Misplaced Pages

#163836

54-719: The Nature Boardwalk (also known as the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo ) is an outdoor space managed by the Lincoln Park Zoo , in Chicago 's Lincoln Park , in the U.S. state of Illinois . The ecological habitat was designed by Studio Gang and features a boardwalk surrounding a pond. There is also a pavilion designed to house educational activities, officially called the Peoples Gas Education Pavilion. The boardwalk opened in 2010, as an improved version of

108-452: A Lake Malawi cichlid tank with an 11,000-lb., 7-in.-thick glass panel. The third section, focused on the African savanna , featured habitats for a large group of meerkats , a space for the zoo's aardvarks , and an indoor habitat for the giraffes. The fourth and final section simulates African kopje habitats, with klipspringer antelopes hopping along the way. The main outdoor exhibit

162-568: A board of seven (7) non-salaried Commissioners who are appointed by the Mayor of the City of Chicago with the approval of the Chicago City Council. In the 1860s, Chicago already had about 40 small parks, but no central plan, and it fell far short when compared to other major cities in the country. Lincoln Park was Chicago's first large park, created in 1860. Dr. John H. Rauch MD , who was a member of

216-563: A camouflaged forest scene with views from both above and eye-level with the animals. The exhibit features a "hot spring", a trademark favorite of the species, which allows them to warm up in the winter and amuse guests. It also functions as a dedicated research station for the macaques. It is the zoo's third exhibit to house primates. The Regenstein African Journey exhibit is a 60,000-square-foot indoor-and-outdoor exhibit which opened in May 2003 on

270-686: A moat around it, dedicated to the zoo's main gorilla troop. Two additional exhibits—the Strangler Fig Forest and Dry Riverbed Valley—each with mesh netting to secure the animals, can accommodate either chimpanzees or gorillas. Huge glass panels give guests nose-to-nose access with the zoo's apes both in the trees and on the ground. The exhibit also contains the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, which encourages zoo guests to engage in research and scientific development to conserve apes in

324-531: A number of community engagement initiatives that prioritize the Little Village and North Lawndale communities. Both the Little Village and North Lawndale outreach programs include community gardening programs that focus on creating green spaces in Chicago and on promoting healthy eating habits. Like many other zoos and aquariums nationally, Lincoln Park Zoo adapted many of their programs to the digital format during

378-576: A pair of sable antelope in 2011. The most recent additions, however, are the waterbuck from Africa and a rarity in an American zoo, the endangered Sichuan takin . Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States . As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, 10 boat docking harbors, two botanic conservatories,

432-423: A renovation of the zoo's former Large Mammal House, opened in 2003, turning the zoo's largest building from concrete showcases for a few large mammals into a series of naturalistic settings that tell the story of the wildlife of the African continent, welcoming the return of the zoo's African elephants and giraffes as well as new additions such as the aardvark , ostrich , and African wild dog . Two years later,

486-584: A role as "nature's clean-up crew". One large, lush outdoor habitat contains multiple specimens, including breeding pairs of cinereous vultures and white stork, while two adjacent aviaries contain the zoo's resident bald eagle and the next features a snowy owl next door. A baby vulture was born at the zoo in June 2013 but was abandoned by its parents and had to be hand-reared and reintroduced gradually. The zoo's historic Primate House first opened in 1927, featuring apes and monkeys from different locations and habitats in

540-525: A series of small, identical barred cages typical of most early zoo exhibits. It became famous for its apes, including a gorilla named Bushman, until the Great Ape House opened. The Primate House's interior was heavily renovated in the early 1990s and it was re-opened as the Helen Brach Primate House in 1992 with eight diorama-style naturalistic exhibits simulating the swamps and rainforests of

594-464: A zoo, 11 museums, and one stadium. The Chicago Park District also has more than over 230 field houses, 78 public pools, and dozens of sports and recreational facilities, with year-round programming. It also owns and operates the lakefront stadium, Soldier Field , which the Chicago Bears and Chicago Fire FC lease. The district is an independent taxing authority as defined by Illinois State Statute and

SECTION 10

#1732863256164

648-434: Is a large, expansive African savanna setting just outside the indoor exhibit exit that primarily houses the zoo's giraffes. There is also a large yard for a family of African painted dogs, a hog yard that has been used by both common warthogs and currently red river hogs , and multiple yards for the zoo's black rhinos. While many of these animals cannot be viewed indoors, they have access to indoor habitats year-round. When

