Wild Things Conference This Saturday (March 5)

The fourth biennial Wild Things conference will take place all day tomorrow at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This day-long conference brings together the region’s best experts, hardest working professionals, most dedicated volunteers and anyone interested in nature. Technical presentations and interactive workshops explore the latest in natural areas conservation, wildlife protection and monitoring, and sustainability. The conference is organized in “tracks” designed for everyone from newcomers to experts. There is special focus on empowering citizen scientists, stewards and advocates with information, networking and good ideas.  Among the speakers scheduled are Roosevelt Professors Mike Bryson and Carl Zimring, as well as a keynote address by Aldo Leopold expert Curt Meine.

Keynote Presentation
Curt Meine
Green Fire: The Legacy of Aldo Leopold in the Chicago Region (includes a preview of a new film about Leopold)

Curt Meine will discuss the powerful role of famed conservationist Aldo Leopold in the birth and evolution of ecosystem conservation. Meine will highlight Leopold’s legacy as seen in the people, ecosystems, and history-making conservation initiatives of the Chicago area. He will also present a selection from the first full documentary film about Leopold, which is premiering this spring. Curt is a conservation biologist and writer based in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. A new edition of his 1988 book Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work has just been published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Curt currently serves director for conservation biology and history with the Center for Humans and Nature; senior fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation; and research associate with the International Crane Foundation.

For registration information, directions, and other details, see the conference overview page.

Re-discovering Leonard Dubkin, Chicago Urban Nature Writer

As a literary critic, one recognizes the rare privilege in discovering an obscure yet talented writer — whether someone living or from the distant past — and reintroducing that person to a contemporary readership. Such was my opportunity a few years ago when I came across a book by Leonard Dubkin (1905–72) in a used bookstore in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. That serendipitous finding was the seed of a research project on Dubkin, a self-taught naturalist and longtime Chicago journalist, which culminated this month in the publication of my essay, “Empty Lots and Secret Places,” in the Winter 2011 issue of Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature and the Environment. As I write in the article’s introduction:

Dubkin [was] an urban naturalist and Chicago writer who immersed himself in Chicago’s natural history long before the recent rediscovery of urban environments by literary critics and nature writers. Like the [small city] park that commemorates him, Dubkin has been easy to overlook. Although he penned several books on nature in the city, wrote a widely read nature column for Lerner Newspapers in Chicago for many years, and published frequently in major national newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and New York Times, Dubkin today is a virtual unknown.

Yet the recent resurgence of interest in the environmental issues and history of urban areas in general and the Chicago region in particular makes Dubkin’s work important. His writings are a rich historical document of urban nature as well as a detailed exploration of one person’s engagement with the “wild” elements of the city: plants, birds, insects, mammals, and various representatives of the human population. Dubkin has much to say not just to Chicagoans interested in their city’s environment or to aficionados of nature writing, but to all who are engaged in the conservation, preservation, restoration, and representation of urban nature. He speaks, as well, to city and suburban dwellers who feel alienated from an idealized nature they imagine exists only “out there,” away from urban sprawl and congestion.

Dubkin’s essays and books extol the value of the commonplace and mundane for exploring biological adaptation and ecological complexity, illustrate the rewards of patient observation of and direct experience with natural phenomena, and explore the inescapable interconnection of humanity and nature in the urban landscape.

I frequently teach selections from Dubkin’s books in my humanities seminar at Roosevelt University, and students respond enthusiastically to his work. While my essay is the first scholarly treatment of Dubkin’s work, short excerpts from his books have been included in two recent literary anthologies: Terrell Dixon’s City Wilds: Essays and Stories about Urban Nature (2002) and Joel Greenberg’s Of Prairie, Woods, and Water: Two Centuries of Chicago Nature Writing (2008). These books not only signal the growing interest in the genre of urban environmental writing, but also illustrate the significance of Dubkin’s work within national literary contexts as well as the environmental history of the Chicago region.

Appreciations and thanks go to Terrell Dixon, professor of English at the University of Houston and colleague in the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment, who back in 2005 strongly encouraged me to follow my interest in Dubkin’s writings. Roosevelt University supported my work with a faculty research and professional development leave in the spring of 2007. Last but far from least, Chicago Jewish News journalist and editor Pauline Dubkin Yearwood granted me two interviews and access to a treasure trove of her father’s documents and letters that greatly informed and inspired my research.

“Past is Present” Undergraduate and Graduate Student Conference

Paper submissions for the “Past is Present: History, Social Movements and Justice” undergraduate and graduate student conference are due this Friday, Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. We request students provide a 200-word abstract and author information. All submissions can be emailed to pastispresent@roosevelt.edu. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Farmer in Sociology (sfarmer@roosevelt.edu) or Eric Gellman in History (egellman@roosevelt.edu).

