More info on the SPEED Act:
bipartisanpolicy.org/issue-brief/whats-in-the-speed-act
insideclimatenews.org/news/18122025/speed-act-passes-in-house-threatens-clean-power-projects
/end
You can also send a note to your senators through this American Bird Conservancy form: act.abcbirds.org/a/take-action-federal-speed-act 9/x
The bill will need to pass the senate before it can be passed into law. Tell your senators to OPPOSE this bill when it comes before them.
Call @durbin.senate.gov at 202.224.2152 and @duckworth.senate.gov at 202.224.2854. 8/x
Last minute amendments allow for the executive admin to exclude projects it does not like from these reforms. In other words, Trump will have the ability to exclude clean energy projects from this low-barrier process, while allowing oil and gas to benefit from all of these review changes. 7/x
The SPEED Act reduces the deadline to sue a federal agency over its permitting decision.
The SPEED Act limits the right to sue to those who submitted public comment directly impacted by the project. 6/x
The SPEED Act directs courts to defer to the agency's decision rather than coming to their own conclusions based on the environmental review.
The SPEED Act eliminates a court's ability to issue a temporary injunction to stop work/vacate a permit on a project that isn't in compliance with NEPA. 5/x
The SPEED Act prohibits agencies from evaluating effects that are speculative or related to separate projects or potential future projects.
The SPEED Act allows federal agencies to rely on environmental reviews completed previously on similar projects, rather than completing a new review. 4/x
The SPEED Act allows more exemptions from NEPA review.
The SPEED Act eliminates the obligation of agencies to conduct new research or consider new research published after a permit application is submitted. 3/x
The SPEED Act will make it easier for gas and oil companies to get approval on projects that negatively impact bird and wildlife habitat.
The SPEED Act codifies NEPA as a procedural statute only and does not mandate compliance based environmental impact findings. 2/x
Text: Attention birders! ACTION ALERT: Status: The U.S. House passed the SPEED Act. Next step: This bill goes to the U.S. Senate for a vote. Consequences: The changes set forth in the SPEED Act will make it easier for gas and oil companies to get approval on projects that negatively impact bird and other wildlife habitat. Action: Tell your senators to vote NO. Call Tammy Duckworth 202.224.2854, Dick Durbin 202.224.2152. Submit comments through the American Bird Conservancy form.
The U.S. House recently passed HR 4776, the SPEED Act. This act reforms the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to determine the environmental impacts of major projects before they can be funded or approved. 1/x
Promotional flyer for the "Chicago Bird Photography Contest Photo Exhibition" featuring a vibrant image of a Blackburnian Warbler by Riley Phoebus Mazock. The flyer invites viewers to an opening reception at Big Marsh Park on October 11, 2023, from 1–3 pm, with snacks, a short program, and a raffle. Event details and location are listed, along with logos and credits for the Chicago Audubon Society and Chicago Bird Alliance.
Join us at Big Marsh Park on October 11 for this showcase of the winners and runners-up from the 2025 Chicago Bird Photography Contest. Enjoy a short program with snacks and a raffle at the opening reception!
Now on the Chicago Birder Blog: Read the story behind the Urban Birding Festival. Registration for this year's festival closes Sunday. We hope you will join us! www.chicagobirder.org/blog/2025/9/...
I recently noticed an unexpected bird singing in the Lincoln Yards site near the Hideout — a dickcissel. Here's my story about it for @chicagomag.com: www.chicagomag.com/city-life/th...
You still have about two weeks to read "Turning to Birds" by Lily Taylor before joining us for Flock Club Book Club on 7/29 at the Jefferson Park library! We hope to see you all there. Please RSVP so we know how many treats to bring! www.chicagobirder.org/events/2025/...
Piping Plovers move pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss them.
Blue Star will now be known as Ferris. 1/4
Hiya! I'm El.
The El (for Elevated) is Chicago's transit system. Just like our Piping Plover family at Montrose, the El connects the city of Chicago, its surrounding suburbs, and the community it serves. 1/2
Hi! I'm Bean.
