BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG
I want to thank my “Nature in Chicagoland” readers for visiting my blog in 2024. Last year, my blog received the most reader views (nearly 22,000) and visitors in its nearly eight-year history. I’m grateful to those who take the time to read my stories and correspond with me about nature in Chicagoland. I continue to love writing this blog, and wish I had more time in my daily life to do so.
In 2024, I visited many new nature destinations in the Chicago area including Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve, Marengo Ridge Conservation Area, and Freeman Kame-Meagher Forest Preserve, as well as some more distant places in Illinois, including Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford. And I revisited many spots that I love such as Cap Sauer’s Holding Nature Preserve, North Park Village Nature Center, Sand Ridge Nature Center, and Illinois Beach State Park.
I have to be honest that my most exciting 2024 trip was to Iceland. Wow! Volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs, geysers, Icelandic horses, and so much more. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I’m looking forward to going back soon. You can learn more about my trip by reading, 12 Great Destinations on Iceland’s South Coast and 26 Things You Should Know About This Magical Country Before Your First Trip.
When not visiting nature locals near and far, I also did some interviews. I interviewed Kevin Koch, a Professor Emeritus of English at Loras College, about his new book, Midwest Bedrock: The Search for Nature’s Soul in America’s Heartland. This is a great read for anyone who loves the Midwest. I also interviewed birding blogger and filmmaker Bob Dolgan about his film, “Fluddles”— a thoughtful and beautiful meditation of both what we have lost in our natural world in Illinois and beyond and what may be regained if we open our minds to the possibilities. Dolgan is also the director of “The Magic Stump” and author of the “This Week in Birding” blog. I love spotlighting local conservationists, writers, and visual artists who are also inspired by Chicagoland nature or nature in general. These people entertain, inspire, and educate people about our natural world, and it’s great to celebrate their quality work. I look forward to spotlighting more nature-focused artists, writers, and filmmakers in 2025.
I continue to receive a great response to my own book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit, which covers amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I look forward to telling you more about amazing places to visit in Chicagoland—hopefully in a second volume this year or next.
I also interviewed Daniel Pogorzelski and Sharon Waller, who were running for re-election and first-time election, respectively, to the Board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago. It would have been great to see both Pogorzelski and Waller re-elected/elected, but Pogorzelski did not win his contest. I want to thank Dan Pogorzelski for his service to the county and his positive approach to life. I applaud his dedication to helping the county achieve better water quality and meet the other goals of the MWRD. I hope that he gets the chance to serve the people of Illinois in some new elected or other capacity in the future. With that said, I’m very happy to see a water engineer (Waller) on the board of a water agency for the first time.
Two of the biggest meteorological stories in Chicagoland last year were the ubiquity of Northern Lights sightings in Chicagoland and areas further south for the past year or so and the appearance of Comet C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that the sun has reached its maximum phase in its 11-year solar cycle. From my backyard, I viewed the Northern Lights on May 10, August 11, September 16, and October 6, 7, and 10—mostly through my phone . . . but at times with the naked eye. (NASA says that the May 10 solar storm was the “strongest geomagnetic storm at Earth in two decades—and possibly among the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years.”) The October 10 storm—which I viewed from the sandy shores of Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park—was also very powerful. It was the first time that I saw the Northern Lights in much of their glory with the naked eye. Here’s my story about that night: Thoughts On Chasing the Northern Lights and Other Celestial Phenomena in Chicagoland . . . and 30+ Tips/Resources to Help You Find Them. Finally, I saw Comet C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from my rooftop in Chicago. While I did not experience the spectacular view enjoyed by others in dark sky areas, it was still thrilling to see a comet that last appeared in our skies 80,000 years ago. Northern Lights– and comet– mania hit Chicagoland last year, and it was exciting to see so many people outside and engaged with our natural world—rather than on their phones or engaged in other distractions.
But let’s get back to the most-popular stories at “Nature in Chicagoland.” Here were the most-popular nature destination stories in 2024 as selected by my readers (you can click on the links to read the articles). I’ve covered the most-popular non-nature stories in a separate article. In those stories, I wrote about family memories, shared feedback from a first-time trip to Iceland (that article is actually a nature/culture/travelogue combo), contemplated the inevitable passing of time (especially as it relates to being a father), and celebrated Chicago weather legend Tom Skilling on his retirement.
I wish you a happy and healthy year outdoors!
1. Eight Things to Do at Emily Oaks Nature Center
3. Visit Anderson Japanese Gardens for Peace, Beauty, Waterfalls, and Stunning Landscape Design
4. Six Things to Do at Witkowsky State Wildlife Area
6. Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve: 8 Things to Do at This Biodiversity Hotspot
7. Six Things to Do at South Shore Nature Sanctuary
9. Reflections on My First Snowy Hike of the Season and 12 Tips for Winter Hiking
10. Nine Things to Do at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area
Copyright (text/photos) Andrew Morkes
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I have been a writer and editor for nearly 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I’m also a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 60 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental-focused titles that I’ve written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)