Audubon Great Lakes, nonprofit organizations hold celebration to honor World Migratory Bird Day, Latinx Heritage Month

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Audubon Great Lakes, a nonprofit conservation group, partnered with other organizations to host a free celebration in honor of World Migratory Bird Day and Latinx Heritage Month Saturday.

The celebration was a way to connect experiences with Mother Nature for people like Ivonne Chavez, a coordinator at Wild Indigo Nature Explorations.

"Migration is natural. We're all trying to go to the destination where we thrive, where we are comfortable, where we find resources," Chavez said.

"For me and my colleagues that put this event together, this is very personal for us because we all come with our own migration stories," added Ana Teresa Valenzuela, Stewardship Program associate.

RELATED: Bird watchers flock to Lake Michigan during peak fall migration in Chicago area

Saturday's event was held at the Indian Ridge Marsh, one of the sites vital to wetland birds, according to experts. Participants were able to partake in guided bird walks and seed collection at the location.

Organizers put this event together as part of a larger effort to restore the marsh habitats across the Calumet region while also engaging the community.

"For us to be able to bring together families, to bring together friends, to bring together our colleagues to celebrate the journey, not just bird migration but the migration of our people and families and celebrate where came from and where we're going, I think that's crucial," Valenzuela said.

For more information about bird migration, visit the Audubon Society's website.