Title
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY NAME THE MONTROSE DUNES EXPANSION AREA IN LINCOLN PARK AS THE MONTY AND ROSE WILDLIFE HABITAT
bODY
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
It is recommended that an order be entered authorizing the General Superintendent or his designee to officially name the Montrose Dunes Expansion Area as the Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat.
Proposed Park or feature: Montrose Dunes Expansion Area in Lincoln Park
Location: near the eastern edge of Montrose Beach
Community Area: Lincoln Park
Ward: 46
Proposed Name: Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat
II. Explanation
The Chicago Park District naming and renaming procedures allow for the naming of features in parks, including playgrounds and buildings. Tamima Itani, Lead Volunteer Coordinator for the Chicago Piping Plovers, requested that the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners name the Montrose Dunes Expansion Area in Lincoln Park as the Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat, in honor of the first two Piping Plover birds that fledged at the site. This proposal has the support of the Chicago Audubon Society, the Illinois Ornithological Society, the Chicago Ornithological Society, and the community.
Montrose Beach Dunes was originally formed by landfill and has since been shaped by natural processes. In 2001, the Chicago Park District stopped grooming the area to encourage dune formation. As a result, the site now contains beach, foredune, and globally rare panne habitat, which support numerous state threatened or endangered plant species. In 2005, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources added Montrose Beach Dunes to the statewide list of high-quality natural areas known as the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI). In 2021, the area was expanded with an additional 3.1 acres, which support valued wildlife, plants and the interests of nature enthusiasts. The additional acreage comprises an open sand area that shorebirds, including the...
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