2021 was a very eventful year for the Woods and Wetlands Group—from celebrating the enactment of Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act to launching local campaigns to improve rail safety and cut back on single-use plastics.
Climate and Equitable Jobs Act
As the result of three years of intense activism across the state by a coalition of environmental partners, labor groups, and consumer advocates, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was signed into law.
CEJA is a nation-leading law that puts Illinois on a path to a 100% clean energy future, begins electrification of the transportation sector, and provides a just transition for communities and workers that have been dependent on fossil fuels.
Because of COVID restrictions, we met virtually with our legislators to ask them to push for a vote on CEJA. We also participated in several statewide rallies via Zoom.
Green Corridor
As you may have read, several organizations are working together to preserve the corridor once slated to become the Route 53 highway extension through Lake County as a north-south greenway.
Along with Green Corridor partners, we celebrated the area's beauty with an Open Space Celebration on Nov. 7.
At the same time, we launched a “Fields of Vision” photography contest to capture scenes of the wildlife and rare habitats of the corridor. Nine winners—three winners in each of three categories—were announced in December.
See all nine winning photographs here.
The Route 53 task force created by the State of Illinois has started meeting to study the costs, feasibility, and environmental impacts of alternative uses of the expansion land. One important consideration: any potential impact on flooding in the area.
Sierra Club and our partner, Livable Lake County, each have a representative on the task force. Its recommendation is due to the General Assembly by the end of 2022.
New Conservation Campaigns
Our new plastics campaign focuses on reducing single-use plastics. The team led by Sharron Starr is launching an initiative to reduce the use of plastics in local restaurants. (The Lake County Board has banned single-use plastics in its facilities.)
La Coalition’s Rail Safety Campaign also got underway. Gerri Songer and her team are focusing on ways to protect our area from the negative impacts of hazardous materials transported by rail.
Speaker Series Videos
Our Speaker Series continued with well-attended virtual programs. Titles included "Corpse Botany," "Courtship, Love, and Sex in the Natural World," "Camping for Newbies," "Tune Your Ears to the Singing Insects," "Resilient Prairie and Woodland Restoration," "Toxic Blue-Green Algae 101," "Cranes of North America," and "The Open Road Is a River."
Watch (or rewatch!) these and other programs at Woods and Wetlands 2021 Speaker Series videos.
“Fields of Vision” photos: “Kestral Flyover” by David Jacobson; “Heron Creek” by Kaavya Vassa.