Chicago is an attractive subject for environmentalists interested in restoration ecology in densely populated urban areas because of its vast forest preserves and undeveloped lakefront. Experts will examine the area’s unique natural environment during a panel discussion entitled “Bringing Nature Back: The Politics of Restoration Ecology in Chicago,” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at DePaul University, Schmitt Academic Center, 2320 N. Kenmore Ave., Room 154.

Stephen Packard, director of the Chicago area programs of the National Audubon Society, will lead the discussion. The former director of science and stewardship for the Nature Conservancy in Illinois also served as an organizer of the Chicago Wilderness initiative. Packard’s work is the subject of a book, “Miracle Under the Oaks,” by William K. Stevens, former science editor of the New York Times.

Other panelists are John Rogner of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and Henry Henderson, president of Policy Solutions, Ltd. The panel moderator is Nancy Clum, assistant professor of environmental science at DePaul.

Panelists will address such issues as: What is nature in terms of scale? Do we restore only big bits? Small bits? How much forest preserve should be protected from public usage?, and How should non-native species be handled, especially when they are private property and impede the process of restoring natural plants?

The panel discussion is free and open to the public.