Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum

Resources for Educators and the Community

Please check back as we continue to build this resources page! If you have suggestions for resources you would like us to share with the community, please e-mail JuricaSuchyMuseum@ben.edu.

Living with Wildlife in Urban Areas:

Willowbrook Wildlife Center: http://willowbrookwildlife.org/~willow34/coyotes-foxes/

Living with Wildlife in Illinois: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/directory.cfm

Fact Sheets: http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html

Wildlife Ecology & Fact Sheets: http://wildlifedamage.uwex.edu/

Living With Wildlife

On Saturday, January 31, 2015 the Director/Curator of the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, Karly Tumminello, co-presented at the Wild Things conference with Susan Ask, Founder of animalia project, and Mike Redmer, a Senior Biologist of USFWS.

Their presentation, "Bears, Cougars, and Wolves, Oh My!... Adapting to Life with Large Carnivores in Chicago's Urban Wilderness" looked at the current trends in these three species returning to the Midwest region, where they were previously extirpated from during the 1800's. 

Key take-aways from this talk:

  1) Sightings of black bear, cougars and wolves will remain infrequent in the near future. Generally, young males may move through our region looking for suitable habitat and food resources (such as the white-tailed deer).

  2) The fact that these animals are looking for suitable habitat in our region speaks to the successes of collective and continued conservation efforts. Restoration projects have successfully increased biodiversity in many ways.

  3) These creatures generally avoid all contact with humans. However, there are measures we as humans need to take to ensure we do not inadvertently attract these animals. This includes things like securing trash cans, taking in bird feeders at night, and not leaving our pets outdoors unattended.

  4) It may be challenging to identify an animal, especially if seeing it for the first time. There are many key characteristics to look for which may help distinguish between similar species. If at a safe distance, you could try to get a photograph to submit to an expert for confirmation.
Report any unusual wildlife sightings here:  http://web.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/sightings.cfm

If you have any questions or comments, or are interested in assisting in our on-going efforts to educate the public about large carnivores in the Chicago Wilderness region, please e-mail JuricaSuchyMuseum@ben.edu.

Climate Change

For information on Climate Change please visit these links:

animalia project: http://animaliaproject.org/climate/

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum:  http://www.naturemuseum.org/nature-and-science-in-action/citizen-science

Chicago Community Climate Action Toolkit: http://climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org/toolkit-workshops

Chicago Climate Action Plan: http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/

Do you have suggestions for other Climate Change or Climate Action resources? Please pass them on to us so we can share them: JuricaSuchyMuseum@ben.edu

Citizen Science Projects

Project Budburst: http://budburst.org/

Project Squirrel: http://www.projectsquirrel.org/

Project FeederWatch: http://feederwatch.org/

Habitat Project: http://habitatproject.org/index.html

Xerces Society: http://www.xerces.org/citizen-science/

Illinois Odonate Survey: http://www.illinoisodes.org/

Illinois River Watch: https://illinoisriverwatch.org/

animaila project: http://animaliaproject.org/citizen-science/

FrogWatch USA: https://www.aza.org/frogwatch/

mPING: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/ping/

Wildlife Webcams

Bird Watching HQ: https://birdwatchinghq.com/

Project FeederWatch Cams: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell-lab-feederwatch/

Illinois Peregrines, Field Museum: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/special-projects/illinois-peregrines/illinois-peregrines-webcams 

Audubon Bird Cams: https://www.audubon.org/birdcams

Yosemite Wildlife Cam: https://yosemite.org/webcams/yosemite-falls/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhd-5hOGw6QIVEorICh06gw6oEAAYBCAAEgKn5PD_BwE

National Park Service - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Webcams:  https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

National Park Service - Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska Webcams: https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

Zoo Webcams

Indianapolis Zoo Cams: https://www.indianapoliszoo.com/webcams/

San Diego Zoo Cams: https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams

Dublin Zoo Cams: https://www.dublinzoo.ie/animals/animal-webcams/

International Wolf Center Cams: https://wolf.org/wolf-cams2/

Gardening With Children

A Kid's Guide to Gardening: https://www.kremp.com/kids-guide-to-gardening

Garden Activities: https://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities/

Gardening With Kids: https://www.planetnatural.com/gardening-kids/

Sensory Gardens: https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/resources/info-sheet/plants-for-a-sensory-garden

Plants for Sensory Gardens: https://www.flowerpotman.com/sensory-gardens-at-home/sensory-garden-plants/

Kid's Vegetable Garden Ideas: https://gardentherapy.ca/fun-and-educational-kids-vegetable-garden/

How to Make a Kid's Vegetable Garden: https://montessorirocks.org/vegetable-garden-for-kids/

Outdoor Nature Play

Looky Buckets: https://thefisheriesblog.com/2020/06/15/summer-craft-idea-looky-buckets/

Audubon for Kids: https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/activities/audubon-for-kids

A Parent's Guide to Nature Play: https://naturalstart.org/feature-stories/parent%E2%80%99s-guide-nature-play

Nature Play Spaces: https://www.nwf.org/Home/Kids-and-Family/Connecting-Kids-and-Nature/Nature-Play-Spaces

60 Nature Play Activities: https://theimaginationtree.com/60-nature-play-ideas-for-kids/

Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids: https://www.natureplaywa.org.au/resources/fun-outdoor-activities-for-kids

kidspot Nature Play Collection: https://www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/collection/nature-play

NAAEE Nature-Based Preschool Guidebook: https://naturalstart.org/nature-based-preschool-professional-practice-guidebook

Project Learning Tree - Activities for Families: https://www.plt.org/activities-for-families/

Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship

Sustainability at Benedictine: http://www.ben.edu/sustainability/

Conservation Foundation: https://www.theconservationfoundation.org/

Sustain DuPage: https://sustaindupage.com/

12 Ways to Live More Sustainably: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/live_more_sustainably.html 

Green Eco Tips: http://www.globalstewards.org/ecotips.htm

How to Make A Worm Compost Bin: https://naplescompost.com/how-to-make-your-own-worm-composting-bin/

Composting at Home: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

Water Footprint Calculator: https://www.watercalculator.org/how-to-save-water/

Water Saving Tips: https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/water-saving-tips

Organic Lawn Care: https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-lawn-care-101/going-organic/

Organic Lawns: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/lawns/21015220/tips-for-a-lush-organic-lawn

Native Landscaping: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/landscaping_native_plants

No-Mow Movement: https://www.ecowatch.com/lawns-environment-sustainable-landscaping-2052211381.html

Xeriscaping and Xerogardening: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/library/spotlight/xeriscaping

10 Home Items to Reuse Over and Over: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/home-items-you-can-reuse-over-and-over-again/

100 DIY Crafts to Repurpose and Reuse: https://www.diyncrafts.com/6081/repurpose/100-ways-repurpose-reuse-broken-household-items

Upcycling in the Garden: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/a30387007/upcycling-ideas-garden/

17 Upcycled Garden Ideas: https://recyclenation.com/2015/05/17-upcycled-garden-ideas/

GreenPlanet4Kids Comics: https://greenplanet4kids.com/

Environmental Science: https://www.environmentalscience.org/sustainability

Home Water Conservation: https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/blog/home-water-conservation/

Podcasts

Podcasts for Bird Watchers: https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts.php

American Birding Podcast: https://www.aba.org/podcast/

Urban Wildlife Podcast: http://www.urbanwildlifecast.com/

The Casual Birder Podcast: https://casualbirderpod.libsyn.com/

Eyes On Conservation: http://wildlensinc.org/film-projects/eyes-on-conservation/show-notes/

Out and About - Kane County: https://anchor.fm/forest-preserve