Within Illinois there are many natural areas that have to be managed to maintain their biological diversity. Historically, management activities involved plant communities. In 1987, the Nature Conservancy created the Butterfly Monitoring Network to assess the effects of management on animals. The Chicago Academy of Sciences’ Notebaert Nature Museum has collaborated with this successful effort to explore the effects that habitat management has on butterfly populations. Based on this effective model, the Dragonfly Monitoring Network was created. Through this project we hope to be able to gain a greater knowledge of the distribution and abundance of dragonfly and damselfly species in the Chicago region and eventually to expand the network across Illinois and beyond.  Click Here to read more.