Conservation Contradictions in Crook County Chicago

I am a city girl through and through! I love that Chicago has initiatives to support natural and native landscapes that promote biodiversity. However we have some miscommunication on this in the city as it relates to "weeds" and the management of private lands.  There is a weed ordinance that if found to be in violation will result in a property owner to be fined anywhere from minimum $600 upwards to $1200 plus $40 in court fees.  I am a supporter of using policies to motivate homeowners to take care of their property however this ordinance is quite unreasonable.  It states that any unmanaged vegetation and or presence of weeds in excess of 10 inches will result in a fine.  Whats crazy is that we are the prairie state and most of our native plants are well over 10 inches.  

There is nothing more insulting as a Chicagoan than to have the city kiss you and cut you at the same time. The city is actively promoting the planting of native landscaping but will also fine you for it.  This was made clear when the award winning gardener Kathy Cummings was fined for her garden.  When she went to court the judge pointed to a plant and asked her the name.....she replied "milkweed" he responded to her that "it has weed in the name" without any interest in understanding that the plant is native and an integral resource for pollinators especially the monarch butterfly. Which by the way numerous elementary schools and nature centers use as a model organism for city conservation.  I'm baffled at the disinterest of our city to make sure that we are helping to create a conservation ethic that supports our local economy and environment but this is down right unfair and insulting.  

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has a list as we are well aware of that identifies the species that are truly weeds in our state yet the city makes no attempt to fine according to the ordinances set forth by IDNR. If its too tall your money will go short really quickly.  For me I am incensed primarily because in parts of the city where property taxes are as low as $1000 this $600 fine can be devastating. The city does not pass out warnings and it does not consider the location of your property relative to income in the city.  I am for generating revenue due to fly dumping and blatant disregard for your landscaping if it is truly unkempt. However, to push homeowners to plant only to charge them seems shady so no wonder why we call it Crook County!  

I hope that we continue to communicate the importance of conservation to the public in ways that result in addressing inconsistencies such as this one and help create solutions that result in a healthy environment and fair policies furthermore I hope to approach city council to continue this conversation in a positive and supportive manner seeing as though  the city is often in violation of their own ordinance as well as multiple utility companies that do not manage their natural areas up to the ordinance as it stands.

Pick Your Plants Wisely

 In 2010 Blacks were reported to have the lowest amount of home ownership of any ethnic group at 45.4% however more often than not those African American homeowners are living in African American communities. When the housing and financial crisis hit, Black communities suffered tremendously, like in the Chicago community of Roseland where home ownership dropped from 64% to 53% in 2013. What people don't realize is that these were more than just houses, they were homes sitting on pieces of land. Living land, that requires attention and care.  The type of attention and care that also require energy and income to make it into something beautiful.  That beauty can be grass, a rock garden, a water feature, veggies, or flowering bushes, bird feeders, or mulch.

 The social consequences of segregation  such as inequity of eduction and distribution of resources and services are always discussed,  but what about the environmental consequences? Yes, the environment reflects the decisions of the people in an area.  While every individual in the African American community makes up their own minds about what they like and dislike, we do share similar world views and perspectives based upon our upbringing.  It is not a bad thing, it's just a thing.  Yet when we look at how environmental decisions are made in accord there are unintentional consequences. The natural areas of our homes creates a collective natural environment.  When we see our neighbor plant something it is more likely that we will plant it too.  What ends up happening is that we suffer from "Who wants to be like/who wants to be like/ The Jones'" (You should hear me sing it, lol I sound just like the Temptations).

So what on earth does this have to do with invasive species awareness month? I thought you would never ask! Our decisions to care for the pieces of land that are ours comes from first understanding how to make good decisions.  If you are a homeowner you are directly responsible for the decisions of what you do in your yard.  Together our communities and homes play a huge role in the environmental health of our cities, because often we are so segregated our choices for plants and landscaping turn into something much larger.  If all of us are unaware and chose invasive plants for our homes trust me it is not a good thing to have that in common with ALL your neighbors.  I celebrate our culture and closeness, but I am disheartened by our lack of information.

While invasive plants are sold in nurseries and plant stores if you don't know what is and what isn't invasive you buy whats pretty!  I know when I was planning my landscape at first it wasn't even a thought to consider what should and shouldn't be in my yard.  I thought if it was being sold it was ok.  This is so far from the truth. I also thought if I brought in a landscaper they would know, but they too were just as lost.

It really is YOUR responsibility if you are TRYING to ben environmentally friendly to first educate yourself.  Sometimes you may not have the mindset to do so, which is why you should follow me (shameless plug) as your green guide to the fertile land of sustainability....(insert Ease on down the road song here from The Wiz). It is ok that people in our community are starting from scratch, we have a lot to learn and lots to do so that our communities can contribute to our own health and the health of mother earth.

If you are wondering how to find out information on what to plant in your yard, there are very close friends to help at the Chicago Botanic Garden. On their website they have a list of plants in the Chicago region that are invasive including trees, shrubs and grasses.  If you are thinking of visiting a nursery looking for new life for your space take care to find out if you are adding to the problem through your purchases or being a leader and knowing what you grow is going to be a good thing for nature.  Below are the CBG's ways you can help control invasive plants. You know what we say...."when you know better, you do better" I'm remixing that to say "when you know better, you grow better".

• Learn about invasive plants.

• Phase out the invasive plants on your property.

• Plant only noninvasive species.

• Attend Garden classes and symposia about invasive plants and biodiversity.

• Volunteer to monitor threatened plants of the region.

• Volunteer for stewardship activities at the Garden and other natural areas.

I very much wanted to articulate how much land is owned by African Americans through home ownership here in Chicago, but came up short in looking at the Census data.  It appears as though you can get the average of home ownership but it doesn't tell you how much land in terms of the sizes of homes.  (Crossing fingers for an interested reader to find out and share for us!)

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