The Gyllenhaal family presented a Zoom Patch Chat about Douglass Park (Chicago) on July 19, 2022.
Here’s the link to the YouTube recording of that presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ukTBJ7iRO0
Here are the slides we used during the presentation (66.5 MB PDF):
douglass-park-patch-presentation
The rest of this post includes some of the resources and references we used to develop our talk.
Douglass Park’s eBird hotspot page: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L108460
Nature in Douglass Park Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DouglasParkNature
Here’s the Chicago Park District’s Douglass Park page: https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/douglass-anna-frederick-park
This Wikipedia entry discusses the history of Douglass Park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglass_Park
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Becoming Douglass, Not Douglas, Park
In 2020, after several years of work, students from the Village Leadership Academy final persuaded the Chicago Park District Board to rename Douglas Park in honor of Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray Douglass. (Block Club Chicago, Sep 9, 2020)
Here’s another Block Club Chicago article, dated Sep 22, 2020: “How Did These Students Get The City To Change The Name Of Douglass Park? They Built Collective Power And Didn’t Back Down.”
Douglass Park’s Rarest Bird, a Small-billed Elaenia
From the American Birding Association blog, April 18, 2012: “#ABArare Elaenia sp. in Illinois“
CBS Chicago Radio brief interviews, April 19, 2012: “South American Bird Overshoots During Migration, Ends Up In Chicago“
The Gyllenhaal’s hometown paper’s take on the whole thing, April 2024, 2012: “OPRF teens discover another rare bird“
Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area Canada Goose Project (Neck-collared geese)
Description of the project: https://forbes-bio-station.inhs.illinois.edu/research/winter-movement-of-canada-geese/
Outdoor Illinois Wildlife, November 1, 2018: “Canada Geese: Chicago Parks to the Canadian Tundra“
ScienceDaily, October 23, 2017: Smart birds: “Canada geese give hunters the slip by hiding out in Chicago“
Dorak, B.E., M.P. Ward, T.P. Lyons, H.M. Hagy, M.W. Eichholz, and B.E. Washburn. 2017. Survival and habitat selection of Canada Geese during autumn and winter in metropolitan Chicago, USA. Condor 119(4):787–799.
Leg-marked Geese in Douglass and Other Chicago Parks
Eric’s Neighborhood Nature blog post, October 22, 2015: “Returns of the Winter Geese“
In answer to one of the questions I raised during the talk, Canada Geese do recognize parents and siblings after they are grown up. They may join them during migration and where they winter: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/do-young-birds-recognize-their-parents-after-theyve-grown-up/
Natural Area Development and Maintenance
CBS Chicago article about the National Football League’s 100th anniversary wildflower plantings by the mini-golf course, Sep 2, 2019: “Goodell, Former NFL Players Turn Out To Clean Up Douglas Park, Reward Community Leader.”
The Decline of Insect Populations and Its Effect on Birds
“Bird declines tied to fewer insects.” Dana Kobilinsky. The Wildlife Society. March 2, 2021.
“Are declines in insects and insectivorous birds related?” Douglas W Tallamy & W Gregory Shriver. Ornithological Applications, Volume 123, Issue 1, 1 February 2021,
“Insect Freefall: What Does It Mean for Birds?” Howard Youth. BirdCalls: News and Perspectives on Bird Conservation. August 29, 2019.
Douglass 18 Mini-Golf Course
Douglass 18 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thedouglass18/
Block Club Chicago, May 13, 2022: “Douglass 18 Mini Golf Will Soon Reopen With Concession Stand And Patio Dining At West
Sense of Place References and Resources
“Sense of Place.” Jennifer Adams, David Greenwood, Mitchell Thomashow, & Alex Russ. The Nature of Cities. 26 May 2016.
“A Sense of Place: Human Geography in the Early Childhood Classroom.” Pamela Brillante & Sue Mankiw. Young Children. July 2015. Vol. 70, No. 3.
