Motus antenna assembly at Ryerson Conservation Area. (Lake County Forest Preserves)

Lake County Forest Preserves has now joined a global wildlife tracking network, expanding the ability of researchers to follow the movement of migratory birds through the Chicago region.

Callery pear blossoms. (sharonshuping0 / Pixabay)

The candidates include well-known banes like garlic mustard and wild parsnip, but also a plant adored by landscapers and property owners: the Callery pear tree.

Zari, Lincoln Park Zoo's 4-year-old African lion, is expecting a litter in January. Here she is with her cub, Pilipili, born in March 2022. (Lincoln Park Zoo / Diana Miller)

"A birth represents preservation of a species that has faced many challenges in the wild,” said Mike Murray, curator of mammals and animal behavioral husbandry.

(BLazarus / Pixabay)

It’s been another wild week on the nature beat. The United Nations’ biodiversity conference kicked off Tuesday in Montreal with the UN Secretary-General calling humanity a “weapon of mass extinction.” Nowhere to go but up from there.

This illustration provided by researchers depicts Kap Kobenhavn, Greenland, two million years ago, when the temperature was significantly warmer than northernmost Greenland today. (Beth Zaiken via AP)

With animal fossils hard to come by, the researchers extracted environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, from soil samples. This is the genetic material that organisms shed into their surroundings — for example, through hair, waste, spit or decomposing carcasses.

Aerial image of the distal end of a lava flow from Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone the morning of Nov. 30, 2022. (USGS / K. Mulliken)

Every Friday, we’ll be rounding up some of the articles, videos, photos and social media posts that have caught our attention on the topics of climate change, the environment, wildlife, conservation and weather. 

A northern long-eared bat showing signs of white-nose syndrome. Found in LaSalle County, Ill., in 2013, during a research expedition by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. (University of Illinois / Steve Taylor)

Despite habitat strongholds in places like Illinois, white-nose syndrome continues to decimate the population.

The deadly white-nose syndrome is threatening the northern long-eared bat — one of Illinois’ 13 native bats — with extinction. The race is on to find a cure and protect what’s left of the population.

A Zimbabwe National Parks official inspects some of the elephant tusks during a tour of ivory stockpiles in Harare, May, 16, 2022. (AP Photo / Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known by its initials as CITES, ended Friday in Panama. Along with protections for over 500 species, delegates at the United Nations wildlife conference rejected a proposal to reopen the ivory trade. An ivory ban was enacted in 1989.

Marc Schlossman, pictured with bird specimens at the Field Museum, Oct. 25, 2022. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Marc Schlossman spent a decade photographing specimens of extinct and endangered species housed at the Field Museum. The result is a new book, “Extinction,” which Schlossman calls an exercise in hope. 

A floating wetland under construction on the South Branch of the Chicago River. Industrial use has stripped the channel of most of its natural vegetation. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The area around Bubbly Creek was once a wetland, until the channel became choked first with sewage and then animal waste from the Union Stockyards. Now the wetlands, with a twist, are making a comeback.

The bobolink is among the species of birds at a tipping point, according to a recent report from the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. (Brad Imhoff / Cornell Lab, Macaulay Library)

A new report offers the first comprehensive update on the state of birds since a 2019 study announced the loss of 3 billion birds. The news remains nearly as sobering, though there are some wins for conservationists to celebrate. 

(DSD / Pexels)

For the eighth year in a row, Chicago reigns supreme over Orkin’s Rattiest Cities list, but not everyone is convinced the city deserves the dubious distinction.

A mountain lion, also known as a cougar, puma or panther. (Nicky Pe / Pexels)

A mountain lion that ventured into Illinois has met with a tragic end, confirmed to have been struck and killed by a vehicle on I-88 in DeKalb County on Sunday, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has announced.

Recovery work after the Repsol oil spill. (Courtesy of Oceana Peru)

Recently, two researchers with Brookfield Zoo received prestigious awards for their work in the field. Their current work focuses on the impacts of major oil spills on marine life.

Hundreds of millions of birds are migrating through the U.S. this weekend. (hollandevens / Pixabay)

Hundreds of millions of birds are currently on the move every night across North America as they wing their way south during fall migration. Chicago is under a high alert Sunday, with a massive number of birds expected to pass overhead.

Birds are on the move across the U.S. during fall migration. (Dariusz Grosa / Pexels)

Like any good host, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County has done its best to make sure the guests feel welcome.