702-513: Is a new outdoor African penguin exhibit, where visitors can watch as these tropical penguins dive into the water, with a behind-the-scenes area for hatching chicks and breeding the species. The zoo also offers indoor Penguin Encounters. The exhibit opened to the public in October 2016. Opened in 2014, Macaque Forest is an exhibit allowing guests to connect with a troop of 10–15 Japanese macaques in

756-556: Is considered a separate (or "sister") agency of the City of Chicago . The district's headquarters are located in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. The Chicago Park District oversees more than 600 parks with over 8,800 acres (3,600 ha) of municipal parkland as well as 27 beaches , 78 pools, 11 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons and 10 bird and wildlife gardens that are found within

810-453: Is home to a wide variety of animals. The zoo's exhibits include big cats , polar bears , penguins , gorillas , reptiles , monkeys , and other species totaling about 1,100 animals from some 200 species. The Lincoln Park Zoo was long home to a burr oak tree which was estimated to more than 250 years old. The tree was cut down on May 2, 2023, due to poor health. Thirty-six scions of the tree were grafted onto root stock and are growing at

864-494: Is the largest municipal lifeguard force in the world and is regularly observed by representatives from Japan, Australia, Ireland, Germany, California, Florida and other locales. The Service also covers more waterfront than any other individual lifeguard force in the world; Chicago beaches cover over 26 miles of the lakefront. The 58,100-square-foot (5,400 m ) headquarters is in Park 596 in Brighton Park . Its previous headquarters

918-492: The Adler Planetarium is aiming to expand its survey of Chicago area wildlife with public assistance at an interactive website, Zooniverse . The zoo has positioned motion sensing cameras in the Chicago area to catch images of wildlife, and the public is asked to help identify the animals. The Zoo operates a number of youth-focused programs including a number of year-round camps, facilitated school program field trips, and

972-728: The Chicago Board of Health and later a president of the Illinois State Board of Health , played a key role in establishing Lincoln Park by persuading city officials to close several festering cemeteries filled with shallow graves of victims of infectious epidemics. Rauch next formulated a central plan for parks across the entire city, noting that they were "the lungs of the city", and pointing out that Chicago's parks were inferior to those in New York's Central Park , Baltimore's Druid Hill Park , and Philadelphia's Fairmount Park . His influence

1026-643: The Lincoln Park Conservatory . The Chicago Park District's seven Commissioners govern the district. Under the Chicago Park District code, the Commissioners have a fiduciary duty to act, vote on all matters, and govern the Park District in the best interest of the Park District. The Commissioners appoint the General Superintendent & Chief Executive Officer. On May 11, 2022, Rosa Escareño

1080-650: The Morton Arboretum . The zoo was founded in 1868, when the Lincoln Park Commissioners were given a gift of two pairs of swans by Central Park 's Board of Commissioners in New York City . Other animals were soon donated to the park, including, a puma , two elk , three wolves , four eagles , and eight peacock . In 1874, a bear cub from the Philadelphia Zoo was the first animal purchased by

1134-558: The COVID-19 pandemic. This included creating modified versions of their local program offerings, such as running their Artecito program, which connects Little Village families with nature through the arts, in conjunction with the OPEN Center for the Arts through free biweekly programs. The zoo's collection totals nearly 1,100 animals. Redeveloped from the former Robert R. McCormick Bear Habitat in

SECTION 20

#1732863256164

1188-1061: The Gallery and the Ecosystem . The Gallery begins with a large room ringed with terrariums exhibiting reptiles and amphibians. The next part of the Gallery features small mammals in and around a man-made baobab tree trunk. The building continues in the Ecosystem, a geodesic dome 45 feet (14 m) in height that simulates the world's tropical rainforests . The Ecosystem begins with a series of stream exhibits for caimans and otters, and continues with mixed-species exhibits for arboreal species like primates,. Mammals Reptiles Amphibians Fish Birds Invertebrates This popular outdoor exhibit near McCormick Bird House allows visitors to observe powerful birds-of-prey through stunning outdoor aviaries that give them plenty of room to spread their wings or to perch on rocks or tree branches in their enclosures. These exhibits emphasize how birds-of-prey play

