This “premier site for wetland birds” houses yellow-headed blackbirds, pied-billed grebes, and common moorhen, and is included on the State of Illinois list of important sites, the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory.
Unfortunately, economics and political sleight-of-hand have both gutted the original innovative, environmentally-educational, potential of this once favored site, in lieu of a bicycle park likely to do more damage than good to the endangered species that were to have been preserved and protected in this area and its counterpart, Big Marsh.
Thus, the Ford Environmental Education Center/ “Best Nest” facility that would have made Hegewisch Marsh a world class environmental learning center has followed closely on the footsteps of “Johnny Appleseed," and “Bigfoot,” into the annals of American mythology.
Unfortunately, economics and political sleight-of-hand have both gutted the original innovative, environmentally-educational, potential of this once favored site, in lieu of a bicycle park likely to do more damage than good to the endangered species that were to have been preserved and protected in this area and its counterpart, Big Marsh.
Thus, the Ford Environmental Education Center/ “Best Nest” facility that would have made Hegewisch Marsh a world class environmental learning center has followed closely on the footsteps of “Johnny Appleseed," and “Bigfoot,” into the annals of American mythology.
Photos by Joann Podkul Murphy and Kevin P. Murphy
COMMUNITY COMMENTS ABOUT THE MARSH’S DEVELOPMENT: http://spotlightingsoutheastchicago.com/articles---archived-2015.htmlhttp://spotlightingsoutheastchicago.com/articles---archived-2015.html See, in particular, the section, “BEST NEST — One More time . . .”
Videos that include some history of the transformation from promising future to abandoned future:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ItHchgkgs&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4F_wJRMfuI&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdTF6dy7k2o&feature=youtu.behttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBdTF6dy7k2o&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_vEG7UuR0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ItHchgkgs&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4F_wJRMfuI&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdTF6dy7k2o&feature=youtu.behttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBdTF6dy7k2o&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_vEG7UuR0