As we eagerly anticipate Monty and Rose’s return for a fourth year, and celebrate as they raise generations of Chicago style plovers, we are looking to the future!
Chicago is home to numerous beaches, many of which are home to incredible natural areas with the potential to host nesting piping plovers. Rainbow Beach is one such beach, a site visited by migrating plovers annually, and deemed by experts to be the most promising possible additional nesting site in Chicago.
To prepare for the return of plovers to Chicago and help address one of the biggest threats to plovers and shorebirds across the Great Lakes, we’re going to do some spring cleaning.
On EARTH DAY, Saturday, April 23rd, join us for a beach clean up at Rainbow Beach. All are welcome and no prior experience or equipment necessary but RSVP is required.
To help keep group size manageable, maintain social distancing, protect the sensitive habitat, and maximize our efforts, we ask that volunteers sign up for one of four rolling time slots above: 10:00am, 10:30am, 11:00am, or 11:30am.
Once you have signed up, we will be reaching out via email with important workday information such as where to meet and what to bring.
If you have any questions, please contact us at ActionDays@sheddaquarium.org.
This event is proudly organized by the following partners: the stewards of Rainbow Beach, Rainbow Beach Park Advisory Council, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Ornithological Society, Chicago Audubon Society, Illinois Ornithological Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, IL Department of Natural Resources, and the Chicago Park District.
Some background on the Piping Plovers:
In 2019, a pair of endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers arrived at Montrose Beach and made history as they began nesting. In spite of numerous challenges and with the help of countless volunteers, the pair dubbed Monty and Rose, successfully raised a family and returned do so again in 2020 and 2021. Since then, their many young have started their own lives, such as Nish who made history of his own by being the first plover to nest in Ohio in over 80 years.