Conscious Choice: The Calumet Initiative

Canoeing the Calumet River. Photo: Chicago Dept. of Environment

Bringing Back Blue Butterflies

Unlike most endangered species that require their habitat be left alone, the demure Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) loves disturbance.

For centuries, this small, distinctive creature, with silvery-gray and blue wings that span approximately one inch, flitted through patches of oak savanna and pine barrens from New England to Minnesota. Named by great novelist Vladimir Nabokov (probably better known for his controversial novel Lolita than his lepidoptery), there were once so many Karner blues that all one could see were clouds of blue snowflakes.

This dynamic ecosystem supports lupine, (Lupinus perennis) the only known host plant for their caterpillars. Like the Monarch that is dependent on milkweed, the Karner butterfly cannot exist without these blue pea-shaped flowers.

In years past, wildfires played a critical role in shaping these natural communities. Periodic fire swept across the landscape, keeping shrubs low and clearing the area of more aggressive colonizers like aspen, maple, and black locust that, if they took hold, would shade out the lupine and other smaller plants. Today, society deprives these ecosystems of the very forces that created them. While human activities such as agriculture, urbanization and fire suppression are destroying this habitat, most detrimental is fragmentation and degradation of existing land.

In 1992, the Karner blue butterfly was listed as an endangered species. In 2000, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with other agencies and launched the Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan, an effort to reintroduce this delicate butterfly. The plan identified areas that offered the best opportunities to establish and maintain viable populations of the Karner blue throughout its current range.

Several natural areas of the Calumet region were identified as potentially supporting a viable metapopulation. One such area was the Ivanhoe Dune and Swale Preserve in Gary, Indiana.

Ivanhoe Nature Preserve is one of the few remaining tracts of native landscape left there. In the early 1990s, a small population of Karner blues still occupied the preserve. Unfortunately, two separate wildfires in the spring of 1996 consumed the majority of habitat occupied by Karner blues at Ivanhoe. A prolonged period of cold damp weather during late spring caused a drop in Karner blue populations throughout northwest Indiana. The combination of fire and bad weather drastically reduced the butterfly’s numbers, and within one year it disappeared from the preserve. This event was a sobering lesson, confirming that prairie and savanna habitats had degraded to the point that specialized species such as the Karner blue were indeed vulnerable to local extinction.

Led by Paul Labus of the Nature Conservancy, the Conservancy began restoring large areas of black oak savanna and planting an abundance of blue lupine.

The first step was to reduce the coverage of shrubs and saplings. Next, larger trees were cut to create gaps in the canopy. At the time, the Conservancy had no idea how resilient the system would be.

However, the addition of fire and light brought rapid change to the system. The soil supported rootstocks of plants, and to the Conservancy’s surprise, several prairie and savanna grasses and forbs appeared the following spring. Within two growing seasons, species such as lupine quickly began an ecological expansion that continues today. Equally important, three discrete habitat patches were created to shelter vulnerable species from an all-consuming wildfire event in the future.

The Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan continued with re-introducing the Karner blue butterfly. A U.S. Fish & Wildlife permit allowed the Conservancy to collect up to 20 mated female Karner blues each year from the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. In the spring of 2001, after capturing 15 females that laid eggs, Paul Labus and his team spent a month hand-feeding caterpillars leaves of the blue lupine. That year, the first 250 of more than 1,000 Karner blue butterflies were released.

The butterflies continue to persist at Ivanhoe in low, but increasing numbers in each year. According to Labus, this is due to fragmentation of the landscape from larger suitable habitats to smaller, sometimes isolated, habitats. Fragmentation, combined with complex landownership and land use patterns, has created a difficult landscape for developing and implementing conservation strategies in this area.

Success at Ivanhoe is only one milestone in the long process of re-establishing a true metapopulation of the Karner blue butterfly in this area, which the Nature Conservancy hopes to do within the next 10 years. Most of the nearby natural area remnants are also fire-suppressed, and will require intensive canopy thinning. In addition, it may be necessary to create habitat patches to facilitate dispersal between preserves.

— Mary Boldan

August 2006

The Calumet Initiative

Collaborating Human Economy
and Nature’s Economy

By Mary Boldan

Once seen as disease-breeding swamps, wetlands are now recognized as a vital ecological resource. And, in Illinois, nowhere are they more significant than in the Calumet area. The abandoned industrial sites, garbage dumps, dredged rivers, and filled wetlands that surround the Lake Calumet region serve as a reminder that industrial progress does not come free. However, even with the intense industrial activity, the wetlands remain a critical stopover for migrant birds and offer the greatest concentration of threatened and endangered species in Illinois including the Black-crowned Night Heron Henslow’s sparrow, and short-eared owl.

In fact, although the sediments have seriously contaminated some wetlands, nature has the ability to withstand injury and neglect. The University of Illinois in Urbana conducted a study at the two wetlands Big Marsh and Indian Ridge Marsh North using tree swallows as indicators of contamination. “Since tree swallows use nest boxes, you can erect boxes in an area of interest (where contamination is suspected) and they are likely to nest there,” says Sue Gallo, graduate research assistant at University of Illinois, and the Illinois Natural History Survey. “They tend to forage close to their nests, so if they are affected, it is because of what is going on in a fairly discrete area. If they are affected by the contaminants, it can be assumed that more sensitive species will be affected as well, and perhaps to a greater extent. We were interested to see that the concentrations of contaminants in our study areas were generally not at levels that typically cause concern. This was interesting to us considering the long-term industrial use of the region and all the dumping that had gone on.”

