Diane Cheklich, July 17th, 2024
Title
Diane Cheklich, July 17th, 2024
Description
Diane Cheklich discusses the Detroit Bird Alliance’s work on habitat conservation in Detroit, as well as the broader impacts of climate change on both wildlife and humans.
Publisher
Detroit Historical Society
Rights
Detroit Historical Society
Language
en-US
Narrator/Interviewee's Name
Diane Cheklich
Brief Biography
Diane Cheklich is the director of the Detroit Bird Alliance Conservation Committee, a founding partner of D2 Solar LLC, and a filmmaker. She’s a long-time resident of the Midtown Cass Corridor area of Detroit.
Interviewer's Name
Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo
Date
7/17/2024
Interview Length
20:24
Transcription
Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo: I'm Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo, it's July 17th, 2024, and I'm here with, please say your name.
Diane Cheklich: Diane Cheklich.
DLT: And can you please spell your name?
DC: First name is D i a n e last name is C h e k l i c h.
DLT: And do you live in the city of Detroit?
DC: Yes, I do.
DLT: What neighborhood do you live in?
DC: I live in the Midtown Cass Corridor area.
DLT: How long have you lived in that neighborhood?
DC: 11 years.
DLT: And have you lived elsewhere in Detroit?
DC: No.
DLT: Do you work in the city of Detroit?
DC: I do work in the city of Detroit.
DLT: What career are you in?
DC: I'm in clean energy advocacy, solar.
DLT: What's the name of the organization you work for?
DC: D2 Solar.
DLT: And do you also work with other organizations?
DC: Yes. I work with Detroit Bird Alliance. I'm on the board and I’m the president of the organization.
DLT: And how did you get involved with that organization?
DC: Well, I'm a nature lover and I enjoy birds very much and was invited to join the board several years ago. And it's a good way for me to help advocate for birds and the environment as well.
DLT: And where is this organization located?
DC: It's located in Detroit.
DLT: Would you say that this organization is affected by climate change?
DC: Yes.
DLT: And how so?
DC: Well, we advocate for conservation of birds and the environment and many wildlife species are affected by climate change. The warming climate affects their migration, their food availability, the actual evolution of their bodies, and their ability to survive. So yes, they are affected. In fact, approximately two-thirds of all bird species in North America are threatened by climate change.
DLT: Are there any particular effects on birds in Detroit that you've noticed?
DC: I don't know that I've seen any specific effects. You know, birds are also threatened by habitat destruction, of which there has been a lot in urban and suburban areas. Climate change per se is something that—migration patterns have shifted a little bit. And I think that’s being observed in Detroit. We haven't seen specific other factors, and I would defer to scientists who do research on that for a more detailed answer.
DLT: And would you say that combating, or alleviating climate change is an important part of your work?
DC: Absolutely it is. It's what keeps me awake at night.
DLT: And what does that look like in your work?
DC: Well, restoring nature is a big part of our work. And the science does say that if you, if we protect nature specifically, at least 30% of nature, then that can combat the effects of climate change. Because nature, especially land conservation, for example, habitat conservation, helps to cool the planet through trees, for example, and helps manage stormwater, and it helps filter pollution. Wetlands, for example, perform that eco service. So, protecting nature and of course our pollinators—of which birds are pollinators in addition to bees and other insects—helps to keep our food sources alive. So, protecting nature will, is a very effective tool in fighting climate change. So, it's very central to what we do. We're also trying to preserve species, and being able to help them adapt to climate change helps their survival potential as well.
DLT: And you mentioned stormwater. Can you talk a little bit more about stormwater’s effects on Detroit?
DC: Yes. Well, one of the climate impacts that Detroit feels is more extreme weather, right? We've had two 500 year storms in the last decade, for example, and these storms, cause— And our sewer and stormwater infrastructure is very old and can't handle a lot of the water and the runoff that results from these storms. Planting native plants—and Detroit Bird Alliance is involved in, one of our land conservation projects includes native wildflower meadows. And we are close to having fifty acres of that in the city right now over the last five years—native plants have deep roots, and they help absorb a lot of the water that comes down in these extreme rainfall events. So that keeps it out of the sewer system, keeps it from flooding people's basements, keeps raw sewage from going out into the Detroit River. And so, there's a direct benefit, a stormwater benefit from having native plantings. Not only in our meadows, but we're encouraging residents to plant native plants in their own yards. And this is an easy way for us to collectively help to manage stormwater from extreme rain events.
