Trends Winter 2016 | Page 8

of economics at Beloit College and executive director of Beloit 2020. “Interest in this area has always been on the back burner.” its exact location has not been determined, the Ho Chunk village at the confluence in the early 1800s had at least three times as many residents as Chicago had at the time. One of the goals of Beloit 2020 is to encourage economic development and urban renewal. This project, called Nature at the Confluence, is patterned after the Urban Ecology Centers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The concept is that urban decay occurs over time and goes mostly unnoticed, Adams said. Installing a vibrant, natural community gathering area provides contrast to the decay, drawing attention to the need for change and encouraging neighborhood improvement. Jacob Blue, landscape architect with Ayres Associates, has been working with Beloit 2020 on the project for several years and provided the ecological inventory of the area. “We walked the 75 acres and mapped the different habitats that existed and compared them to the historical survey records of when the area was platted in 1836,” Blue said. “We knew the area was going to be dedicated to nature. The question was how do we tell the story of the nature of this site in view of its later uses?” “It’s worked astonishingly well in Milwaukee,” he said. One of the first steps in transforming this forgotten natural area into an asset for the region was to investigate its history and current state, to help guide historical and ecology exhibits and displays planned for the park. People have occupied the site for more than 1,000 years. Although 8│TRENDS The goal is to restore areas to healthy, sustainable habitats that would have been typical before industrial uses, thereby encouraging park visitors to learn more about their region and ecology in general. The location is ideal: Beloit College and 33 schools are within 5 miles of the site; more than 150 schools are within 15 miles of Nature at the