History of the Calumet Region

Throughout history, numerous attempts were made to carve out a future for the Calumet area. In 1909, Daniel Burnham spoke of the large swamps of Lake Calumet being developed into parks. However, the main reason this natural gem survived is that for decades, Calumet area residents and several organizations worked and fought hard to protect and preserve the pockets of habitat, especially in the 1980s, when they resisted efforts of the city to demolish the homes in Hegewisch and build Chicago’s third airport.

The complexities and challenges of environmental work in the Calumet area have also made it a researcher’s playground. Ornithologists, toxicologists, sociologists, and many other ‘ologists’ have all come to research the area. It is the efforts of these early trailblazers that helped changed the perception of the Calumet from dump to potential oasis.

However, because of the size of the region and the complexity of its issues, many groups found that collaboration was the best, if not only the way, to advance restoration in the region. No one group or party stood alone in trying to find a solution. Save the Dunes Council and Grand Calumet Task Force sit at the table with the U.S. Steel, and Northern Indiana Public Service Company, as well as educators and local residents.

Therefore, to meet their needs, and keep communication flowing, the first Calumet Research Summit was held in May 2000 to collect and synthesize as much of the existing information as possible, as well as encourage interdisciplinary thinking, provide a forum to share findings, and define opportunities for collaboration and priority setting. Participation included government agencies, industries, museums, conservation organizations and local community organizations.

Birth of the Calumet Initiative

In June 2000, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and former Illinois Governor George Ryan announced a significant new partnership for the area called the Calumet Initiative. The initiative is a collaborative effort to rehab concurrently both the region’s open space parcels and its economy over a 20-square-mile area, with the goal of demonstrating that ecological and economic restoration can occur in a complementary process. The coexistence of industrialized lands and high-quality wetland habits is the defining feature of the Calumet area. In fact, many believe the Calumet area can be an important model for other industrial communities throughout the country. Unlike the regular approach to planning, the Calumet plan is taking on a holistic approach.

At the same time, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (CDPD) completed several significant reports that are helping shape the economy and land use in the Calumet region.

• The Calumet Area Land Use Plan explored the region’s natural history and patterns of human use and development and made broad recommendations about the future use of different parcels of land. The plan recommended 3,000 acres of land for industrial redevelopment and 4,800 acres for open space that will be managed by various state and local agencies as the Calumet Open Space. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County recently acquired approximately 150 acres of prime wetland, prairie and bur oak savanna habitat in Burnham Prairie. Burnham Prairie harbors over 230 native species including such conservative species as lead plant, prairie milkweed, stiff aster and white prairie clover.

• The Calumet Open Space Reserve Plan details the 4,800 acres of natural areas and wetlands, as well as provides a vision for natural area preservation, rehabilitation, recreation, and trail connections. It is a blueprint for local government action.

• Finally, the Calumet Design Guidelines address the private property that will be redeveloped for industry. The Guidelines articulate, describe and illustrate the City of Chicago’s requirements for sustainable site design in the Calumet area; provides background information on soils, hydrology and ecology; and provides guidance on the practical implementation of the Guidelines. The Guidelines were adopted in March of 2004.

Since the key to the Calumet Initiative is collaboration, a second summit was held in January 2006. This presentation touched on projects including the Calumet Open Space Reserve, the Calumet Area Ecological Management Strategy, the Calumet Ecotox Protocol, the Calumet Stewardship Initiative, and the Calumet Hydrologic Master Plan.

Ecological Management Strategy

The Calumet Area Ecological Management Strategy is a framework of ideas and approaches for protecting the rehabilitated land identified in the Calumet Open Space Reserve. It focuses especially on the ecological health of the region’s diverse natural areas, with an eye toward preserving critical habitat especially for key state endangered and threatened species such as the Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) and Franklin’s ground squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii), improving the ecology and creating new ecosystems appropriate for the area. It is important to note that restoration to pre-settlement conditions is not the goal. Wherever possible, sites will be returned to full and sustainable ecological health. However, the human impact of the Calumet region has been so great that in many areas ecological health may comes in a new form. For example, stream and dolomite prairies may not be able to flourish in former wetlands now filled with slag.

Wetlands are the primary ecological structure of concern in Phase 1. This includes Indian Ridge Marsh, Heron Pond, Deadstick Pond, Big Marsh, and Lake Calumet. “Ecological rehabilitation has already begun for Indian Ridge Marsh,” says Suzanne Malec, deputy commissioner of natural resources for DOE. “The dredging spoils that were dumped on the marsh helped it qualify for funds from the Army Corps of Engineers for rehab.”

