UPDATE: It’s Final! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has officially withdrawn their proposal to expand the confined disposal facility (CDF) on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Years of determined advocacy by the Alliance of the Southeast (ASE), the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), the Friends of the Parks (FOTP), and numerous other community organizations and individuals, including birders, has finally paid off, and now we can hope that the Chicago Park District and the South Side community will soon work together to transform this site into a long-promised lakefront park. As a reminder, this location is between Steelworkers and Calumet Parks. We look forward to this opportunity that will provide the Southeast Side a respite from toxicity, and an expansion for birding adventures. More details here.

UPDATE: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. District Court in the Alliance of the Southeast et al v. United States Army Corps Of Engineers. The Attorney General joins the opposition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed new 25-foot high dump of toxic dredged wastes to be built on top of the now closed confined disposal facility (CDF). The Corps had previously promised to return the lakefront property to the Chicago Park District once the CDF was full. This toxic expansion is less than a mile from residential neighbor hoods, schools, and sits in between Calumet Park and opposite Steelworkers Park. More information on the AG’s action here.

UPDATE from Brett Chase, Chicago Sun-Times: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has withdrawn an application with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency after state officials raised multiple concerns last year about possible contamination of Lake Michigan from the stored toxic dredged material scooped from the Calumet River. …

The Corps said in a statement that it is committed to the site and completing expansion of a “confined disposal facility” that’s been filling up with the river sediment, much of it containing metals and chemicals, since the early 1980s.” More details here.

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It was a beautiful day for our birding and rally at Steelworkers Park! The Confined Disposal Facility is a dump that juts out into Lake Michigan between two well-used birding locations, Steelworkers’ and Calumet Parks in Chicago. Our partners Environmental Law and Policy Center are suing on behalf of Friends of the Parks and Alliance of the Southeast to ensure that the Army Corps does not build a 25-foot tall dump at the site, which is slated to be turned over the the Chicago Park District.

The best birding was on the lake, where loons, grebes and diving ducks were spotted. Here’s Alderman Chico looking at a loon!

After taking in the birds, we walked to the southernmost point to have a rally in view of the Confined Disposal Facility. Our 5 speakers (R to L: Peter Chico, Linda Gonzalez, Amalia NietoGomez, Judy Pollock and Juanita Irizarry; moderator Dana Harbaugh in the middle):

More than 50 people showed up.

Represented were Environmental Law and Policy Center (Judith Nemes did an awesome job as our media rep and WBBM showed up), Friends of the Parks, Alliance of the Southeast, People’s Council, Chicago Ornithological Society, Ancona School, Feminist Bird Club, Fort Dearborn Audubon Society, Dunes Calumet Audubon Society, Kankakee Audubon Society, and the Bird Conservation Network. Photos of the crowd and the Confined Disposal Facility site on the other side of the mouth of the Calumet River below. (As Amalia told us, “confined” is maybe the wrong word because waves might erode the earthen banks.)

One hundred postcards, signed by attendees and their friends, will be delivered to Mayor Johnson this week. We’ll keep this page updated with any action on this important issue. If you missed the event and would like to get caught up, here are some good links.

Thanks so much to everyone who showed up to demonstrate your support of habitat on the lakefront and environmental justice in the 10th ward. We hope you enjoyed the day and learned a little about this important piece of land - we did!

Thanks also to birding leaders Doug Stotz, Sunshine DeVries, Jackie Smith, Carl Giometti, Zelle Tenorio and Dan Lory.