On June 21st we celebrated Summer Solstice at Meditation Point to kick off our community resiliency events. We were led by Treekeepers Rita and Al, Mia from the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, Camille from the Chicago Park District Natural Areas Program, and EEC's community resiliency planning team. This event attracted many newcomers who hadn't been involved with EEC before and was a great space to meet neighbors and other environmentalists. We hope to see another great turnout at our next plant walk on July 19th at Vedgewater Garden.
The event started with a meditation led by Monica from EEC, then the tree keepers led us on a walk-in which they informed us on the history and ecology of certain trees in this natural area. We were then able to admire the dunes at Kathy Osterman beach which have become great habitats for native species of Chicago. We finished the night with catering from Indie Cafe, desserts from our Intern (Rachel), and meeting others from the Edgewater area. We can attribute this event's success to the Edgewater Chamber and SSA26 for helping to fund this series of events. Thank you to everyone who showed up and made the event such a great time!
Help us in promoting this series of community resiliency events through our social media and by word of mouth.
Stay Connected & Learn More
Fall volunteer plantings with the CRTI start up again in September! Until then, here are some other ways to get involved with us, and resources if you're looking to add more native plants in your backyard! Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @ChicagoRTI!
Openlands’ TreeKeepers are an ever-growing community of tree ambassadors that care for the Urban Forest in Chicagoland. Complete this form to be informed about upcoming TreeKeepers courses.
Volunteer workdays take place at various natural areas across the city of Chicago. Workdays are led by trained Community Stewards. Activities differ by site and time of year, and can include tasks such as litter pickup, trail mulching, invasive plant removal, native plant installation, as well as nature-based activities like birding and plant identification walks. Come join us!
Community Science Tools
iNaturalist: iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals, share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.