About Me

Hello. My name is Andrew Morkes and thanks for checking out my blog, Nature in Chicagoland!

I’m someone just like you (hopefully) who loves the great outdoors. The Chicago area is not the first place that comes to mind when you think of nature, but Cook County (where Chicago is located) is the most forested urban county in the United States. And there are vast forested areas of Chicagoland (especially the Palos Forest Preserves) where you can walk all day without leaving the forest preserve—and, if you go on the right day, not see another soul. If you head several hours from the Windy City, you’ll encounter the great Mississippi River, Indiana Dunes State Park, and all of the wonderful state parks in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa. In short, nature is here if you look for it—and, occasionally, work for it. And let’s not forget the natural beauty that we encounter in our city parks, our own backyards, or even on our decktop gardens.

In addition to writing about flora and fauna, my blog covers meteorology, astronomy, geology, local history, environmental restoration and protection, local colleges that offer environmental-related programs, the environment as it relates to our current political climate, and any other topics that catch my fancy.

A little about my background. 

I’ve been a writer and editor 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 80 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, College Readiness: The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, the Vault Career Guide to Consulting, 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 those in the Careers in the Building Trades, Hands-On Careers, Social Media Today, Woman in STEM Careers, Getting Started, and Cool Careers in Science series).

Here’s a list of the environmental- and clean energy-focused titles that I’ve written or co-written:

I’m the former assistant editor of Lake & Prairie, a quarterly newsletter of the Illinois Sierra Club (that was years ago, but I still look back fondly on that time).

Articles about my work have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Practical Homeschooling, and other publications. I’ve been interviewed for articles that were published by Block Club Chicago, The Morning Call (Pennsylvania), and other publications. My photographs of musicians, artists, and the natural world have been published in several books. My poetry has been published in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review. As an amateur artist, I’m pleased to say that four of my paintings were included in the 2025 Beverly Art Walk.

Thanks for reading my blog. I’d appreciate it if you could share my blog with anyone who loves nature and is looking for some great destinations in Chicagoland.

If you’d like to contact me, I can be reached at andymorkes @ gmail.com

© Andrew Morkes (text and photo)