Tour & Talk: Big Marsh Park

Since the late 1800s, the area surrounding Lake Calumet served as a dumping ground for waste and slag from heavy industries. Through extensive planning and investment from the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and the community, 45 acres of slag fields were transformed into eco-recreational spaces with paved and off-road biking trails and adventure courses. The remaining acres have been restored as wildlife habitat, stewarded by volunteer groups led by the Chicago Park District and The Nature Conservancy, with opportunities for hiking and birding.

Opened in 2016, the 280-acre Big Marsh Park now serves as a model for how former industrial land can be transformed into wildlife habitat and recreational space.

Following hour-long walking tours led by the Chicago Park District, Openlands and The Nature Conservancy, attendees will gather at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center for a catered lunch and a presentation from Hitchcock Design Group and Valerio Dewalt Train (VDT) on the park’s landscape design and the Environmental Center.

Please note: Attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the park. A “Know Before You Go” email with directions and travel information will be sent to all registrants before the event.

This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Chicago’s Living Habitat, on view at the CAC through January 2027. Chicago’s Living Habitat is co-curated and presented by Openlands.