1242-489: The Kovler Seal Pool is one of oldest exhibits at Lincoln Park Zoo. It was renovated most recently in May 1999 in hopes of creating a habitat that most resembles their natural environment in the wild. There are three main viewing areas—from behind a fence in front of the tank on the main zoo path, an amphitheater-style seating area above the tank on the opposite end, and an underwater viewing gallery where visitors can watch

1296-484: The Zoo's manmade South Pond. Birds like the black-crowned night heron , as well as butterflies, fish, frogs, and turtles are present. Specific butterfly species include the monarch , viceroy , cabbage white , orange and clouded sulphur, red admiral , spring azure , black swallowtail , buckeye , and painted lady . The space also features grasses, benches, and views of the skyline. Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo

1350-467: The animals' natural habitats in the wild. Perhaps its most notable residents are a family of white-cheeked gibbons that have a spacious room inside as well as an outdoor habitat for playing in the warm winter months. The zoo's male and female gibbons gave birth to baby Daxin on August 16, 2013. Crowned lemurs joined the exhibit in October 2013 from the Indianapolis Zoo and a baby lemur was born at

1404-491: The building for the American black bear and the endangered red wolf featuring heavy foliage and a naturalistic stream, allowing visitors to go eye-to-eye with the animals or for the animals to hide in the foliage. Statues of gray wolves and signs encourage guests to practice howling and teach them about wolf pack dynamics. Mammals Reptiles Birds One of the zoo's most popular exhibits since its first iteration in 1879,

1458-428: The city limits. A number of these are tourist destinations, most notably Lincoln Park , Chicago's largest park which has over 20 million visitors each year, second only to Central Park in New York City . With 10 lakefront harbors located within a number of parks along the lakefront, the Chicago Park District is also the nation's largest municipal harbor system. A number of Chicago Park District parks are located in

1512-612: The city, and created a lakefront concert venue on Northerly Island on the site of the former Meigs Field airport. In 2014, the district won the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation . Park District land hosts 11 museums in locations around the city. They are: In addition, the district's parks host the free admission Lincoln Park zoological park, the Garfield Park Conservatory , and

1566-784: The construction of Regenstein Macaque Forest, Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove and Walter Family Arctic Tundra, would conclude with a long-awaited $ 30 million renovation of the aging Kovler Lion House as part of the Pride of Chicago fundraising campaign, acknowledging the public perception problems with the exhibit, which had been constrained by its Historic Landmark status during previous renovations, most recently in 1992. The new exhibit opened in late 2021 and focuses squarely on lions as opposed to other big cat species it had previously held, such as tigers . The zoo together with technological help from

1620-419: The exhibit opened, it was also home to three African bush elephants , but they died, the last one dying at Hogle Zoo in 2005, sparking concerns about the exhibit. It later briefly held Bactrian camels , but it is currently an additional home for the zoo's rhinos. One noted resident of the exhibit was R1 (or Reptile One) the dwarf crocodile, who was seventy years old when he died in 2010, having lived within

1674-551: The host of the television program Zoo Parade , and later Wild Kingdom , was director of the zoo from 1944 until 1962. He created and recruited a citizens group, the Lincoln Park Zoological Society, to support the Zoo's mission. The facility underwent a dramatic transformation in the 1970s and 1980s, with the additions of many new, naturalistic exhibits. In 1995, the Zoological Society assumed management of

Nature Boardwalk - Misplaced Pages Continue

1728-579: The late 1960s, the district lent its support for a Special Olympics for developmental challenged children. The Park District co-sponsored the first Special Olympics at Soldier Field in 1968. In the past several years, the Park District has initiated a program of renovating and beautifying existing parks and playgrounds, as well as initiating the building of a number of new parks, including Ping Tom Memorial Park , Ellis Park , DuSable Park , Maggie Daley Park and others. The Chicago Park District has also expanded programming in neighborhood parks throughout

1782-624: The only gorillas in a U. S. zoo at the time. From 1920 until a Zoo expansion in 1994, the 1893 World's Fair Viking ship was located at the zoo. The zoo's great apes were moved to the Lester E. Fisher Great Ape House in 1976, named for the zoo's outgoing director, and the original Primate House was later renovated and reopened in 1992 as the Helen Brach Primate House, featuring more naturalistic settings. Marlin Perkins , who gained fame as

