Co-author Mike Ward was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the recently published "Illinois Birds: A Century of Change." Mike Ward said that the results of the most recent studies were somewhat encouraging. "There's definitely reason to be concerned for certain species of birds, but I don't think we're at the worst point in the last 100 years. I think the worst point was definitely somewhere between the 1950s and now, when our waters were really contaminated and there was a wider use of nasty pesticides. There's reason for concern today, but on the flip side there are definitely triumphs."