DLT: And you mentioned involvement in solar energy earlier? Can you talk a little bit more about that?
DC: Sure. So, solar energy is a clean form of energy where we can get electricity without having to burn fossil fuels. Burning coal and gas has historically been how we get our electricity. And that has caused a lot of problems, including climate and global warming. In fact, fossil fuels is one of the main culprits in causing climate change. In addition, it contributes to air pollution. Detroit has the highest asthma rates in the entire state. And so it causes public health issues as well. Solar energy does not have that. And honestly, that's one of the reasons why I got into the business. That's the main reason why I got into the business: in order to help Detroit realize its potential for solar. We have a lot of land. We have a lot of problems that can be solved by having more solar in the city. And so, it's a direct way to fight climate change.
DLT: Would you say that your organization works to educate people about climate change and other environmental issues?
DC: Yes, we do. That's one of the things that comes up in our discussions about— are you're talking about Detroit Bird Alliance?
DLT: Yes.
DC: Or D2 Solar? Okay. We do, when we talk about native plants and the benefits of having meadows in open spaces and native plants in people's gardens, managing stormwater and helping to cool the area are both benefits that people can understand and can relate to. So that is definitely part of the conversation. In addition to helping our bird friends. So, it helps people and birds.
DLT: And how would you say people respond to these educational efforts or the Detroit Bird Alliance's other programs?
DC: I think Gretchen [Abrams] can speak to this a little bit better than me because she's in touch with all the programs. However, our field trips, which are part of our educational programing, are generally really well received by people. Our meadows are a very popular destination for field trips. And as people are appreciating the natural beauty of the wildflower meadows and the birds in them, it gives us an opportunity to talk about, well, if you like what you're seeing, if it helps you feel more calm and helps your own spirit, here are the things that we can do. And here are the benefits that this provides in addition to, you know, seeing beautiful birds and flowers. It's the stormwater. It's the cooling effects. It's raising people's awareness and making the connection between protecting nature and protecting ourselves.
DLT: And can you tell me about the Detroit Bird City Project?
DC: Yes. Detroit Bird City is one of my favorite programs in Detroit Bird Alliance. It is a collaboration between Detroit Bird Alliance and the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department. The Parks and Rec department had a plan. Part of their strategic plan in 2017 identified certain parks that were really no longer being used as traditional recreational parks and had plans to convert them to different types of parks: urban agriculture or forest buffers or intentional meadows. And so, we partnered with the city on the intentional meadows parks to help implement those and to put together a methodology where we could restore those parks, which were really overgrown turf grass. There wasn't any more playground equipment or, you know, signage that would indicate some of these parks.
And so, the idea was to restore them into a different kind of park, more of a nature park with signs and benches and a lot of intentional features to them, including a very diverse set of plants and vegetation, instead of just overgrown turf grass, which is not native and is not diverse. So, we started that with five pilot parks, between 2017 and 2022, and that was about eight acres’ worth across all that. And now we've expanded into many more parks. And like I said earlier, are closing in on fifty acres. And they’re, the meadows mature over three years, and we have two parks that are in their mature stages: Callahan Park and Palmer Park. And they're really beautiful. They're a nice attraction and are very well received by the visitors who visit them.
DLT: And have you been involved in the Detroit Bird Alliance's advocacy for Belle Isle?
DC: Yes. Detroit Bird Alliance has, conducts field trips at Belle Isle. We publicly issued a statement opposing the Grand Prix on Belle Isle when it was there. It's really not the right place for a nature park. And we feel happy that the Grand Prix has moved off of the island. We continually work with the DNR about habitat for birds on Belle Isle. And there's a lot of effort, especially on the east end of the island, where there's more nature, to protect that habitat there. One of our focuses right now is the area by the lighthouse, which has the potential to be another Detroit Bird City meadow. It's about twenty acres of kind of a grassland. But we'd like to see more intentionality behind that as well, and are hoping to have that turn into a project in the next couple of years.
