From Brownfields to Greenfields: Advancing Ecological Resilience in the Calumet Region
Powderhorn Lake in Chicago’s Calumet region.
A look at the work of Walder Foundation grantees The Wetlands Initiative and the Field Museum of Natural History’s Adam Ferguson, Ph.D., and his colleagues
How do Chicago area post-industrial landscapes, plagued by decades of perpetual wastewater and chemical contaminants, become dynamic ecological sanctuaries and recreation areas once more?
That question was front and center during “Brownfields to Greenfields Tour: Restoring Wetlands for Habitat and Flood Mitigation in the Calumet Region,” one of the Walder Foundation-supported excursions of the June 2025 Sustainability and Research Innovation (SRI) Congress hosted in Chicago.
Twenty-five participants explored the evolving ecology and infrastructure of Chicago’s Calumet Region through an engaging conversation with community and conservation leaders from The Wetlands Initiative, the Field Museum of Natural History (Field Museum), Friends of Big Marsh, and Chicago Park District. Participants walked around Big Marsh Park and through the Ford Calumet Environmental Center where an exhibit showcases ecological restoration efforts.
Experts on hand and exhibit displays all highlighted the importance of restoring degraded lands. With efforts to date in the Calumet Region, visible and measurable impacts have been made in flood mitigation and habitat and wildlife restoration. Presenters agreed that one of the most visible impacts has been the joy associated with watching more area residents and visitors come to learn about the area.
“When people walk into this into this exhibit and around the area outside, we want them to see themselves,” shared Stephen Bell, Director of the Ford Calumet Environmental Center, describing community member and visitor engagement specifically at Big Marsh Park and the Ford Calumet Environment Center. “We have people that have lived a short distance away that never even knew this existed. It’s so important that people can feel at home here.”
Creating a feeling of being “at home,” for both humans and wildlife, is a continual process for post-industrial sites. Sharing and examining examples of biodiversity-centric initiatives unfolding in the Calumet Region is paramount.
A Closer Look: Indian Ridge Marsh North Shoreline Transformation
Indian Ridge Marsh North (IRMN) is located just a few miles away from June's SRI excursion route. The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) is helping lead a shoreline transformation there with aims to prevent erosion, promote aquatic ecosystem health, and protect surrounding communities from water overflow.
In 2023, TWI and partners regraded 1,895 linear feet of steep, degraded shoreline and reestablished a gradual habitat transition zone using nature-based engineering. The process helped to stabilize the shoreline and improve aquatic ecosystem health, and in the end helped double the natural shoreline at this critical remnant wetland.
Also in 2023, TWI coordinated efforts with Chicago Park District (CPD) to manage or remove invasive species across 95 acres at IRMN. Native planting was completed across many acres, including the installation of 2,800 native plugs representing 50 species, 52 native trees and shrubs, and over 42 pounds of native seed made up of 87 native prairie and wetland species. Additional rounds of species management and native plantings continued into 2024 and 2025.
Such efforts are correlated with promising wildlife return patterns. For example, marsh bird surveys have recorded a notable increase in Virginia Rails, Soras, Marsh Wrens, and state-endangered Common Gallinules using the newly restored habitat.
“Secretive marsh bird populations provide a valuable indicator of wetland health and progress of marsh restoration, particularly of development of the valuable hemi-marsh habitat type that benefits a wide variety of wetland wildlife,” shared Paul Botts, President and Executive Director of TWI. “This success shows that it is possible for habitat restoration to achieve meaningful benefits for rare and declining wildlife, even in these urban natural areas in the Calumet that had been severely degraded by industrial development.”
Continued restoration and land maintenance is necessary.
“While these increased marsh bird detections are promising, IRMN and many other degraded wetlands across the Calumet Region desperately need continued restoration and advocacy in order to ensure that species of conservation concern have space to thrive and rebound,” Botts said.
Volunteers plant seedlings at IRMN on Chicago’s southeast side. Photo courtesy of The Wetlands Initiative.
