While we spend a lot of time and effort convincing homeowners to include native habitat in their yards, we also help the Park District create and maintain habitat in our parks. In 2016, the Park District partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to create habitat for migrating birds at Gillson Park.
Nearly 350 volunteers worked with Park District staff and the Ouilmette Foundation for the Parks to plant 20,000 native plants in Gillson Park in an unprecedented show of community spirit. The plants included flowering trees and shrubs, wildflowers and native grasses. Twenty different community groups provided volunteers, but Go Green Wilmette won the prize for the largest team with 55 smiling and energetic volunteers. The habitat has created a much-needed refuge for tired birds and many beautiful spaces for us to enjoy. Be sure to visit the area at the north end of the park, just south of Lake Avenue.
Also, check out our calendar of events to find dates when you can help us weed and work in both the bird habitat and in Mallinckrodt Park, where older native plant beds have fallen into neglect. Native habitat needs maintenance to fulfill its role for birds and pollinators.
