The Michigan DNR is proposing to grow Warren Dunes' protected Natural Area to about 600 acres while realigning protections near the Hidebrandt campground. Officials say camping and beach access would remain unchanged.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is directing TIF funds to add air conditioning at 42 park sites prioritized by a new Heat Vulnerability Index; 20 upgrades will come this summer.

A coyote was photographed walking along Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park. Biologists link the sighting to pup season and urban rodent prey.

One of four piping plover chicks hatched at Montrose Beach has died, volunteers said. The loss comes as monitors investigate and continue protecting the remaining chicks.

Two vacant West Side lots are becoming a 32,000‑sq‑ft orchard that will grow fruit, host programs and soak up stormwater to help prevent basement flooding.

Construction has started on a pocket Riverwalk park at 430 S. Washington St. that will link North Central College and downtown Naperville with plazas, an archway and ADA access.

A new study finds heavy metals in soils and eggshells and the fungus Ophidiomyces in snakes across the Chicago region, complicating ongoing headstart and reintroduction work.

Ottawa has endorsed a plan to move 30 belugas and four dolphins from Marineland to aquariums including Georgia Aquarium. Initial permits are in hand but the transfer is complex.

A wolf at Washington Park Zoo died and a lemur later died from a separate medical event; officials say staff involved in a subsequent wolf-related incident are stable.

Wheeling’s village board signed off on site plans for a new roughly $30 million aquatic center at Heritage Park, with construction underway and a spring/summer 2027 target. Funding, renderings and permitting steps are now moving forward.

Rapid qPCR testing briefly put 31st Street Beach on a yellow swim advisory over Memorial Day weekend, and advocates say aging infrastructure could mean more advisories this summer.

A South Side yard turned into a buzzing spectacle on Memorial Day when a massive honeybee swarm settled, drawing neighbors and cameras.

Chicago opened its Native and Pollinator Garden Registry and is accepting applications; a committee also advanced a change to allow registered parkway plants up to 36 inches tall.