Northerly Island on Sept 6 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

The Singing Insects Monitoring Program is a citizen science effort to familiarize people with

common sounds of singing insects in the Chicago region, including grasshoppers, cicadas,

katydids, and crickets. Building on Dr. Carl Strang’s work documenting species across 22

counties, the purpose of the project is to collect local baseline data and help people keep their

ears perked for unusual insect calls each summer. Data collected is publicly available to anyone

who wishes to use it, and walks are conducted informally site by site along a route prescribed by

a surveyor. Key to this is listening. To enjoy and to learn how to identify these insects by their

“songs”, Eric Leonardson prepares us for a soundwalk through engaging “Ear Cleaning”

exercises with directions from Dr. Strang.

Eric Leonardson, a Chicago-based audio artist, serves as President of the Midwest Society for

Acoustic Ecology, and President of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. He is Associate

Professor, Adjunct in the Department of Sound at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

(SAIC). Leonardson performs internationally with the Springboard, a self-built instrument made

in 1994 and often presents on acoustic ecology to new audiences beyond art world contexts;

engaging and connecting communities in the interrelated aspects of sound, listening, and

environment.

Meet in the Northerly Island Visitor Center, 1521 S Linn White Dr, Chicago, IL 60605.