Achievement

The fourth cohort of LEAP students completed a social network analysis of conservation organizations that work in the South Chicago/Calumet region. The goal was to investigate linkages among different types of conservation groups. This interdisciplinary project integrates social science research with landscape ecology and network theory. Results of the study showed that groups associated with a regional conservation alliance (Chicago Wilderness) had more connections in the network than other groups. Geographic proximity, of both office locations and shared field sites, also increased interactions. The project was supported by a grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. A written report has been delivered to the foundation and a manuscript reporting the findings is in review.