Preserving beauty: A ravine reveals its secrets
Like a child resisting bedtime, Lake County resident Andy Amend didn’t want to miss a thing. She paused to admire a patch of blooming trillium along a treasured ravine at Openlands Lakeshore Preserve at Fort Sheridan.
“The flowers here are constantly changing,” said Amend, a Forest Preserves supporter and nature enthusiast. She organized an educational walk at the Bartlett Ravine in Highwood for an environmental group she’s involved with. About a dozen participants joined on a chilly morning to learn about the rare ecosystem, the site’s outdoor art, and how private support helps protect places like this.
Hosted by the Preservation Foundation, the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves, the walk aimed to deepen connections with nature and highlight the impact of donor support.
Guests heard from a naturalist, an artist and a longtime ecologist, each bringing a unique perspective to the landscape and its protection. “This ravine is our benchmark,” said Ken Klick, a recently retired Forest Preserves restoration ecologist. “It’s fully restored and always changing. Ravines are very dynamic.”
The ravines and bluffs hugging Lake Michigan are the work of glaciers and time. As ice age glaciers receded north, they carved valleys, rivers and the vast Great Lakes basin. Meltwater etched deep grooves into the land, creating six rare ravines. Today, these steep, shaded corridors and the sweeping shoreline shelter endangered plants and animals, tucked into one of the region’s most fragile landscapes.
What makes this area even more remarkable is its microclimate, Klick said. Lake Michigan cools the shore in summer and warms it in winter, allowing rare plants to thrive. Among them are arborvitae evergreens — believed to be the only wild, native ones in Lake County — along with American dog violet, sea rocket and buffaloberry.
Participants were struck by the beauty and rarity of the site. “People don’t realize how special this is,” said Hope Hetich, who joined the walk with her husband. “We visit the forest preserves often, but this spot stands out. It feels like a hidden gem in Lake County.”
Five artists contributed works that merge with the ravine’s natural beauty, each piece offering a new way to see, feel and value the environment.
Artist Olivia Petrides spoke about the three color prisms she created 15 years ago. Drawing from her background as a botanical illustrator, she designed 12-foot-high prisms to echo the natural tones of the site, from the shifting blues of Lake Michigan to the layered greens of foliage and the earthy bands of soil and stone.
“I came out here for over a year, taking color notes and studying the shifting light to capture the exact hues,” Petrides said. The acrylic polymer prisms are anchored with 8-foot screws to ensure they withstand the elements. An abstract painter, she also teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
It was important to Petrides that the artwork felt subtle and respectful, nestled into the surroundings rather than standing apart.
“If you’re not looking for them, you might miss them entirely,” she said. Gazing at the prism overlooking the lake, she added, “I’m proud of them. I think they have dignity.”
Toward the end of the walk, author and naturalist Joel Greenberg offered reflections drawn from decades of studying the region’s ecology. A respected consultant and environmental advocate, Greenberg is known for his acclaimed book “A Feathered River Across the Sky,” which chronicles the rapid extinction of the once-abundant passenger pigeon.
Klick called him “a walking encyclopedia of local ecology.” Greenberg has spent years researching the history of conservation across Chicagoland.
“We have things growing here at Fort Sheridan that don’t grow anywhere else,” he said.
The preserve’s rare mix of ravine, prairie, savanna, lakeshore and freshwater habitats creates a haven for birds. More than 140 species migrate along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and nearly 60 stay year-round. As Greenberg spoke, a yellow warbler and a Baltimore oriole called from a nearby branch. Tree swallows flitted overhead, and even the elusive chimney swift makes this landscape its home.
As the walk came to an end, a few people lingered; reluctant to leave, still scanning the trees for birdsong or watching the shimmer of the lake. Like the child stalling bedtime, they didn’t want the moment to end. The ravine had quietly worked its magic.
If you're interested in exploring the preserves more deeply or arranging a guided walk, contact the Preservation Foundation at LCFPD.org/Foundation or (847) 968-3110. There’s always more to see and more reasons to care.
• Kim Mikus is a communications specialist for the Lake County Forest Preserves. She writes a bimonthly column about various aspects of the preserves. Contact her with ideas or questions at kmikuscroke@LCFPD.org. Connect with the Lake County Forest Preserves on social media @LCFPD.