1836-402: The popular North American river otters swim gracefully underwater at eye-level in their outdoor habitats, with educational displays about how beavers build dams. Outside the building there are many areas where local birds nest. The building is surrounded by small outdoor viewing areas for the same otter and beaver habitats. There are two significantly larger exhibits surrounding the path around

1890-513: The seals glide through the water. The zoo's pinnipeds are trained voluntarily twice a day, and given fish treats as rewards. Though multiple species of seal and sea lion have lived in the pool together in the past, since May 2013 it has been home only to gray and harbor seals. The Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House is a 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m ) indoor exhibit that opened in 1997 and houses small animals in two main areas:

1944-495: The site of the zoo's former Regenstein Large Mammal House. It simulates four distinct habitats from the African continent. Large skylights permit natural light into the indoor area, and guests are greeted quickly by monkeys in a rainforest setting as they enter Africa . The second section focuses on African rivers , with massive glass panels for hybrid land/water exhibits for West African dwarf crocodiles, pygmy hippos, and

1998-474: The south end of the main zoo, is an oval-shaped series of large grassland exhibits that house the zoo's diverse hoofstock and miscellaneous animals. During construction on Regenstein African Journey, it held the zoo's future Grant's gazelle collection. The Antelope & Zebra Area has historically held several species, including the Arabian oryx , as part of the animals' complex Species Survival Plan, and briefly

2052-470: The species' revival. From 1888 to 1919 the director of the Lincoln Park Zoo was the flamboyant Cy DeVry , who organized the collection, built many new structures, and obtained the zoo's first elephant and monkeys. A new Lion House opened in 1912. It was later renovated and reopened in 1990. The Primate House opened in 1927, and it was known for housing a popular gorilla named Bushman (1931–1951), one of

2106-402: The vicinity of or even adjacent to a number of Chicago Public Schools . This design was done in order to make it easier for public school students and faculty to incorporate school assignments or physical activities into the learning experience. Additionally, a number of Chicago Public Library locations are sited within Chicago Park District facilities. The Chicago Park District is governed by

2160-512: The wild. Notable residents of this exhibit include Kwan, the current silverback in the zoo's gorilla troupe who appeared in the film Return to Me as Sidney, a chimpanzee named Optimus Prime, after the fictional character of the same name , and formerly Keo, the oldest male chimpanzee in a North American zoo at the time of his death in September 2013 at fifty-five. Custom-made stuffed animals of Kwan and Optimus in their likenesses are available in

2214-408: The zoo due to worries about the deteriorating condition of the building, prompting outcry from some Chicago residents. It was soon announced it would be replaced with a newly renovated West Gate, featuring a children's train and an all-new exhibit, Regenstein Macaque Forest, featuring Japanese macaques , or "snow monkeys", in a state-of-the-art exhibit with a hot spring, set to open in fall 2014. It

Nature Boardwalk - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-574: The zoo from the Chicago Park District , which is the land owner and became leasee of the Zoo in charge of administration and improvements. Zoo administration is currently housed in the nearby building previously used by the Chicago Academy of Sciences , which moved to a new facility in 1999. The Kovler Sea Lion Pool opened the same year after an extensive renovation, and it is now home to the zoo's harbor seals . Regenstein African Journey,

2322-568: The zoo on April 14, 2014. One of the zoo's most historic buildings, the McCormick Bird House was first designed in 1904 under Cyrus DeVry, the zoo's original director. It has been redesigned multiple times, most recently in 1991, and is currently home to multiple habitats recreating the tropics , savanna, sea shore , desert , wetlands , and other biomes, with a tropical free-flight aviary allowing guests to become immersed with perching and aquatic birds without fences or glass. Some of

2376-600: The zoo renovated its Great Ape House, opening the Regenstein Center for African Apes, which focused on the zoo's troops of common chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas , putting a special emphasis on researching the behaviors of both species and creating new, naturalistic habitats. In 2003, the book The Ark in the Park: The Story of Lincoln Park Zoo was also published by the University of Illinois Press . The book

