Plant nerds, bird geeks and conservation junkies converge on Chicago for the Wild Things Conference on February 23rd. The volunteer-led conference is one of the nation’s largest networks of people engaged with nature. The people enjoying and protecting this area’s wilderness are all there. Sessions include: “Cavity Nesting Birds in Chicago Cemeteries,” “The Vanishing Native Shrub Layer” and “Restoring Landscapes at Scale.” The keynote is “Restoring Food, Nature and Justice” from author Gary Nabhan. We talk with Gary and conservationist Stephen Packard, a key figure in this region’s ecological restoration movement, about the place where food, justice and preservation meet.