DLT: And if your organization could do one project to help with these bird habitats, what would that dream project be?
DC: And this is speaking for myself, but I think that the model that we've established with the land conservation through Detroit Bird City, I would love to see that expanded to a thousand acres. You know, our, we've dreamed about a thousand-acre nature preserve in the city of Detroit, and we're proving it out with these smaller projects, and we'd love to see that go big. We're right along the Detroit River, which is a major bird migration route. We have the land here in Detroit. And in fact, a lot of people look at our open space and say, gee, there's so much space. What are we going to do with it? Well, you know, here's an idea. And we've proven out that it's a relatively low maintenance approach. It's a way to restore the land and fight climate change, introduce beauty and all the health benefits that people can have from communing with nature. And so, that would be a great way to dream big and benefit both people and wildlife.
DLT: And in your time living in Detroit, have you personally been affected by climate change impacts on the city?
DC: Yes. I, one of the biggest things was the wildfires from Canada last year that, you know, globally, wildfires are much more common. They're year-round instead of one season out of the year anymore. And even though we don't have wildfires in Detroit, we breathe the air from the wildfires in Canada. And last summer, Detroit had the worst air quality in the entire world. And with all the asthma that we have in the city, that directly affected people. You couldn't go outdoors, and the air, the sky was all orange. And it was really kind of apocalyptic. So yes, that, the five-hundred-year storms that I've mentioned, we have way more 90 degree days, so we're dealing with heat extremes as well. So, all those things are coming down on Detroit. Even though we don't have, you know, hurricanes and wildfires right here, nobody is immune from the effects of climate change.
DLT: What would you say to someone who doesn't believe climate change is real or an issue?
DC: I would say look at the science, because this is all based in science. You don't have to believe me. If you live in the city, that is why we had the terrible air last year. That's why it's raining more. That's why we hardly have any snow anymore. That's the science and that's the reality of what's happening. And it's really not an opinion anymore. It's science and physics. And it's happening.
DLT: And moving briefly to another issue. Would you say that either of the organizations that you belong to were affected by Covid?
DC: Yes. And, everything's shut down, right? So we weren't doing field trips with Detroit Bird Alliance. During Covid, we tried to get creative, and did webinars, and conveyed information to people. On the plus side—and this is kind of a silver lining from Covid—because people couldn't go out and, you know, and attend meetings and do other kinds of things, they were forced to stay home or go outside on their own, birdwatching actually skyrocketed during Covid, and a lot of people made a connection with nature that they might not have made time for, or had time for in the past. So birdwatching increased. And that's something that, even though we're coming out of Covid now, a lot of people are hanging on to, and have that appreciation for nature as a result of being forced to just sit and be quiet for a while and look out their window. So, it's kind of a plus and minus. Not that I would wish a pandemic upon anyone, but it did, it did affect the organization.
One other thing that I have read, that I think is really interesting: Because the country was in lockdown and there was less traffic, for example, everything was a lot quieter. And birds, who normally have to compete with our traffic noise and other kinds of human commotion, didn't have to sing as loud in order to communicate with each other, and so that lowered the stress level for birds, because they could communicate and hear each other better when we were quieter. So that was another interesting, you know, benefit to nature of us shutting down. The fact that there was a lot less pollution because we weren't traveling as much helped our air quality and probably helped keep the climate change effects down a little bit as well, so. So some interesting effects from that, some negative, but some that were kind of give you pause and think, wow, I wish we could be quiet in the future, you know, and still live our lives. And so, it's, it created a good time for reflection.
DLT: And was there anything else you wanted to discuss here that none of my questions so far have brought up?
DC: No, I appreciate you bringing this topic up. I do think that climate change, it's an abstract concept. And, a lot of people, you know, don't know what it is or can't relate to it, but the fact that we're seeing these effects, and that we're talking about it, and we're connecting the dots, right, between air pollution and climate change, and extreme weather and climate change, I think people— It's more understood now. And it's good to talk about it because we are in the middle of a climate crisis. We're in the middle of an extinction crisis for our wildlife. And the more we talk about it and acknowledge that it's a problem, the more we're equipped to go and solve it. So, thank you for asking the questions. And I hope that this was useful for your program.