2430-991: The zoo's Reptile House (now Park Place Café), the Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House, and finally, Regenstein African Journey throughout his life. Mammals Reptiles Birds Invertebrates Lincoln Park Zoo's dedication to primate research continued when the Lester E. Fisher Great Ape House was closed and rebuilt with a new focus on the two African ape species, the chimpanzee and western lowland gorilla . The new center, opened in 2005, has over 29,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space for three ape troops, featuring dozens of trees, artificial vines, real and simulated bamboo , as well as skylights, waterfalls , moats, heated logs, and termite mounds for chimpanzees to illustrate their knowledge of tools to 'fish' for termites in their mounds. The exhibit has three spacious habitats—the 12,000-square-foot Kovler Gorilla Bamboo Forest, an open-air habitat with

2484-609: The zoo's Wild Things gift shop. The new Pritzker Family Children's Zoo, which opened in 2004, features a number of native eastern American wildlife, and lets visitors of all ages connect with the wild creatures in our own backyard and engages them to think about how species survive in the wilderness. Small amphibians and reptiles are featured in a small indoor exhibit, along with a leaf-themed climber play area for youngsters designed by Tom Luckey , with slightly larger indoor exhibits for birds and reptiles and large glass windows on each end so guests young and old can watch American beavers and

2538-443: The zoo's harsh summers as well as its cold winters. This exhibit would also be fully outdoors and equipped for over a dozen penguins with a behind-the-scenes breeding area. Construction began after the opening of Regenstein Macaque Forest in fall 2014, with Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove opening in late 2016. In 2016, the Zoo announced the Pride of Chicago fundraising campaign, which sought $ 125 million in funding, and lead to

2592-501: The zoo's most notable birds include the famous laughing kookaburra in the scrub display, multiple scarlet ibis specimens in its swamp display and the Bali myna , a critically endangered bird that Lincoln Park Zoo breeds, while also maintaining the species' studbook . Thirty-one mynahs have been born at the zoo since 1972, with the most recent set of chicks being born in mid-2012. The zoo's four-acre Camel & Zebra Area, built in 1982 on

2646-401: The zoo's northeast corner, Walter Family Arctic Tundra is a new exhibit for the zoo's polar bears , larger than the previous habitat with more land for the bears to roam on; instead of strict rockwork, there is natural grass, a new underwater viewing area, a maternity den, and enough space to support a small breeding family of bears. Linked to the nearby Regenstein African Journey, Penguin Cove

2700-518: The zoo, for US$ 10. The bear became quite adept at escaping from its home and could frequently be found roaming Lincoln Park at night. In 1884, reportedly the first American bison born in captivity was born at the Lincoln Park Zoo. At this time, the species had been hunted almost to extinction in the wild—in 1896, the United States government purchased one bull and seven cows from the Zoo's bison herd to send to Yellowstone National Park to assist in

2754-486: Was announced in March 2014 that the zoo's Robert R. McCormick Bear Habitat, or "Bear Line", would be torn down and rebuilt with a large and significantly improved habitat for the zoo's lone polar bear, with much more land area for the bears and a behind-the-scenes den for breeding. The new exhibit would also feature a new African penguin habitat, a new species for the zoo from the tropical coasts of Africa, enabling them to stand

SECTION 50

#1732863256164

2808-476: Was appointed to the position. The Chicago Lifeguard Service, or the Chicago Park District Beaches and Pools Unit, employs over 1000 as aquatics staff during the summer and 300 year round to protect the lives of patrons. Lifeguards are stationed at 23 beaches on Lake Michigan plus one inland beach, as well as, 26 indoor and 51 outdoor pools at city parks and 15 pools in public schools. The Service

2862-651: Was key in setting up Chicago's modern park system. The current Chicago Park District was created in 1934 by the Illinois Legislature under the Park Consolidation Act (70 ILCS 1505 et seq). By provisions of that act, the Chicago Park District consolidated and superseded the then-existing 22 separate park districts in Chicago , the largest three of which were the Lincoln Park, West Park, and South Park Districts, all of which had been established in 1869. In

2916-527: Was written by Mark Rosenthal, Carol Tauber, and Edward Uhlir. In 2010, Lincoln Park Zoo transformed the adjacent South Pond to create the Nature Boardwalk , an ecological habitat designed by Studio Gang Architects that features native wetlands plants and wildlife. In December 2011, the Kovler Penguin-Seabird House, which had previously been home to rockhopper , king penguins , common murres and puffins closed down after thirty years at

#163836