Despite a chilly Saturday morning (October 23), there was a warm gathering of neighbors at Semper Pi Lawler SW to welcome 3 of our local elected officials (and staff) who came to recognize and honor the Berteau Butterfly Garden Project.
Bridget Degnen, our Cook County Commissioner, saw the Block Club Chicago article and, being in support of environmental initiatives, submitted a resolution to the Board of Commissioners to officially recognize the efforts of BBGP. She came on site to meet us and formally present the resolution. Lindsey LaPointe, our State Representative, and Robert Martwick, our State Senator, also attended and spoke at the event. Senator Martwick also presented BBGP with a formal acknowledgement from the State of Illinois. After the formalities were over, the guests lingered and toured our block, even visiting Lilly’s yard to see her butterfly enclosures. Rob asked lots of general gardening questions and was particularly interested in the balloon milkweeds. I had seed packets ready, which I passed out to all of the guests.
A very pleasant morning, indeed!
To be honest, I was not familiar with Bridget or with what she does, so this was a good opportunity to become familiar with her priorities, which align with our BBGP goals. As it turns out, her previous profession was as an environmental engineer. And, she loves The Lorax !! I think she’s the kind of person that you can just visit in her office (just around the corner on Milwaukee) and have a good conversation.
Thanks to our local videographers (Jenny Snyder and Larry Chase), we have a recording of her presentation.
Below are additional photos (thank you Chris Swider) from the event. Click on an image to view full size.
