Forest Preserves of Cook County 2022 Winter Brochure

For more than 30 years, Forest Preserves biologists have been researching the behavior of white- tailed deer, bats, coyotes, otters, badgers and other urban wildlife, just some of the thousands of plants and animal species living in the savannas, prairies, woodlands and wetlands of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. “One of the biggest challenges our natural habitats face in Cook County is that we’re in a constantly growing urban environment. Most urban wildlife behaves completely different than animals in a rural environment. There are many questions we do not Wildlife Research in the Forest Preserves understand about the ecology and natural history of local animals like otters that we’re hoping to answer through our continued research,” explains Chris Anchor, the Forest Preserves senior wildlife biologist. Wildlife researchers also track the presence or absence of animals and insects in the 70,000 acres Forest Preserves, information that provides valuable feedback on a natural community’s overall health—especially areas undergoing ecological restoration. Contined, page 36 16