Chicago Wilderness Program
The Chicago Wilderness Program of the Keller Science Action Center works to promote sustainable conservation by advancing research and collaborating with community partners to co-design lasting stewardship practices. From the Rice Native Gardens in the Field Museum’s front yard to globally rare dunes, marshes, prairies, and black-oak savannas in the Calumet and Kankakee Regions, we are strengthening green corridors that connect people and nature across the region.
The Chicago Wilderness Region
We work with communities in the Chicago region’s most important ecosystems to co-create a shared vision of an extensive network of green corridors that supports the well-being of 10 million residents and more than 800,000 acres of protected nature. Building on decades of research and partnerships, our team turns data into action. Our science-driven approach aligns ecological best practices with community priorities and local capacity, making conservation actions feasible, equitable, and community-owned.
Residents engage as co-researchers through community science initiatives and participatory asset mapping. Together, we monitor native plants, pollinators, and other wildlife, restore habitats, and connect communities to nature. Our team provides recommendations for native habitat planting, invasive-species control, prescribed burns, hydrologic improvements, and measures that have reduced bird collisions along Chicago’s lakefront.
Our program strengthens connections between neighborhoods, deepening residents’ sense of belonging at vibrant sites for community engagement, cross-cultural exchange, and outdoor wellness. We also lead multilingual programming that nurtures a diverse next generation of conservation leaders through hands-on, place-based experiences.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. By working together, land stewards and community partners co-decide what to protect, where to restore, and when to act, accelerating corridor connectivity and producing measurable gains in habitat quality and everyday access to nearby nature
By the Numbers
Our Focus Areas
Our Staff
An interdisciplinary team of ecologists, environmental social scientists, data and spatial analysts, and engagement specialists use museum-science to generate on-the-ground results for both people and nature.
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Keller Science Action Center
The Keller Science Action Center expands the Field Museum’s scientific expertise, collections, and data, and leverages these resources for conservation results. Backed by more than three decades of experience from Amazonia to Chicago, we center local stewards, lead research, and help safeguard large, at-risk landscapes. We elevate local solutions for sustained conservation results and deliver bold solutions that protect nature and improve quality of life.
