“A coalition of environmental groups warns wildlife in the Chicago area is at great risk.

The Chicago Wilderness Consortium releases its study today. The group spent the past few years studying the health of plants and wildlife in the area. It say the prognosis isn’t good.

Coalition Vice-Chair Bruce Boyd says it’s up to residents to work harder to preserve forests, waterways and by growing more native plants.

""It’s something for us to be proud of and to highlight to the rest of the world. But boy, for us to feel good about those places, they’ve got to be healthy and thriving and in order to make them that way that they really are crying for our help,"" he says.

The consortium also wants lawmakers to pump more money into forest preserves and state parks.“