President and Senior Ecologist Karen Glennemeier has been studying and restoring woodlands, prairies, and wetlands with the Chicago Wilderness conservation community since 2001 — first with Audubon Chicago Region and then with John G. Shedd Aquarium before founding Habitat Research. She has been advising homeowners and municipalities on native habitat gardening since 2011. With a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Michigan, she brings sound science to the human practice of ecological restoration.
A Community-Based Approach
The Chicago Wilderness region includes nearly 360,000 acres of protected natural areas and more than 9 million people. These people are the key to successful stewardship and have positioned the Chicago region as a global leader in urban natural areas conservation.
We engage stakeholders and community members in our work wherever possible, whether by inviting project neighbors to talk, involving volunteers in the science, working directly with homeowners, or sharing our results with public decision makers.