DLT: Yes, thank you so much for your time.
DC: My pleasure.
Diane Cheklich: Diane Cheklich.
DLT: And can you please spell your name?
DC: First name is D i a n e last name is C h e k l i c h.
DLT: And do you live in the city of Detroit?
DC: Yes, I do.
DLT: What neighborhood do you live in?
DC: I live in the Midtown Cass Corridor area.
DLT: How long have you lived in that neighborhood?
DC: 11 years.
DLT: And have you lived elsewhere in Detroit?
DC: No.
DLT: Do you work in the city of Detroit?
DC: I do work in the city of Detroit.
DLT: What career are you in?
DC: I'm in clean energy advocacy, solar.
DLT: What's the name of the organization you work for?
DC: D2 Solar.
DLT: And do you also work with other organizations?
DC: Yes. I work with Detroit Bird Alliance. I'm on the board and I’m the president of the organization.
DLT: And how did you get involved with that organization?
DC: Well, I'm a nature lover and I enjoy birds very much and was invited to join the board several years ago. And it's a good way for me to help advocate for birds and the environment as well.
DLT: And where is this organization located?
DC: It's located in Detroit.
DLT: Would you say that this organization is affected by climate change?
DC: Yes.
DLT: And how so?
DC: Well, we advocate for conservation of birds and the environment and many wildlife species are affected by climate change. The warming climate affects their migration, their food availability, the actual evolution of their bodies, and their ability to survive. So yes, they are affected. In fact, approximately two-thirds of all bird species in North America are threatened by climate change.
DLT: Are there any particular effects on birds in Detroit that you've noticed?
DC: I don't know that I've seen any specific effects. You know, birds are also threatened by habitat destruction, of which there has been a lot in urban and suburban areas. Climate change per se is something that—migration patterns have shifted a little bit. And I think that’s being observed in Detroit. We haven't seen specific other factors, and I would defer to scientists who do research on that for a more detailed answer.
DLT: And would you say that combating, or alleviating climate change is an important part of your work?
DC: Absolutely it is. It's what keeps me awake at night.
DLT: And what does that look like in your work?
DC: Well, restoring nature is a big part of our work. And the science does say that if you, if we protect nature specifically, at least 30% of nature, then that can combat the effects of climate change. Because nature, especially land conservation, for example, habitat conservation, helps to cool the planet through trees, for example, and helps manage stormwater, and it helps filter pollution. Wetlands, for example, perform that eco service. So, protecting nature and of course our pollinators—of which birds are pollinators in addition to bees and other insects—helps to keep our food sources alive. So, protecting nature will, is a very effective tool in fighting climate change. So, it's very central to what we do. We're also trying to preserve species, and being able to help them adapt to climate change helps their survival potential as well.
DLT: And you mentioned stormwater. Can you talk a little bit more about stormwater’s effects on Detroit?
DC: Yes. Well, one of the climate impacts that Detroit feels is more extreme weather, right? We've had two 500 year storms in the last decade, for example, and these storms, cause— And our sewer and stormwater infrastructure is very old and can't handle a lot of the water and the runoff that results from these storms. Planting native plants—and Detroit Bird Alliance is involved in, one of our land conservation projects includes native wildflower meadows. And we are close to having fifty acres of that in the city right now over the last five years—native plants have deep roots, and they help absorb a lot of the water that comes down in these extreme rainfall events. So that keeps it out of the sewer system, keeps it from flooding people's basements, keeps raw sewage from going out into the Detroit River. And so, there's a direct benefit, a stormwater benefit from having native plantings. Not only in our meadows, but we're encouraging residents to plant native plants in their own yards. And this is an easy way for us to collectively help to manage stormwater from extreme rain events.
DLT: And you mentioned involvement in solar energy earlier? Can you talk a little bit more about that?
