Wilderness Group Working To Improve Populations, Habitats Of 12 Species In Lake Michigan Region
(CBS) -- Chicago Wilderness, an alliance of more than 200 forest preserve districts, zoos, environmental groups and other groups, has begun an effort to try to improve the populations and habitats of 12 species in the Lake Michigan region over the next five years.
Chicago Wilderness wants to begin making the area around Lake Michigan, including northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, southeastern Wisconsin and southwestern Michiganmore habitat-friendly to those 12 species, as a way to grow their populations.
Executive director Suzanne Malec-McKenna says sometimes it's as simple as planting milkweed in your own backyard to attract Monarch butterflies.
Others species being paid special attention: the red-headed woodpecker…the bobolink, the smooth green snake, Blanding's turtle, the blue-spotted salamander, the little brown bat, Henslow's sparrow, the mottled sculpin which is a fish and the ellipse, which is a mussel.