CHICAGO — October 23, 2025 — Audubon Nice Lakes’ Powderhorn Lake Habitat Restoration Venture has been acknowledged with a Power of Nature Conservation Award from the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, a collaborative community spanning Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin that brings collectively leaders and organizations advancing nature-based options throughout the area.
The Power of Nature Awards have fun folks and tasks that rise to fulfill the second with daring concepts, artistic partnerships, and significant motion. Awardees are acknowledged by their friends for sparking ripples of constructive change for nature and communities alike—proving that one individual or one mission could make a distinction that reaches far past expectations.
“Communities throughout the nation are dealing with unprecedented challenges, so it’s extra essential than ever to search out hope and power in collective motion,” stated Elizabeth Kessler, Chair of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance and Government Director of the McHenry County Conservation District. “The people and websites acknowledged this 12 months remind us that optimism and collaboration stay highly effective forces. Their work will not be solely inspiring—it’s a blueprint for a way we are able to proceed to come back collectively to guard what issues most and construct a extra resilient future.”
Restoring a Uncommon Gem within the Calumet Area
The historic Powderhorn Lake Habitat Restoration Venture, accomplished in 2023, restored greater than 100 acres of wetlands by reconnecting Powderhorn Lake to Wolf Lake—and in the end Lake Michigan. Powderhorn Lake Forest Protect on Chicago’s southeast aspect, is among the most biodiverse pure areas in Illinois. It comprises a globally uncommon dune-and-swale panorama—a mosaic of ridges, wetlands, and prairies discovered solely alongside just a few shorelines of the Nice Lakes.
This multi-year collaboration between Audubon Nice Lakes, the Nice Lakes Fee, and the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reestablished important marsh habitat for migratory birds, whereas additionally offering broader group advantages akin to diminished flooding and erosion. The mission was made potential by means of sturdy partnerships with the Forest Preserves of Prepare dinner County, native communities, and conservation allies devoted to revitalizing Chicago’s Calumet Area.
“Powderhorn Lake is a narrative of renewal—of how communities, science, and partnerships can come collectively to carry a panorama again to life,” stated Michelle Parker, Vice President and Government Director of Audubon Nice Lakes. “We’re proud to see this work acknowledged by the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, and grateful to our companions and the individuals who made this restoration potential.”
“We’re already seeing marshbird species like Least Bitterns and Widespread Gallinules returning to the location—birds that rely upon wholesome wetland ecosystems to outlive,” stated Daniel Suarez, Conservation Director for Audubon Nice Lakes. “This recognition underscores the significance of restoring habitat in locations like Powderhorn Lake, the place even small modifications can create massive wins for birds and folks.”
The Chicago Wilderness Alliance acknowledged 31 people, organizations, and tasks at its Celebration of Conservation occasion held October 22, 2025, on the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. The Alliance brings collectively a whole bunch of companions and professionals throughout the four-state area to implement landscape-scale conservation that ensures each folks and nature thrive.
Study extra in regards to the Powderhorn Lake Forest Protect restoration mission: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8761f0b9c0d44095a3cbeb1e66bb7317