The Call for Papers is available here: Past is Present — Call for Papers 2011 (pdf)

Address questions and replies to: sfarmer@roosevelt.edu

Sustainable Landscape Design and RU’s Campus Plan

On Thursday, Feb. 17th, landscape architect Bill Bedrossian of Bedrock Earthscapes visited Mike Bryson’s SUST 210 The Sustainable Future class in Schaumburg and gave a special guest lecture on green landscaping practices. Bill is working with a faculty/staff/student green campus committee led by Paul Matthews, Asst. VP for Campus Planning/Operations, to design a new look and sustainable landscape plan for the Schaumburg Campus. This past Thursday, Bill updated us on this ongoing planning process as well as presented his knowledge about sustainable landscape design and maintenance, a topic that connects with a variety of themes in SUST 210 this semester. Also in attendance that night were members of Prof. Greg Buckley‘s seminar in natural science (who among other things are working on a project of identifying all the tree species on the Schaumburg Campus grounds), SUST major Alan Swartz, Paul Matthews, and a few other members of the Schaumburg Campus community.

Excellent discussion ensued about the advantages of various landscape design features for energy and water conservation, as well as about the in-progress ideas for the Schaumburg Campus redesign, which includes extensive native vegetation replacing the bulk of the current turf grass; a restored wetland at the detention pond site; native plant demonstration beds and a potential orchard; bioswales, a rain garden, a cistern, and pervious paving in the parking lots for on-site water retention; a composting site and possible “edible wall” vertical garden; and better outdoor recreational space, including a baseball field. Open areas near McConnor Parkway on the campus periphery will be planted in native grasses in the short-term, but could be re-developed later as a small-scale urban farming operation.  

A pdf version of Mr. Bedrossian’s presentation to SUST 210 is included here: Sustainable Site Practices and RU Concepts. Slides 46-49 address RU’s campus grounds planning process, and slide 48 is the current draft Sustainable Landscape Plan Map. Take a look at that map (zoom in on it to see details) and as you analyze it, ask yourself some questions:

  • Who are the various groups of people that would use and experience this landscape — students, staff, faculty, visitors, etc. — and what are their needs and interests? (Think about, for example, the value of a walking/biking trail that could wind through the campus.)
  • What kinds of learning and leisure activities should the campus landscape support and encourage? How can it connect the university to the surrounding community of Schaumburg?
  • What about the plan at present do you like, and why?
  • Is there anything missing that you’d like to see incorporated into the plan?

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the plan, please post them here on this blog post (if you’d prefer to simply email me feedback privately, you may do so at mbryson@roosevelt.edu ). I’ll make sure your suggestions find their way to the Schaumburg Campus committee working on this plan. Thanks for your input!

Summer Offerings in Sustainability Studies

The Sustainability Studies program at RU is pleased to unveil the summer schedule, including the debut offerings of three SUST courses.

During the May 4-week session, Professor Greg Buckley will offer SUST 390 Special Topics — Sustainability of the National Parks at both the Schaumburg campus and in a 10-day trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Enrollment for this special seminar is capped at eight students, so we urge you to look at Professor Buckley’s preview of the course and indicate soon whether you wish to participate in this unique experience.

In the session running from May 31 to August 19, we will offer three courses.

We will announce more new courses for the fall very soon, but if you are interested in taking courses this summer, please contact your RU academic advisor for registration details and consultations on financial aid options. Registration for the summer session begins March 1. If you are not currently a Roosevelt University student, we encourage you to investigate our degree options, and our course listings.  For more information, please visit  our Sustainability Studies website, call 1-877-277-5978 (1-877-APPLY RU) or email  applyRU@roosevelt.edu.

Sustainability of the National Parks: New Summer SUST Travel Course

This exciting new course, offered for the first time at Roosevelt University by Professor Gregory Buckley of the College of Professional Studies, provides a detailed look at the sustainability of America’s National Parks. This course examines the historical impetus and individuals that launched our national park system, and how the mission of the National Park Service has evolved to reflect the emerging ideals of conservation, environmentalism and sustainability.

SUST 390 will also explore historical and contemporary issues of National Park sustainability, such as the historical threats to park wildlife and ecosystems, commercial and political exploitation, and the ever-increasing stress put on the most popular parks by an escalation in the number of visitors. Readings and discussions will also examine procedures put into place by the National Park Service to make  park facilities and their operations more “green.” Field trips include a visit to a local forest preserve, as well as a 10-day trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

For more information on Professor Buckley’s course, including required meetings at RU’s Schaumburg Campus and the travel itinerary for the North Dakota trip, see his course preview page for SUST 390 National Parks.