Habitat restoration work at IRMN has always been designed and carried out with community value and impact in mind.
“Our restoration focused projects have prioritized public access and expanding opportunities for local residents to experience high quality natural areas,” Botts shared. “Our hope is that we can begin to incorporate direct community feedback into future planning efforts at IRMN so that the park solidifies as a valued community asset for local residents and their leaders.”
TWI continues to host volunteer stewardship events, providing residents and hyper-local groups with an opportunity to contribute to habitat restoration efforts through hands-on activities.
“Our local volunteers often express their genuine surprise at the beauty of IRMN,” Botts shared. “Before attending a TWI event, many folks are unaware of the park’s existence or that it supports rare waterfowl and other wildlife. At a seed spreading event last winter, one of the Boy Scouts remarked that IRMN ‘doesn’t feel like it’s even in Chicago!’”
A Closer Look: Adam Ferguson’s Small Mammal Monitoring in South Chicago
Another powerful story is taking shape—this one rooted in small mammal science and community curiosity—across five total Calumet Region sites, including the SRI excursion site, Big Marsh Park.
Adam Ferguson, Ph.D., Negaunee Collection Manager, Mammals, at the Field Museum and a 2022 Walder Foundation Biota Award recipient, leads a long-term study on small mammal populations and the pathogens they carry.
Between 2022-2024, Ferguson and team held 36,132 trap nights in the Calumet Region, resulting in 5,803 total captures and 1,667 unique individuals across six small mammal species. Captured rodents were examined for ticks and blood samples were collected to screen for pathogens such as the causative agents of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and raccoon roundworm.
By identifying zoonotic disease in urban environments and informing key stakeholders responsible for natural area management, Ferguson hopes biodiversity priorities can continue to be championed, and grounds can be monitored and used safely. Similarly, by engaging area residents in the work and educating them about challenges, he and his team hope to mitigate concerns and encourage support of local conservation and restoration efforts.
“Our collaboration with the CPD directly links research to management, helping us to understand how restoration activities and park user’s behavior interacts with small mammals, ticks, and zoonotic pathogens in green spaces of Chicago’s southeast side,” shared Ferguson. “This partnership provides a wonderful opportunity to work directly with management teams and park neighbors to drive long-term sustainability and community engagement centered on biodiversity.”
Ferguson and team did encounter an unanticipated finding while studying pathogens in small mammals in the Calumet Region. The prairie deer mouse, once considered a locally extinct prairie specialist, was present in habitats with historic industry waste disposal, also known as “slag.”
“Finding viable populations of prairie deer mouse living in slag habitat such as Big Marsh Park was in all honesty, shocking,” said Ferguson. “When we first set traps in this post-industrial created habitat, I literally said out loud ‘We aren’t going to catch any mice here.’ Low and behold, we did catch mice—and a lot of them—living amongst the slag.”
This kind of fieldwork validates that supporting both restoration and research is critical, and underscores that such work must continue across generations of scientists. As southside parks evolve into a more robust ecological habitats, they also can become living labs that deepen our understanding of biodiversity.
“Establishing a long-term monitoring project of rodents and their associated parasites and pathogens in the Calumet Region, especially in partnership with CPD and Chicago State University, creates a unique opportunity for training the next generation of Chicago scientists at the intersection of human health and biodiversity conservation,” Ferguson said.
Four individuals involved with CAPTURE project present results at the Chicago Park District’s Community Science and Research Summit held at Big Marsh Park in February 2024. From left to right: Molly McDonough, Angie Bahena, Adam Ferguson, and Zoe Leone. Photo courtesy of Adam Ferguson.
Sustaining the Momentum
We know environmental resilience is built from the ground up. Through funding habitat restoration, supporting field-based research, and convening conversations that move ideas into action, people and organizations can play a role in advancing a healthier, more biodiverse future.
Learn more about Walder Foundation's environmental sustainability work: walderfoundation.org/environmental-sustainability
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