Check out this sound essay from Richard Callahan, Evanston Roundtable.

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The Nurturing Nature speaker series in 2025 attracted more than 350 attendees to listen in to subjects ranging from how cities can darken their skies, to Illinois birds overwintering in Costa Rica, to cranes as political ambassadors for wildlife corridors to nature as inspiration for sculptures.  Speakers came from Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Virginia, the Shedd Aquarium, the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica, the Illinois Native Plant Society and an artist's compound on a New York State hilltop.‍

NHE, with our stalwart volunteers, planted 189 trees and large shrubs,and distributed 150 large shrub whips during spring and fall.  Thanks to the Chicago Regional Trees Initiative for contributing 46 of the trees and 20 of the shrubs for the spring planting. Our donors contributed the funding for the other trees and shrubs. We planted the trees and shrubs at six parks, six schools and 30 homes in the 2nd and 5th wards. Public green spaces that received plantings were Harbert-Payne Park, Lovelace Park, Ladd Arboretum, Twiggs Park, the Evans at Canal Shores, and Jens Jensen gardens. School recipients were ETHS, Joseph Hill Preschool, Lincoln, Kingsley, Oakton and Orrington, often with students joining in.  

For 2026, in Spring, we planted 87 trees at parks, schools, and in the 2nd and 5th wards. More will be planted this fall. For the first time, we started outreach to give away and plant trees in the 8th ward. We also shared out 875 free bare root trees and shrubs.

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NHE Provided garden recommendations of native plantings at 45 homes in the 2nd and 5th wards, plus more than a dozen other visits around Evanston.

‍Nothing better than strolling in a quiet, balmy summer night listening for bats. NHE organized Bat Monitoring with Lincoln Park Zoo (LPZ) Urban Wildlife Institute. Trained by LPZ, 56 volunteers participated in acoustically monitoring bats along 1+-mile long trails in Harbert-Payne Park, at Lee Street Beach northward, and in Canal Shores. Volunteers monitored May-September. ‍

Sign what it's about: Pollinator Pledge (20) and No Mow May (4) signs shared out.‍‍

‍Getting the word out: Wrote guest essays or supported more than a dozen articles in the Evanston Roundtable and Daily Northwestern about the Nurturing Nature talks, tree vandalism, pollinators, fireflies, tree plantings and more.