Home / Environment / Endangered Herons Thrive in Chicago's Scarred Calumet Marshes
Endangered Herons Thrive in Chicago's Scarred Calumet Marshes
11 Aug
Summary
- Endangered black-crowned night herons established a large nesting colony.
- The colony thrived in a marshland scarred by heavy industry.
- Restoration efforts now aim to lure the herons back to the Calumet region.
Indian Ridge Marsh, a marshland in Chicago's Calumet region, was historically treated as industrial wasteland due to heavy manufacturing and waste disposal.
However, scientists discovered one of the Upper Midwest's largest nesting colonies of endangered black-crowned night herons there. A study in the early 2000s documented strong recruitment rates, with nesting primarily in dense reed cover.
Around 2010-2011, the colony abandoned Indian Ridge Marsh, relocating to Lincoln Park. This departure coincided with restoration work by the Army Corps of Engineers that reduced mature nesting trees, inadvertently displacing the birds.
Conservationists are now working to restore hemi marsh habitat and using conspecific attraction techniques, like decoys and calls, to lure the herons back to the Calumet region.
The marsh's story demonstrates how post-industrial sites, with their unique conditions, can support species struggling in more manicured environments, serving as a reference for brownfield conservation efforts.
