Land Acknowledgement
Natural Communities acknowledges that the lands where live and where our native plant materials are grown are located on the ancestral homelands of indigenous tribes including Council of the Three Fires--comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations--as well as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations.
For centuries, these Native Americans stewarded and protected these lands, until ownership was stolen from them by U.S. colonizers. Today, we employ certain land management techniques that follow indigenous practices like controlled burning. However, we, and our partners would greatly benefit from more intentional application of indigenous knowledge in how we manage and honor the land.
Chicagoland is home to one of the largest and most diverse urban Native American communities in the United States. Community members celebrate, practice, and adapt their heritage and traditions within our modern, urban environment. It is our responsibility to find common cause with community members and support their engagement with ecological restoration.
Natural Communities is committed to:
Listening, learning, self-reflection
Crediting Native Americans for their knowledge and information, in particular land management and cultivation practices.
Establish a direct line of communication with Native American partners.
Honor Native American heritage and modern culture.
We ask you to offer gratitude, respect, and support to the many Native American People, including their Ancestors, who consider the lands and water sacred. And please join us in carrying on a legacy of respect and active caretaking of our planet - for us and future generations.
To find out how you can give back directly to the Native American community in Chicagoland, please visit the following:
American Indian Center of Chicago, www.aicchicago.org
Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative, www.chicagoaicc.com
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, www.mitchellmuseum.org
Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, www.nacc-il.org/illinois-american-indian-organizations
Additional Resources:
Chicago Wilderness:
AN ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY – People on the Land – Native Americans
READ OUR REVIEWS
Daniel
Daniel
★★★★★
Natural communities and specifically Nick has been an
excellent and knowledgeable entity to work with on my big project. With the
help of my school, my students, many community partners, and Natural
Communities, we are in the process of restoring an area on a high school campus
to a natural prairie/pond area. Nick has come out to do site visits, he has
recommended various plant species that would work best for us, and he has been
able to get us what we want wholesale. Our site is not an easy project because
we are restricted to only native plants and native seeds and Natural
Communities has excelled in meeting our needs on this. Overall, I am so glad we
ended up working with Natural Communities because they have helped so much.
Ron
Ron
★★★★★
Our company has worked with Nick Fuller since before he
became Chief Ecological Officer for Natural Communities, LLC. His
knowledge of native plants and native seeds is remarkable. Nick was the
original steward of our 4-acre wildflower/wild grass prairie and has served us
as a reliable consultant ever since 2006. His continuing insights have
helped us to maintain and grow a healthy ecosystem.
Kathy
Kathy
★★★★★
I am extremely pleased with the one hour consultation I had
with Nick Fuller regarding our wetland creek. We have invasive plants and
grasses that have taken over our creek bed and we needed guidance on how to
both effectively remove the invasives and restore the area with native
plants suitable for the creek. Nick asked pertinent questions that allowed Nick
to identify plants and shrubs suitable for the area with a timeline for
planting. Nick also provided a detailed outline of the steps needed to remove the
invasives. I highly recommend Nick to anyone seeking help with their native
plant garden or to anyone interested in growing a native plant garden.
Shane
Shane
★★★★★
Spoke to owner in depth regarding a couple of different
projects I’m working on- very knowledgeable and professional. I plan on
purchasing seed for my projects through Natural Communities and will follow up
in the future if necessary. Highly recommend for native/natural projects!