Chicago Sun-Times Outdoors Columnist Dale Bowman Retires: An Appreciation

by anders458, posted in Uncategorized, Chicago, conservation, Illinois

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG

Chicago Sun-Times Outdoors columnist Dale Bowman has retired after nearly 30 years on the job. His last column ran in Sunday’s paper.

If you love nature in the Chicago area, you’ve probably already heard the news, and I want to share my own thoughts regarding Dale’s retirement.

One of the marks of a good writer is whether they can interest you in a topic that is not part of your regular outdoor life. Fishing was that topic for Dale and me. As a boy, I enjoyed fishing with my dad and grandfather, as well with my friends on Big Blue Lake at Owasippe Scout Reservation in Michigan. But I haven’t fished in 35 years. The same could also be said for hunting, with the last and only time that I shot a gun occurring in Boy Scouts. Yet, I was an avid reader of Dale’s weekly columns about fishing and hunting because of his enthusiasm for and knowledge about both and because I always want to learn about new things. His columns about fishing made me nostalgic for those days of childhood fishing. And someday I’m going to get back out there. Because I’m always looking for an excuse to get outdoors.  

Dale also covered many other topics in addition to fishing and hunting. His articles spotlighted conservation success stories, his morel mushroom hunting expeditions, birding, and efforts to return long-gone animals (such as Franklin’s ground squirrels) to the greater Chicago area. The other aspect that often stood out in his articles was the camaraderie that he enjoyed outdoors with old and new friends.   

I’ll miss Dale’s enthusiastic coverage of the natural areas (and blooms and wild creatures) of the Chicago area. I hope that the Sun-Times will fill his page and Internet space with the work of another great outdoors writer. Because an increasing number of people in the Chicago area are falling in love with our beautiful outdoors in all seasons. And people who are hungry for news about the flora and fauna of the Chicago area read newspapers.

I’d like to give Dale a heartfelt thank-you for spotlighting my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit, in his August 22, 2021, column in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Dale is one of the best-known outdoor writers in Chicago and the rest of northern Illinois, and it meant the world to me that someone I’d read for nearly 30 years liked my book. And his kind words translated into big book sales for me in the days after his article and others in the Chicago Tribune and Daily Southtown were published. Despite facing hard times in recent years due to the loss of advertising revenue and other issues, newspapers still matter. My wife and I still receive a daily print copy of the Chicago Sun-Times, and there’s a joy to opening the paper in the morning rather than staring at a bunch of 1s and 0s on a computer screen. And in my experience as a published author over the last 20 years, newspaper and academic journal coverage—not social media—sell more books. (Okay, I admit that social media helps, too.) Dale’s support mattered to me and to others whom he spotlighted who wrote books, made documentaries, or otherwise touted beautiful natural places in the Chicago area and beyond.

Although Dale has retired, we’ll still get to read his past columns on the Sun-Times’ website. His work lives on, which is the hope of any writer. And perhaps Dale can follow the lead of recently retired Tom Skilling, who maintains an active social media profile and still appears occasionally on WGN-TV to present special reports.

Dale, I wish you many long days of fishing and other outdoor activities, as well as great times with your family. Thanks for your dedication to nature in the Chicago area.       

Copyright (text): Andrew Morkes

Copyright (photos): Chicago Sun-Times

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.

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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES

I’ve been writing and editing for more than 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 also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.

In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 70 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:

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