By now you have heard the buzz about the insects that will soon be taking over the tri-state area. But you may be wondering what are these noisemakers good for? Outreach Manager Sarah shares why this once-in-a-generation event shouldn’t be taken for granted and just how important cicadas are to the environment.

“There are two northern cardinals and three dark-eyed juncos on the trail!” Julie yelled back at me. I faithfully recorded the sightings into my log while the 14 kids between us all jostled to get a focus on the birds. My left hand was snug in its glove, but my right hand had to suffer […]

Look out! The next bird you see might be shedding light on the secret lives of birds. Great Parks utilizes the skills of bird banding researchers to uncover some of these mysteries. Bird banding requires special permits and at least two years of training from a master bander, but the information attained is invaluable. Bird banding […]

In 2013, Great Parks began a park-wide assessment of habitat quality through plant surveys. FQAI, short for Floristic Quality Assessment Index, allows us to compare habitats in different parks, as well as to other preserves outside the parks. Why do we do this? Because being able to compare areas helps Great Parks determine where to […]