DC: Sure. So, solar energy is a clean form of energy where we can get electricity without having to burn fossil fuels. Burning coal and gas has historically been how we get our electricity. And that has caused a lot of problems, including climate and global warming. In fact, fossil fuels is one of the main culprits in causing climate change. In addition, it contributes to air pollution. Detroit has the highest asthma rates in the entire state. And so it causes public health issues as well. Solar energy does not have that. And honestly, that's one of the reasons why I got into the business. That's the main reason why I got into the business: in order to help Detroit realize its potential for solar. We have a lot of land. We have a lot of problems that can be solved by having more solar in the city. And so, it's a direct way to fight climate change.
DLT: Would you say that your organization works to educate people about climate change and other environmental issues?
DC: Yes, we do. That's one of the things that comes up in our discussions about— are you're talking about Detroit Bird Alliance?
DLT: Yes.
DC: Or D2 Solar? Okay. We do, when we talk about native plants and the benefits of having meadows in open spaces and native plants in people's gardens, managing stormwater and helping to cool the area are both benefits that people can understand and can relate to. So that is definitely part of the conversation. In addition to helping our bird friends. So, it helps people and birds.
DLT: And how would you say people respond to these educational efforts or the Detroit Bird Alliance's other programs?
DC: I think Gretchen [Abrams] can speak to this a little bit better than me because she's in touch with all the programs. However, our field trips, which are part of our educational programing, are generally really well received by people. Our meadows are a very popular destination for field trips. And as people are appreciating the natural beauty of the wildflower meadows and the birds in them, it gives us an opportunity to talk about, well, if you like what you're seeing, if it helps you feel more calm and helps your own spirit, here are the things that we can do. And here are the benefits that this provides in addition to, you know, seeing beautiful birds and flowers. It's the stormwater. It's the cooling effects. It's raising people's awareness and making the connection between protecting nature and protecting ourselves.
DLT: And can you tell me about the Detroit Bird City Project?
DC: Yes. Detroit Bird City is one of my favorite programs in Detroit Bird Alliance. It is a collaboration between Detroit Bird Alliance and the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department. The Parks and Rec department had a plan. Part of their strategic plan in 2017 identified certain parks that were really no longer being used as traditional recreational parks and had plans to convert them to different types of parks: urban agriculture or forest buffers or intentional meadows. And so, we partnered with the city on the intentional meadows parks to help implement those and to put together a methodology where we could restore those parks, which were really overgrown turf grass. There wasn't any more playground equipment or, you know, signage that would indicate some of these parks.
And so, the idea was to restore them into a different kind of park, more of a nature park with signs and benches and a lot of intentional features to them, including a very diverse set of plants and vegetation, instead of just overgrown turf grass, which is not native and is not diverse. So, we started that with five pilot parks, between 2017 and 2022, and that was about eight acres’ worth across all that. And now we've expanded into many more parks. And like I said earlier, are closing in on fifty acres. And they’re, the meadows mature over three years, and we have two parks that are in their mature stages: Callahan Park and Palmer Park. And they're really beautiful. They're a nice attraction and are very well received by the visitors who visit them.
DLT: And have you been involved in the Detroit Bird Alliance's advocacy for Belle Isle?
DC: Yes. Detroit Bird Alliance has, conducts field trips at Belle Isle. We publicly issued a statement opposing the Grand Prix on Belle Isle when it was there. It's really not the right place for a nature park. And we feel happy that the Grand Prix has moved off of the island. We continually work with the DNR about habitat for birds on Belle Isle. And there's a lot of effort, especially on the east end of the island, where there's more nature, to protect that habitat there. One of our focuses right now is the area by the lighthouse, which has the potential to be another Detroit Bird City meadow. It's about twenty acres of kind of a grassland. But we'd like to see more intentionality behind that as well, and are hoping to have that turn into a project in the next couple of years.
DLT: And if your organization could do one project to help with these bird habitats, what would that dream project be?
