Pembroke Reflection #2: Adaptability is Crucial

It’s been about a month since my last update, and we are really in the thick of crunch time, trying to develop some materials that will hopefully be a start to something that will help “put Pembroke on the map” (a catchphrase my team finds itself using pretty often to describe our project) in a meaningful way.

Within the last month, I’ve learned a lot, particularly about how hard it is to do big work on a time crunch, with multiple stakeholders with different backgrounds and interests. We talked quite a bit in class how logistically difficult it is to work with people sometimes, and how hard it is to tackle large projects on a short time frame, when the reality is that conservation work often needs to be ongoing, monitored and tweaked for decades, to ensure lasting impact. We’ve also discussed how daunting it can be to try to compromise with people who have different visions and needs for conservation projects. This has become abundantly clear, particularly within the last month, as we’ve run into a few challenges and hiccups along the way.

Pembroke Reflection #1: Communication is Key

It’s been a little under a month since I’ve started working with the Field Museum on some cool projects in Pembroke, and I’m thrilled to say that my project has already evolved and solidified greatly, and I’ve learned (and confirmed) a lot about conservation. I’ll try to keep this short(ish), but no promises, there’s a ton to distill!

Mostly, the first leg of my journey has been conducting meetings, and getting a feel for what should to be done, what can be done, what has already been done, etc. We discussed this a lot in classes throughout the program, but working on this project has really hammered the point home: conservation projects often cannot really be separated from the communities in which they exist. Conservation is largely a very social science.

Ecotourism and Sustainable Seed Collection in Pembroke Township, IL

When you ask the average person to conjure up an image of Illinois, what usually comes to mind is Chicago’s skyline and busy streets, and then miles and miles of corn and soybean farms.  If you’re looking for typical tourist opportunities, you’ll likely seek out Chicago’s many museums, skyscrapers, beaches, bar and dining scenes; everything you hear about through the grapevine and see in the media.

Unless a person has really taken time to explore and research, chances are they don’t even think twice about the numerous beautiful, high quality forests, prairies, and savannas my home state boasts. But, about an hour directly south of Chicago’s urban hustle and bustle, lies Pembroke Township (specifically, Hopkins Park), safely guarding one of Illinois’ most precious treasures: approximately 1300 acres of high quality, remnant rare black oak savanna which survived settlement, thanks to a long legacy of sustainable practices, and stewardship by its citizens.