Stories by Patty Wetli

In a lot of ways, the history of the North American beaver is interwoven with the history of Chicago.

From December 2024 through February 2025, Chicago notched less than a foot of snow.

After a career in city government spanning 35 years and five mayoral administrations, Rosa Escareño, general superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, announced her resignation Wednesday.

The donation is one of the largest to the aquarium in recent history, according to Shedd.

In just a handful of decades, the rusty crayfish has become dominant in the Great Lakes. Join us on a deep dive into this elusive invader.

We separate fact from hype about the upcoming “planet parade.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in four rats submitted for testing.

A 1,300-acre restoration project at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie has ground to a halt after federal grant funds, awarded in 2023, were frozen by the Trump Administration.

Tens of thousands of federal employees were fired in the last week. Here's the story of two former members of the U.S. Forest Service, who, up until a few days ago, worked at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County.

Reports of wild bird deaths continue to mount, and not just in Illinois. Meanwhile, a vaccine for chickens could be on the horizon.

Sub-zero wind chills will be the norm until Friday.

A band of dry air crashed Chicago's snowstorm party Wednesday.

The state of Illinois has pressed pause on a barrier designed to keep invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, saying it can no longer count on the federal government to honor its funding obligation to the $1.15 billion project.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Chicago area and much of northern Illinois from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 3 a.m. Thursday.

Freezing mist and drizzle could turn sidewalks into treacherous sheets of ice on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

Shedd Aquarium’s 6-month-old baby beluga is hitting key development milestones, and now it needs a name.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.

Adler Planetarium announced Wednesday that Michelle Larson is stepping down as president and CEO after more than a decade on the job.

Wildlife professionals and advocates are grappling with an avian influenza outbreak that seems to be growing more virulent among Chicago's wild birds.

Illinois officials announced $60 million in funding for improvement projects at five parks and historic sites, with the lion's share being funneled to Starved Rock.

Three new species of king cobras have recently been identified, and the Field Museum’s collection has been harboring one of the rarest for nearly 80 years.

Snowy owl sightings have been thrilling people across northern Illinois this winter, but these occasional visitors from the Arctic face a lot of hazards — including humans and cars — when they venture outside their normal isolated tundra environment.

Four Chicago teens have been charged with conservation-related violations in the killing of a coyote earlier this month near the Mount Greenwood neighborhood, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The screenings will take place at parks in communities where residents have some of Chicago's lowest life expectancies.

According to Streets and Sanitation, thousands of people voted in the contest, now in its third year.

If there were snow pack on the ground, Tuesday's temperatures could be closer to approaching record lows.