Category Archives: Land use

Chicago’s True Nature: Black History Month Event at RU on Tues 2/27

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Michael Bryson

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, February 27, 2018 4pm –6pm LOCATION: Roosevelt University Sullivan Room Auditorium Building 2nd Floor (AUD 232) 430 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605 RSVP: Please register at: forestpreserves_blackhistorymonth.eventbrite.com You’re Invited to a Celebration of Black History … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Chicago, Education, Events, Faculty, Humanities, Land use, Roosevelt, Social justice, Sustainability, Urban nature, Wildlife | Comments Off on Chicago’s True Nature: Black History Month Event at RU on Tues 2/27

Save the Fen at Joliet Junior College: An Open Letter

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Michael Bryson

This is an open letter I wrote recently to the leadership of Joliet Junior College in my hometown of Joliet, Illinois. The issue at hand is a future road extension, proposed by a mall developer, that would bisect the protected … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Joliet, Land use, Politics, Sustainability, Transportation, Urban ecology, Wetlands | Comments Off on Save the Fen at Joliet Junior College: An Open Letter

How To Save a Historic Building from Becoming a Parking Lot

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Michael Bryson

Here in my hometown of Joliet IL, we have several architectural gems in the old downtown along the east bank of the Des Plaines River. Prominent among these is the acclaimed Rialto Theatre, which I’ve written about previously in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts, History, Humanities, Joliet, Land use | Comments Off on How To Save a Historic Building from Becoming a Parking Lot

Two Canadian Filmmakers Drop by for an Interview

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Michael Bryson

This past Sunday, Toronto-based independent filmmakers Geoff Norris and Kyle Lennan came by my house in Joliet to interview me about the long-simmering Peotone Airport controversy in agricultural lands south of Chicago in Will County, IL. Norris and Lennan have … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Economics, Land use, Peotone, Politics, Social justice, Transportation | Comments Off on Two Canadian Filmmakers Drop by for an Interview

IL EPA Hears Southeast Side Residents’ Complaints about Petcoke Piles along Calumet River

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Michael Bryson

Last Thursday the Illinois EPA held a contentious public meeting on Chicago’s SE Side to hear residents’ concerns and complaints about the massive piles of petcoke — a waste by-product of tar sands oil refining done in nearby Whiting, IN … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Community, Health, Land use, News, Pollution, Rivers, Social justice, Waste & Recycling, Water | Comments Off on IL EPA Hears Southeast Side Residents’ Complaints about Petcoke Piles along Calumet River

Piles and Piles of Petcoke: Environmental Justice along the Calumet River

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Michael Bryson

Today’s Mike Nowak Show on WCPT features a segment about the petcoke controversy in the Calumet Region of Chicago’s far South Side. This waste by-product from the refining of oil from the tar sands of Canada has been piling up … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Community, Health, Land use, News, Pollution, Rivers, Social justice, Waste & Recycling, Water | Comments Off on Piles and Piles of Petcoke: Environmental Justice along the Calumet River

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 on Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens

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 on Burning Rock Run: Fire Management in a Will County Marshland

Junior’s Fall from Grace: More Bad News for Peotone

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Michael Bryson

You’d think that Jessie Jackson Jr.’s stunning fall from political grace last week would have opponents of the Great Imaginary Airport in Peotone doing cartwheels of joy out in the cold autumnal winds of eastern Will County. After all, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Joliet, Land use, Peotone, Politics, Transportation | Comments Off on Junior’s Fall from Grace: More Bad News for Peotone

Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Proposal Wins Federal Approval

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Michael Bryson

This past week saw some great news this week for citizens of the greater Chicago region as well as southeast Wisconsin. The US Dept of the Interior has announced the approval of the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, a constellation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Land use, News, Parklands, Wildlife | Comments Off on Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Proposal Wins Federal Approval