BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG
I wrote many stories about nature destinations in 2025, but I also explored other topics that were near and dear to my heart including writing about family memories and losses, interviewing talented writers and singers, and celebrating the life of Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg after he passsed away from cancer.
While there was much light in 2025 (especially the joys of family, friendships, and nature), there was also considerable darkness. Examples include escalating climate change (and the trump administration’s ongoing attempts to weaken or eliminate the laws and regulations that keep our air, water, and soil clean); ongoing science denial; an increase in book bans (or attempted book bans); an often toxic environment on social media and in other public discourse; a gallop toward an illiberal democracy in the U.S.; and a general breakdown in societal norms of behavior that have been the glue that has held our country together for many years.
I wish for a more peaceful and kind 2026 in which people help, accept, and love each other more; embrace facts; steer clear of soul-sucking social media wars and fact-challenged “media” sources; and fight to fix the wrongs and inequities that exist in our nation and world. And that more people embrace nature–from our city parks to our beautiful state and national parks–as an antidote and sort of “power pack” to weather the storms of 2026. You can check out more than 60 of my non-nature stories by clicking here. Topics include reviews of biographies and Chicago-focused books; the Flight 93 National Memorial; Chicago “characters”; local ghosts and cemeteries; an epic 19-hour Amtrak trip to Washington, DC; a fun trip to Iceland; off-the-beaten-track museums; and much more.
Here are the most popular non-nature posts in 2025 based on page views by my readers. Click on the links to read the articles. (Note: I’ll be posting a list of the most-popular nature stories of 2025 in early 2026.)
1. Talented Singer/Songwriter Releases New Music: A Conversation with Ann Marie Boyle
4. A Few Thoughts to Celebrate the Life of Ryne Sandberg
5. Remembering Coffee (the story of one of our beloved guinea pigs, who passed away this week)
Copyright (text): Andrew Morkes
Copyright (photos): Andrew Morkes and others as indicated in the individual articles
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 a professional wrestler of words 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.
My poetry has appeared in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 70 teen and young adult-oriented books about college planning and careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series), Lerner Publishing, and Mason Crest (including Detecting Misinformation on Social Media, Detoxing from Video Games, The After Life, and Sports and STEAM: Arts).
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)