DC: And this is speaking for myself, but I think that the model that we've established with the land conservation through Detroit Bird City, I would love to see that expanded to a thousand acres. You know, our, we've dreamed about a thousand-acre nature preserve in the city of Detroit, and we're proving it out with these smaller projects, and we'd love to see that go big. We're right along the Detroit River, which is a major bird migration route. We have the land here in Detroit. And in fact, a lot of people look at our open space and say, gee, there's so much space. What are we going to do with it? Well, you know, here's an idea. And we've proven out that it's a relatively low maintenance approach. It's a way to restore the land and fight climate change, introduce beauty and all the health benefits that people can have from communing with nature. And so, that would be a great way to dream big and benefit both people and wildlife.
DLT: And in your time living in Detroit, have you personally been affected by climate change impacts on the city?
DC: Yes. I, one of the biggest things was the wildfires from Canada last year that, you know, globally, wildfires are much more common. They're year-round instead of one season out of the year anymore. And even though we don't have wildfires in Detroit, we breathe the air from the wildfires in Canada. And last summer, Detroit had the worst air quality in the entire world. And with all the asthma that we have in the city, that directly affected people. You couldn't go outdoors, and the air, the sky was all orange. And it was really kind of apocalyptic. So yes, that, the five-hundred-year storms that I've mentioned, we have way more 90 degree days, so we're dealing with heat extremes as well. So, all those things are coming down on Detroit. Even though we don't have, you know, hurricanes and wildfires right here, nobody is immune from the effects of climate change.
DLT: What would you say to someone who doesn't believe climate change is real or an issue?
DC: I would say look at the science, because this is all based in science. You don't have to believe me. If you live in the city, that is why we had the terrible air last year. That's why it's raining more. That's why we hardly have any snow anymore. That's the science and that's the reality of what's happening. And it's really not an opinion anymore. It's science and physics. And it's happening.
DLT: And moving briefly to another issue. Would you say that either of the organizations that you belong to were affected by Covid?
DC: Yes. And, everything's shut down, right? So we weren't doing field trips with Detroit Bird Alliance. During Covid, we tried to get creative, and did webinars, and conveyed information to people. On the plus side—and this is kind of a silver lining from Covid—because people couldn't go out and, you know, and attend meetings and do other kinds of things, they were forced to stay home or go outside on their own, birdwatching actually skyrocketed during Covid, and a lot of people made a connection with nature that they might not have made time for, or had time for in the past. So birdwatching increased. And that's something that, even though we're coming out of Covid now, a lot of people are hanging on to, and have that appreciation for nature as a result of being forced to just sit and be quiet for a while and look out their window. So, it's kind of a plus and minus. Not that I would wish a pandemic upon anyone, but it did, it did affect the organization.
One other thing that I have read, that I think is really interesting: Because the country was in lockdown and there was less traffic, for example, everything was a lot quieter. And birds, who normally have to compete with our traffic noise and other kinds of human commotion, didn't have to sing as loud in order to communicate with each other, and so that lowered the stress level for birds, because they could communicate and hear each other better when we were quieter. So that was another interesting, you know, benefit to nature of us shutting down. The fact that there was a lot less pollution because we weren't traveling as much helped our air quality and probably helped keep the climate change effects down a little bit as well, so. So some interesting effects from that, some negative, but some that were kind of give you pause and think, wow, I wish we could be quiet in the future, you know, and still live our lives. And so, it's, it created a good time for reflection.
DLT: And was there anything else you wanted to discuss here that none of my questions so far have brought up?
DC: No, I appreciate you bringing this topic up. I do think that climate change, it's an abstract concept. And, a lot of people, you know, don't know what it is or can't relate to it, but the fact that we're seeing these effects, and that we're talking about it, and we're connecting the dots, right, between air pollution and climate change, and extreme weather and climate change, I think people— It's more understood now. And it's good to talk about it because we are in the middle of a climate crisis. We're in the middle of an extinction crisis for our wildlife. And the more we talk about it and acknowledge that it's a problem, the more we're equipped to go and solve it. So, thank you for asking the questions. And I hope that this was useful for your program.
DLT: Yes, thank you so much for your time.
DC: My pleasure.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Diane Cheklich, July 17th, 2024,” Detroit Historical Society Oral History Archive, accessed December 6, 2024, https://oralhistory.detroithistorical.org/items/show/1039.