Meet botanist and ecological restoration practitioner, Cassi Saari ’11
March 30, 2021
Cassi Saari graduated in 2011 with a degree from the Program in Environmental Sciences. Today Saari is a project manager for the Chicago Park District Natural Areas.
“We have areas with lots of native plants that have been planted intentionally for restoring habitat, for the plants themselves, and also for the wildlife that is native to the Chicago area,” said Cassi Saari. “We’re constantly creating new natural areas… So that’s a really nice place to be with the rebuilding effort.”
“Although our acreages may be small compared to a typical land manager, we are affecting so many more people with them,” she says. “The ‘people side’ is typically underrecognized in ecological restoration,” said Saari.
Learn more about Cassi Saari in the story, “Restoring Native Urban Landscapes,” which is part of a series by the Institute for Sustainability and Energy that highlights alumni.
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