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Building Conservation Communities,

O n e G a rd e n
One Garden

a t a T e
at a Time
im

lue Island is a Chicago suburb of about 22,500 people located 16 miles south of the Loop.
B B The city, which today boasts of its antique shops and historic homes, was once known
as “the brick-making capital of the world.” It was built on a ridge of rock and clay deposits
left by a glacier thousands of years ago.
The city’s industrial past and clay soil left their marks on Blue Island. “There are a few
green spaces that are covered with grass, but there’s not a lot of natural habitat for native
species,” said Anna Wassenaar, director of the Blue Island Public Library. With funding
from the Friends of the Library and help from community volunteers, a butterfly and pollinator
garden had been planted outside the library. However, it was very small and hemmed in by
asphalt. In January 2021, Wassenaar began making plans to expand it.
She was applying for a grant to fund removal of the asphalt when she was contacted
by Andre Copeland, Interpretive Programs manager with the Chicago Zoological Society.
Copeland leads the Society’s Communities & Nature initiative. The main goal of the initiative
is to create a bridge that enables people to connect to wildlife and nature in their communities,
said Copeland. “We are restoring people’s understanding of our connection with nature.”
CZS partners with public libraries and other community organizations and helps them create
healthy spaces for people and wildlife, as well as engage people in those communities with
nature-based programs.
“Andre was very helpful,” said Wassenaar. “He provided us with resources for planning
the garden and connected me with the Illinois Monarch Project.” A grant from the Project
paid for seeds and the Project provided volunteer labor. Copeland also suggested she contact
the local University of Illinois Extension office and a representative created a garden design
free of charge. The concrete was gone by March, the plants were in by May, and the garden
was blooming by July.

(Right): Andre Copeland, Interpretive Programs manager
at Brookfield Zoo, assists Blue Island Public Library Director
Anna Wassenaar plant a pollinator garden.

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