Free Old-Time Music Concert at RU, Feb. 11

This coming friday, my friend and RU colleague Greg Reish is giving his annual recital in Roosevelt’s historic chamber music concert space, Ganz Hall, at 8pm. This is a free concert, and not one to be missed! Greg is an accomplished guitarist and banjo player, as well as a music historian / musicologist who is a recognized authority on American folk, country, and blues music. Check out his website, and better yet, see him in person if you’re free on Friday night!

Greening the Schaumburg Campus: A Presentation

A detention pond with native planting along its banks, one of the landscapes restored by Bedrock Earthscapes

 

During the Week 4 Thursday class session for my SUST 210 Sustainable Future class in Schaumburg, we will have a guest presentation by landscape architect Bill Bedrossian of Bedrock Earthscapes. Bill is working with a faculty/staff/student green campus committee to design a new look and sustainable landscape plan for the Schaumburg Campus. He will update us on this ongoing planning process as well as present his knowledge about sustainable landscape design and maintenance, a topic that connects with a variety of themes in SUST 210 this semester. 

All 210 students as well as Sustainability Studies majors are particularly encouraged to attend; RU students/faculty at large are also welcome. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to me at mbryson@roosevelt.edu by Monday, Feb. 14th, if you plan to make it. 

When / Where:
Time: 6:30pm (45-min presentation followed by 20-min Q/A discussion)
Location: Schaumburg Campus, room 627
Travel Info: Check out the Shuttle Service from the Chicago Campus if you’re coming from downtown

RU Lecture by Activist Eli Clare on Feb. 8

Join the Roosevelt University community for a discussion with writer, speaker, and activist Eli Clare, author of Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation. In his presentation “Stolen Bodies, Stolen Lands,” Clare will offer a fresh take on how environmental justice issues are connected to ableism, heterosexism, racism, and classism.

When/Where:
Tuesday, February 8th, 4:30 – 6:00pm
Congress Lounge (2nd floor), Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago

For more information please e-mail Prof. Ellen O’Brien at eobrien@roosevelt.edu

This event is co-sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, the Social Justice Studies Program, the Department of Economics, Feminist United, RU Proud, the Delta Gamma Pi Multicultural Sorority, and the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation.

Joliet Junior College’s Green Opportunity in Downtown Joliet

            Last week as I walked down Chicago Street in downtown Joliet on my way to work, a giant crane — the jaws of its bucket suspended high in the cold gray winter sky — began the demolition of The White Store.

            Here in America, we’re good at a lot of things. One of them is knocking down buildings we consider to be worn out, old-fashioned, and/or irrelevant. Some of these structures were admittedly unremarkable in their architecture; others, though, were beautiful in design and possessed historical significance. One need only study the sorry history of lost buildings in Chicago to realize this.

            The imminent razing of Joliet’s 102-year-old White Store signals an end to the occasionally controversial debate over its fate, but is also an apt moment to pause and reflect on what kind of building should take its place in Joliet Junior College’s downtown campus redevelopment.

            Fortunately, JJC’s project is not an isolated endeavor, but part of their comprehensive master plan for the institution’s growth and evolution. Another factor is that the building design has not been finalized, to my knowledge.

            Consequently, I offer the following humble suggestions to the project’s leaders, with the caveat that I am neither an architect nor an urban planner — merely an interested citizen.

            (1) Go local. The Chicago region has a long and illustrious architectural history, and is exceedingly rich in design talent and building innovation. The downtown campus redevelopment could be a showcase project for a deserving firm, tie Joliet’s contemporary cityscape into that regional architectural legacy, and in the process feed the northeastern Illinois economy.

            (2) Make it green. With its LEED-certified greenhouse as well as other campus sustainability initiatives, JJC is leaping to the forefront of environmentally progressive colleges and universities. Building a model green structure would further this momentum, and create an environmental destination in downtown Joliet (much like notable green buildings draw visitors and media to other cities).

            (3) Be bold. This building must be special — a visual statement possessing flair and integrity. It should be unique in character and well-fitted to its purpose, yet harmonize with the heterogeneous architectural landscape of downtown. The last thing the world needs is another functional yet blasé box of a building.

            (4) Get lucky. The State’s financial house, unfortunately, is crumbling as fast as The White Store is, leaving JJC’s funding prospects uncertain. A miraculous economic turnaround in Illinois wouldn’t hurt, would it?

This article was published as “JJC’s Plan Should Be Bold, Green” in the Joliet Herald-News on Feb. 3rd, 2011. I write a monthly op-ed piece for the paper on local environmental, culture, and political issues. This is the same newspaper that I delivered as a kid, on foot and on my bike — including the days after the legendary Blizzard of ’79 that hit the Chicago region with a snowfall nearly equal to this week’s storm.