Tamima Itani, left, at the memorial for Monty and Rose in 2022. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
From the first appearance of Monty and Rose to the heartbreaking loss of three piping plover chicks this summer, there’s been one constant throughout each plover season in Chicago: Tamima Itani.
As the lead plover monitor at Montrose Beach, she manages the schedules of nearly 200 people — assigning dozens of shifts each week — communicates with the media, creates educational materials and coordinates with multiple local, state and federal agencies.
None of this is Itani’s job, but the work is so vital and appreciated that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has recognized her as one of 11 outstanding volunteers of the year.
“Volunteering can be hard work, but it’s important work that benefits everyone who enjoys IDNR sites throughout the state,” IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie said in a statement. “I’m pleased to recognize their extraordinary efforts on behalf of the people of Illinois.”
Itani, Phelps Finnie said, has been “instrumental in the protection of piping plovers and their habitat.”
For Itani, it all goes back to Monty and Rose, who in 2019 became the first Great Lakes piping plovers to nest in Chicago since the 1950s.
“I fell hard for Monty and Rose, the first piping plovers I ever met, and I can now bring my love and passion to their offspring and kind,” Itani told WTTW News. “Along the way, I have worked with deeply caring and highly committed agency personnel and numerous volunteers who have made all the work possible.”
At stake is nothing less than the survival of an endangered species that was down to just a dozen breeding pairs in the 1980s. In 2024, the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort reported a record number of 81 breeding pairs, including two pairs in Illinois made possible by the successful release in 2023 of captive-reared plover chicks at Montrose and in Waukegan.
“There has been so much good progress,” Itani said.
Tamima Itani has safeguarded three generations of Great Lakes piping plovers at Montrose Beach, including papa Imani and his offspring Nagamo, the only surviving Chicago chick in 2024. (Courtesy of Chicago Piping Plovers)
This year, Itani welcomed her beloved Imani — son of Monty and Rose — back to Montrose and rooted for him to woo a female. The arrival of Sea Rocket, one of the 2023 captive-reared chicks, and her eventual choice of Imani as a mate was cause for celebration, as was the survival of the couple’s chick, Nagamo (its sex is still undetermined).
Monitors have continued to watch over Nagamo even as the chick’s parents headed south for the winter. Though Nagamo has taken several test flights, including north to visit other plover chicks in Waukegan, as of Wednesday, the chick still hadn’t quite flown the coop. Nagamo is at least headed in the right direction now, spotted at 63rd Street Beach.
For those worried that Nagamo’s migration is still a work in progress at this late date, Itani said she’s not concerned.
“Nagamo is flying well and appears healthy. … It’s all within the normal variability range. Nagamo is living on Nagamo time,” Itani said. “Hope they will continue to thrive, make a safe journey south and a safe journey north in the spring.”
Click here to view IDNR’s complete list of outstanding volunteers.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
