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PROGRAM: The History of Montrose

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Our speaker is Bob Dolgan, a birder, filmmaker, and communications professional who currently works at the historic Newberry Library. He has made two documentaries about Chicago’s Piping Plovers and has recently written a brief history of the North Side lakefront including Montrose Beach. He is an advocate for the restoration of natural areas in the city and is a current habitat volunteer. His presentation will focus on the history of Montrose Point, going back to the 1920s, its time as an Army command center, and its evolution into a birding magnet. 

 

 

Location: In-Person, Ecology Center, 7:30 p.m.

 

 

 

PROGRAM: To Life: Jews Exploring Nature (book talk)

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

There have been few if any books on Jews who studied the various facets of natural history.  There have certainly been those who have done so in the past and in the current world there are many, but for a host of reasons natural history as a career or serious avocation was much less common in the past. To Life: Jews Exploring Nature offers a unique exploration of Jewish engagement with nature through compelling biographies of eight selected subjects. These people manifested different aspects of Jewish identity and made significant contributions to their fields.

 

Our speaker is Joel Greenberg. Joel Greenberg has spent most of his life in the Chicago region and has been interested in natural history since childhood. He grew up with the ENSBC. He spent his career in environmental protection working for governmental and private entities. He has written numerous articles and has authored or co-authored five books including A Natural History of the Chicago Region, A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction,  and the subject of the talk, his newest  book, To Life: Jews Exploring Nature.

 

Location: In-person, Ecology Center, 7:30 p.m.

 

 

PROGRAM: Feathered Marvels: The Natural History and Extraordinary Lives of Birds (book talk)

Tuesday, November 24, 2026

Our speaker, Dominic Sherony, writes: Birds are fascinating creatures and after giving many talks about them, I began to write up some of my talks in 2017, originally prompted by questions from the audience. This blossomed into writing a book which was new for me. The talk will highlight two topics: what was involved in producing a book and some background stories related to topics in the book. These brief stories will include the nature history of birds, the advent of modern birds, adaptation, iridescence, nests, diversity and the need for habitat conservation. 

Here is a recent book review: https://www.aba.org/the-age-of-loss/

 

Background: I was born and raised in northern Illinois and attended University of Detroit and completed graduate degrees at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chemical Engineering. I subsequently worked for Xerox Corporation for 31. In that time, I took up bird watching as a hobby in 1972 and have been an active birder since but especially after my retirement. I have many and varied interests in birding including leading local trips, a former member of New York State Avian Records Committee, a region co-coordinator for the NYS 2000 breeding bird atlas, have written numerous papers about birds, am a volunteer presently at a nature park and formally at Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, enjoy photographing birds, and occasionally give talks. In addition to my interest in birds, I spend a lot of my time with my family, am an amateur woodworker, and enjoy reading. 

 

Location: Virtual