Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Saturday, October 5
In south suburban Matteson, the Bartel Grassland forest preserve has been restored to a more natural state, which in addition to providing a more hospitable home to various species of birds, apparently caused an increase in the vole population. So a number of birds that depend on the mouselike animal for food, such as the short eared owl and the northern harrier, have also returned to the preserve.