Southwest Airlines Conservation Project Helps Preserve Chicago's Clean Water Supply
Volunteers clear invasive plants that erode topsoil and contaminate the city's water
Stories From the Road: Chicago
The Conservation in Action Tour, celebrating Southwest Airlines' 40th Anniversary with 40 service projects around the country, made its eleventh and twelfth stops in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois.
In Milwaukee, volunteers restored a section of Washington Park's prairie and removed buckthorn from the park's trails.
Five days later in Chicago, Southwest Employees and Customers joined forces with the Student Conservation Association to brave the summer heat and clear two invasive plants, European buckthorn and bush honeysuckle, from the park's trails.
"European Buckthorn and bush honeysuckle block sunlight for understory plants, which causes these organisms to die. With no understory plants, bare soil is exposed and then washed away by rain, draining into Chicago’s water supply. The additional soil in the water decreases the water quality and can add pollutants to the water supply," said Becca Landis, an intern from the Student Conservation Association. "Removal of these plants is key to a healthy water supply for the inhabitants of Chicago."
This week, the Conservation in Action Tour is traveling from the midwest to the northeast. Next stop: Manchester, NH!
Keep up with the "Conservation in Action" Tour on the Southwest Airlines blog! Check back often for stories from the road, recaps from each conservation project, and photos from around the country.
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