A new study published in the journal Nature, titled Sea Level Much Higher Than Assumed in Most Coastal Hazard Assessments is making headlines around the world. In case you missed it, researchers have recently found that coastal sea levels are, on average, 8 -12 inches higher than many maps and models have previously suggested. This discovery means that many coastal areas are at an even greater risk from rising sea levels than we previously believed.

Explore Community Science

I’m a grandma. I have four grandchildren who I assume are the most perfect children in the world. If you’re a grandparent, I know you have perfect grandchildren too. It’s nice to be part of the same club. If you’re like me, you probably worry about your grandchildren and what our technology-heavy future holds for them. Admittedly, times have changed and children are changing too. They are not outside playing “until the street lights come on” like we did. Things are more organized and structured. Children are involved in organized sports, organized lessons of all sorts, and homework on tablets take up their afternoons and evenings. Games are happening on screens with gameboxes, people feel less trusting of their neighborhoods, and children are not seen engaging in outdoor play, tag, hide the flag, or simply riding their bikes around the block. That’s why I’m so proud to be here at Severson Dells Nature Center. Our mission is to create a connection between people and nature. We focus on hands-on, science-based activities designed to inspire a love for the natural world and the stewardship of it. For children specifically, Severson Dells is home to the only free nature playscape in the area. Called The Grove , this nature playscape is a playground strategically built without traditional swing sets, slides, jungle gyms, and other apparatuses. Children get to use their imaginations to explore natural materials in a playful way. There is a block lab with wooden blocks and tree cookies that children use to build, stack, and create. A covered shack allows children to hang out, play house, school, or store, and display treasures on the shelves inside. Kids can paint with water from the rain barrel just outside the shack or play on the sand table. And there are logs that children can climb on, rearrange, and use to make up whatever adventure stories they want. Rules for the playscape are simple: get messy, touch it all, be respectful of others, explore, pretend, and make friends. Have fun and leave electronics at home. For parents and grandparents: bring a book, something to sit on, a waterbottle, sun screen, and maybe some bug spray. If your kids are like my grandchildren, you’re going to be here a LONG time! The Grove Nature Playscape is located just inside Severson Dells Forest Preserve. It’s open every day from sunrise to sunset and admission is free. Climbing features are intended for ages 5 - 12, but fun for all ages, from 0 to 99 is guaranteed.

As many of you know, Severson Dells acquired the former Elliot Golf Course in the fall of 2024, and we are excited to have begun rewilding efforts! We kicked off this year by seeding the first 50 acres, both with help from the community during our Fore the Prairie event, and a commercial seeder. 1,380 pounds of native prairie seed were spread across the site, including the seed of more than 120 species of native prairie grasses and wildflowers!

Rewilding the Former Elliot Golf Course

For those who may not know me, I previously spent two wonderful years here at Severson Dells working in environmental education and community science, helping our community connect with the land in meaningful ways. I am so excited to announce that I am back at the nature center for the next few months! In this role, I’ll be leading all things Science Communication, so be on the lookout for educational blogs, behind-the-scenes restoration updates, and social media posts that (hopefully) make ecology feel a little less intimidating and a lot more exciting.

Have you ever looked around and wondered about grass? It may not seem like there’s much to notice about the common golf course, front lawn, sidewalk adjacent sort of grass we see everyday, but if you look below the surface there’s a whole world and history. These often monochromatic, sprawling green landscapes are planted with what is referred to as turf grass, such as Kentucky blue grass, a plant imported to the United States from Europe and North Africa. This style of lawn design was brought to the U.S. from Europe during the 1700s, where long expanses of short green grasses were associated with the manicured country estates of the wealthy and upper social classes. The popularization of this cultural import co-occurred and played a role in the development of U.S. suburban culture in the late 1800s, strengthening through the mid-20th century when it became more widely actionable for people in the middle class. Turf grass now covers app. 40 million acres across the country(an area larger than the whole of Illinois). The planting of monoculture grass areas like this, where there are long stretches of only one kind of plant, came in contrast to the landscapes that grew for millenia on the place we now call the United States. These ancient landscapes were full of biodiversity, and in many areas housed ecosystems where humans functioned as just one part of a balanced set of biological processes. In Illinois specifically, native grasslands–in this region called prairies–used to cover 21 of Illinois’ 36 million acres on their own. Prairies in Illinois formed (and the .01% that still remain still form) unique and powerful living systems. Not only do they create a safe home for many animal species to go about their lives, their root systems push through soil to notable depths, with an average length between 5-15 feet, whereas the turf grass lawns discussed above have roots not digging more than 3-4 inches into the earth. The impact of these root systems is profound, creating long pathways for water absorption, microbial and mycelial growth, and the draw down of excess carbon from the atmosphere back into the earth. One acre of restored prairie can sequester(take out of the air and store in root systems) 1 ton of carbon a year, and absorb 65% more stormwater–or water left on the ground after it rains–than turf grass. The transformation of turf grass back to prairie has profound positive impacts on surrounding ecosystems. The restoration project at Elliot golf course will provide a prime example for residents of this region to watch as the land begins to come alive with the myriad colors, animals, and landscape benefits of a prairie in just a few years. Sources: https://www.sustainablewoodstock.org/a-history-of-the-american-lawn/ https://blog.nwf.org/2024/04/why-we-have-lawns/ https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/midewin/natural-resources/forest-management https://www.chicagobotanic.org/blog/plant-science-conservation/lowdown-prairie https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/water/supp_info/conservation/green_design/natural_landscaping.html https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/assistance/nrplanning/community/roadsidesforwildlife/putdownroots_poster.pdf https://www.onlyraindownthedrain.com/kids/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46991-5?fromPaywallRec=false

Rivers move and snow falls and hillsides weather while tectonic plates settle snugly across the crust of our earth. The wind blows and trees bow down on stormy days, and deep under our feet the molten parts of our planet’s body flow, as above our heads we see the wispy clouds marking the flow of airs of our sky swirling just the same. Just beyond these skies we see the moving pinpricks and round splotches of light which cross our eyelines through each daily cycle, marking just one of the myriad multiscale rotations of our planet, solar system, and galaxy.

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