It keeps members updated on rare and interesting birds and birding opportunities. See ILbirds for more information.
- Illinois Native Plant Society listserv: a state-wide discussion list for those interested in native plants, restoration, and local ecology. Visit this link to sign up.
- iNaturalist.org: An international online social network to record, discuss, and explore practically any living thing.
- The YardMap Network: From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, you can learn, explore, and discuss practically anything regarding backyard habitats.
Know of other Chicago region conservation discussion groups? Please let us know.