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Antonio Flores, left, and fellow bird watchers spot waterfowl at the McKinley Park lagoon on the May 4, 2019, Bird Walk.

: Published June 6, 2019

Chicago's McKinley Park has become an oasis for bird watching with the area rolling through the height of the migration season and local groups playing host to bird walks and education events. The area is a "hot spot" for birding, said Chicago Audubon Society President Judy Pollock, since the park and its natural areas attract both common and very rare species.

"Some of these birds will stay for the breeding season," she said. "These are the birds we will be looking for on our farmers market walks."

Horizon Science Academy students Isabel Abarca, Luis Ortega and Evelyn Munoz join 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas outside Chicago City Council chambers as part of their trip to advocate for the Carbon Fee and Dividend resolution.

: Published April 4, 2019

Thanks in part to advocacy and testimony by students from the McKinley Park neighborhood's Horizon Science Academy, the Chicago City Council and 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas have pushed Chicago to be the first major U.S. city to officially support a Carbon Fee and Dividend policy at the federal level. The adoption of Resolution R2017-915 follows months of outreach from Horizon students, backed by other locally active environmental advocacy groups such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, to get Chicago to adopt the non-binding resolution.

On March 11, Horizon students Evelyn Munoz, Isabel Abarca and Luis Ortega were among the testifiers on behalf of the resolution in front of the Committee on Health and Environmental Protection, which Cardenas chairs. On March 13, the measure passed with every city council member present voting in favor of it.

Bubbly Creek on the eastern border of the McKinley Park neighborhood flows north toward the Chicago River and the boathouse of Park No. 571.

: Published April 3, 2019

The Friends of the Chicago River is reaching out to local paddlers who have an interest in helping promote our local waterways, including Bubbly Creek on the McKinley Park neighborhood's eastern border. Two upcoming training dates lead to certification as a Volunteer Canoe Guide who can lead expeditions from the Chicago Park District boathouse at the headwaters of Bubbly Creek and the Chicago River, and from other locations.

"After you paddle, you can't help but become a friend of the river," said Volunteer Associate Annette Anderson, who works with Friends of the Chicago River. "That's why the guide program is so essential: They are there to coach new paddlers, share their passion for the river and offer an added layer of safety."

McKinley Park Community Garden President Nicholas Efronsis shares prospective garden plans at the March 11 meeting of the McKinley Park Advisory Council as council member Heather Breems looks on.

: Published March 13, 2019

The McKinley Park Advisory Council elected a new team of officers and set priorities and initiatives for its 2019 programs at its monthly meeting on Monday, March 11. Returning re-elected council officers include President Veronica O'Malley and Secretary Katie Flores; new officers Danny Gaichas and James Flores joined the council team, respectively, as vice president and treasurer.

The meeting also included discussion of the prospective folding of the Hoyne Park Advisory Council into the McKinley Park Advisory Council, as the Hoyne Park council has been less active recently, meeting participants noted. Both Gaichas and James Flores have been very involved at Hoyne Park, including Hoyne Park council leadership and managing the Omega Delta Youth Baseball & Softball program. New McKinley Park Supervisor Briana Soria again floated the idea of supporting Hoyne Park with programming and resources.

A graphic from the South Branch Framework Plan shows the "dis-connectivity" between the McKinley Park and Bridgeport sides of Bubbly Creek.

: Published March 1, 2019

The foetid waters of Bubbly Creek on the eastern edge of the McKinley Park neighborhood may soon begin to receive more attention and improvements, thanks to the Framework Plan for the South Branch Parks published by the South Branch Park Advisory Council. In the plan, which spans multiple parks around the headwater where Bubbly Creek meets the Chicago River, the South Branch PAC recommended a new pedestrian bridge connecting the McKinley Park and Bridgeport neighborhoods.

A pedestrian bridge was the single most mentioned idea in the plan's public workshop, addressing an issue "identified as a primary problem," the framework document stated. The current route across Bubbly Creek involves a 20-minute hike on uneven, narrow sidewalks and under dark bridges; a pedestrian bridge would also improve the area's access to the Ashland stop on the Orange Line El, the plan said.