Hegewisch Marsh Restoration Project will be one first large-scale wetland restoration projects in the Calumet area. The restoration project will include removing invasive species, installing native plants, and executing other habitat changes to benefit coastal wetland-dependent plants and animals, such as the endangered colony of yellow-headed blackbirds that nest at the site. The city received a grant U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Grant program, since all the water from that site flows directly to Lake Michigan, the marsh is considered a coastal area.

Phase 2 contain more high quality habitat remnants, such as dunes, savannas, and other uplands habitats.

The Hydrologic Master Plan

Hydrology has always been a priority issue in rehabilitating the Calumet region since the bodies of water and the overall hydrology of the area have been altered dramatically over the past 125 years. In the Calumet region, water quality and quantity at different sites post a number of challenges. Fluctuations in surface water levels can have a detrimental impact on bird species, especially marsh-breeding species. In February 2006, the Calumet Hydrologic Master Plan was released, describing the watershed boundaries, groundwater and surface water level monitoring and stage-discharge relationships, water control structure analysis, and identification of hydrologic connections between parcels.

Calumet Ecotox Protocol: Protecting Calumet’s Plants and Animals

Due to the extensive use and abuse of the Calumet area’s ecosystems, it is no surprise that varying degrees of contamination exist on the open spaces. A major challenge has been determining how to convert the open spaces to nature preserves accessible to both humans and flora/fauna, while providing protection from contaminant exposure that could cause adverse health effects. Contaminants cycle through an ecosystem—from soil and groundwater, to vegetation, to insects feeding on that vegetation—making Calumet’s cleanup hurdles even more daunting. According to Sue Gallo, “I think it is pretty safe to say that all urban areas have some level of contamination of certain contaminants. This area is no different—it has a good deal of pesticide residues (as most urban areas do, due to mosquito spraying) and some PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, which are everywhere and were used as industrial lubricants before they were banned)).

While the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has cleanup standards to protect human health, no current standards exist to ensure the safety of the flora and fauna that have historically used the sites or those that will be attracted to the sites after rehabilitation. To fill this void, the Chicago Department of Environment, federal, state and local agencies, and current and future landowners produced the Calumet Ecotox Protocol. The document will help us understand whether contaminants on a given parcel of land are safe for plants and animals.” says Nicole Kamins, Program Director Chicago Department of Environment. “The protocol uses data from different regions of the USA and other countries to establish threshold and benchmark levels for ecological receptors. If a contaminant shows up as below threshold, we know it’s safe for the critters. If it shows up above benchmark, the contaminant likely has a negative impact on the critters, and should be addressed by remediation or other appropriate measures. So in essence, the document will allow us to determine how clean is clean enough for the critters, and then guide our restoration plan to ensure the safety of the plants and animals.”

Hegewisch Marsh and Van Vlissingen Prairie are the first two properties which will implement guidelines in the protocol.

Stewardship Initiative

To help maintain and monitor these open spaces over the years, the Calumet Stewardship Initiative has been launched.

The focus of this multi-partner effort is engaging the Calumet region’s residents in environmental action. Active participation by people of all ages in the ongoing ecological support of the open spaces is vital to the areas long-term sustainability while providing opportunities for connecting with natural areas, says Suzanne Malec. The Field Museum, city and state agencies, Openlands Project, Southeast Environmental Task Force and numerous other groups have been crucial organizers in the process. For example, in 2002, the Calumet Biodiversity Blitz, a 24-hour inventory of Calumet area species that involved more than 100 scientists and scores of community members and volunteers. More than 2,200 species were identified in the Calumet’s wetlands, woodlands, water bodies and prairies.

The Field Museum, city and state agencies, Openlands Project, Southeast Environmental Task Force and other Calumet-based groups have been crucial organizers in the process.

Conclusion

While restoration is one of the primary goals of the Calumet Initiative, educating the public about the industrial, cultural and ecological heritage of the Calumet is just as important. The City of Chicago Department of Environment, State of Illinois, Ford Motor Company, and Chicago’s Environmental Fund have partnered to develop the Ford Calumet Environmental Center on the site of the Hegewisch Marsh. The design for the center was chosen through an international competition; the winner was Studio Gang, a Chicago architecture firm. The architects dubbed their solution “Best Nest. “Best Nest” refers to the way the building is to be constructed, using materials that are plentiful, discarded and nearby similar to how birds and other animals build their nests. In this sense, the building demonstrates in a very visible way, “the sustainable principal of re-use.” explains Jeanne Gang, principal and founder of Studio Gang. “It connects the building to its site which is defined by both the natural habitat that the site provides and also its cultural history as a major steel producer. A few of the materials that the design incorporates are salvaged steel for the structure in the form of column bundles, and slag (a by-product of steel production) and broken bottles for the terrazzo floors and concrete.”

Most everyone seems to understand that it will take time to address the effects of 150 years of intensive industrialization. Bu the recent surge of activity represents the first comprehensive attempt to strike a balance between ecology and economy, and prove that nature can endure amid a city’s waste sites and patches of ecologically significant wetlands.

Mary Boldan is a free-lance writer specializing in environmental and organic gardening issues.

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August 2006

The Calumet Initiative

Collaborating Human Economyand Nature’s Economy

By Mary Boldan

Collaborating Human Economy
and Nature’s Economy