The Bean, a beautiful sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Millenium Park, is beloved by locals and visitors alike. Its reflective surface captures and transforms the surrounding city skyline. 1/2
It's our Fledge Day and we have something more to reveal...our names!
At 23 days, your Chicago Piping Plover chicks are officially fledged. Throughout the day, we will roll out the chicks' forever names in dedicated posts. 1/3
📸: Tamima Itani (The chick soon fka Red Star)
An illustration of a Blue Jay flying over a field of purple coneflowers. Text reads: Field Trip. Borbs & Forbs: Dunning-Read Natural Area. Saturday, July 19, 7:45 a.m.-noon. Dunning-Read Natural Area. 4050 North Oak Park Avenue. Chicago, Illinois. 60634. 7:45 a.m. Bird walk begins. 9:00 a.m. stewardship activities.
Join us for a birding and stewardship day at the Dunning-Read Natural Area on 7/19. Give back to the birds and the natural environment, and be a part of the Chicago community. RSVP: www.chicagobirder.org/events/2025/...
Friday! Join us for an afternoon walk to look for grassland birds at Horizon Farms in Barrington, IL. Event is free, but you must RSVP! www.chicagobirder.org/events/2025/...
Three!!! 🐥🐥🐥
Three updates from the Montrose Protected Beach - Saturday, July 5, 2025
🤍Your Chicago Piping Plover family - both parents and all three chicks - is doing well!
1/3
📸: Tamima Itani (Green Star)
In the future definitely call Chicago Bird Collision Monitors: 773-988-1867. Please save their number! All birds who hit windows should be checked out by a wildlife rehabber. Just because they fly away doesn't mean they don't have brain trauma. Thanks for caring!
This is a black bellied whistling duck. They’re normally in Texas and Mexico, so this guy is quite lost. Lots of birders geeking out in Lincoln Park right now, haha. #chicago #bird
[May 4th, 1980] A Chicago-area bird-watcher's guide lists common and uncommon bird species, their habitats, and expected stay periods, published weekly during migration season in The Tribune.
#history #1980s
Eight-legged Imani?!
During the first weeks after hatching, chicks are unable to maintain their own body temperature. The chicks spend much time tucked in under their parents' wings to stay warm. This is called "brooding."
📸: Ezra Quintero (Imani brooding his three chicks, Montrose, July 1, 2025)
On June 1 COS took a trip to Marian Byrnes Natural Area for a special Birds & Botany trip. Observations included Virginia Rail, Red-headed Woodpecker, Water Plantain, and Blue Flag Iris. www.chicagobirder.org/blog/2025/6/...
An ad for a contest. Text reads: Announcing the 2025 Chicago Bird Photography Contest. The contest is a joint initiative of the Chicago Park District, Chicago Ornithological Society, and Chicago Bird Alliance. Submit by August 1. An image shows a Tufted Titmouse perched on the lens of a camera.
The Chicago Bird Photography Contest closes August 1! Get your best shots in before it's too late! www.chicagobirder.org/chicago-bird...
Join COS for an afternoon bird walk at Horizon Farm. This 400-acre hotspot boasts a strong sprawl of meadows and wetlands. We will walk a roughly 1-mile loop around the site in search of breeding grassland birds. The event is free, but you must RSVP! www.chicagobirder.org/events/2025/...
Ad ad for an event Text reads COS Book Club. Tuesday, July 29, 2025. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Jefferson Park Library. 5363 West Lawrence Avenue. Chicago, Illinois, 60630. Coffee and snacks will be provided. 2025 A Year of Green Birding. The ad also shows the cover of the book "Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing" by Lily Taylor, which features an illustration of a Gray Catbird. Logos for The Chicago Ornithological Society and Flock Club appear at the bottom of the ad.
Join us for Flock Club Book Club on July 29! We'll discuss Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor, reflecting on mindfulness, appreciation of the natural world, and living in the present. A Year of Green Birding event! RSVP at the link!
www.chicagobirder.org/events/2025/...
☀️ Imani with 2 of his 3 chicks ☀️
📸: Chicago Piping Plovers (sunset June 27, 2025)
