Waukegan

Lake Count Board Meeting

 

After months of secret planning, the Forest Preserves have only given us one week to weigh in. As you can see, the plan turns a quiet Forest Preserve into a massive spectator sport complex.

 

While much of it could be removed after the Games, consider the construction and unavoidable impacts of:

• 280 stall barn

• 15,000 seat stadium

• Olympic-sized arena

• Paddocks

• Steeple-chase course

• Restrooms

• Roads

• Concessions

• 200,000 visitors

• Media

The Board will vote whether to agree to the Olympic Committee's terms, but so far the secret planning has been ON THEIR  TERMS.

 

Set in a quiet, rural setting, Lakewood Forest Preserve supports pristine land, 17 endangered species (including nesting Sandhill Cranes), a bat colony, is an important way-station for migratory birds and includes a U.S. National Natural Landmark.

Come and ask:

• Why Palos Hills Cook County FPD said no, but LC FPD thinks we should "donate our land" so the Olympics and developers can cash in?

• How long would construction and deconstruction take?

• How much blacktop and rooftop would be left behind?

• Who's paying for this FPD planning effort?

• Would there be any benefits to our Forest Preserves for wildlife?

• Why not on private land, or FAP432 land owned by IDOT?

• Traffic?

• Development impacts in surrounding rural Lake County?

Click here for the County's meeting Agenda and Directions.

Click here to see how the LCFPD is promoting this development.

10th Floor
County Building
18 North County Street
Waukegan , IL 60085

Beat the Blues  __

Lake Forest

W&W Winter Party

Help unite members eager to have public meetings. See Volunteer! to join our membership committee.

RSVP for directions to the party, email
ww-blues@
illinois.sierraclub.org or call (847)367-4253 or (847)680-6437.

Gurnee

additional dates and locations below

Go N on Kilbourne from Grand (132), W of O'Plaine, E of 21.  OR

Go S on Kilbourne from 41, W of Delaney, E of 21

Map and Directions

followed by

Planning Committee Meeting

Vernon Hills

McHenry County is using cutting edge techniques to manage winter road conditions. Their effective, low-cost, liquid de-icing mixture won honors from the American Public Works Association and the National Association of Counties. One of the special ingredients of this award-winning concoction is beet juice! Mr. DeVries will provide an overview of road salt alternatives and talk about how McHenry County is using a combination of best practices and liquid mixtures to manage winter roads.

The Lakes Management Unit monitors water quality in lakes throughout the county and provides local authorities with management recommendations. Ms. Keseley will present the Unit's findings on water quality trends related to road salt. She will also give examples of plant damage and salt tolerance levels of aquatic life.

BONUS: The briefing will take place across the hall from the College of Lake County's brand new green roof. Installed in November 2006, it is reported to be the first green roof in Lake County. We'll have a chance to take a peek!

REMEMBER: You bring your lunch, we'll bring interesting speakers – plus dessert!

RSVP to upperdesplainesriver@yahoo.com .

ABOUT UDPREP'S BROWN BAG BRIEFINGS
Forget the office cafeteria! Spend your lunch hour learning about the interesting people, projects, and programs in the Upper Des Plaines River Watershed.
Brown Bag Briefings feature interesting speakers on timely topics, updates on UDPREP activities, and news from across the watershed. Briefings rotate to different locations throughout the watershed over the course of the year.
An open session of UDPREP's Planning Committee follows each Briefing. Everyone is welcome to sit-in on this meeting of advisors who help in planning UDPREP's activities.
Please plan to join us. And remember: you bring your lunch, and we'll bring good speakers – plus dessert!

N of Rt. 22 and Half Day on Rt. 21.

Map and Directions

Grayslake

Lincolnshire

W&W Public Meeting

Calendar downloads: rtf or iCalendar.

Help unite members eager to have public meetings. See Volunteer! to join our membership committee.

Vernon Area Public Library

300 Old Half Day Rd

(Take Rt 22/Half Day Rd W from Milwaukee Ave/Rt 21,
turn north (right) at the first light, then quick left into the Library parking lot.
Map and Directions

2007

Chicago

Chicago Wilderness
 

You are invited to a day-long conference that brings together the region's best experts, most dedicated volunteers and anyone interested in nature. Technical presentations and interactive workshops will explore the latest in natural areas preservation, wildlife protection and monitoring. The conference is organized in "tracks" designed for everyone from beginners to experts. There is special focus on empowering citizen scientists, stewards and advocates with information, networking and good ideas.

Wild Things will feature more than 80 large and small-group sessions drawn from real-life experiences with everything from the nitty gritty of habitat management, botany, and zoology to advocacy, education, art, culture, history and backyard and neighborhood ecology. It’s a great opportunity to listen, ask questions, and contribute to the effort to conserve the natural ecosystems and habitats of the greater Chicagoland area.

Please see the conference schedule for details. Click for fees and the registration process. We look forward to an inspiring day! For more information, call 847.965.9239 ext. 21.

Conference Fees:

$30 registration

$15 student registration

$10 buffet lunch (includes vegetarian option)

habitatproject.org/wildthings

Click here and Open to put it in your Outlook calendar.

Chicago

U.S. Congressional Hearing
Mercury Pollution, Invasive Species, Contaminated Harbors
Will Detail Milwaukee Sewage Dumping

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL)
U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL)
U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL)
U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL)

Panelists Include:

• Dr. Stephen Brandt, Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab

• Dr. Leon Carl, Director, U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center

• David A. Ullrich, Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

• Terrence O’Brien, President, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

• Joel Brammeier, Associate Director for Policy, Alliance for the Great Lakes

• Jeff Boehm, Shedd Aquarium

• Mark Schoenfield, Senior Vice President, Jupiter Oxygen

In advance of Great Lakes Day (Wednesday, March 7) U.S. Reps. will hold an ad-hoc congressional hearing regarding the deteriorating environmental health of the Great Lakes. Members of Congress will take testimony from the nation’s top Great Lakes experts. David Ullrich will also discuss the binational organization’s efforts to protect the Great Lakes. The group was founded by Mayor Richard Daley and represents more than 50 cities along the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada. Topics will include environmental restoration issues, including cutting mercury and PCB contamination, banning sewage dumping and stopping invasive species (including Asian Carp, Lamprey Eels and Round Gobies). Representatives also will discuss recently introduced federal legislation to restore the Great Lakes.

Grayslake

Lake-to-Prairie Wild Ones
 

Sharon Yiesla from the University of Illinois Extension Service presents a slide program on native shrubs. All are welcome to attend. There are many native shrubs that can be used in Northern Illinois landscapes. This program will briefly discuss the use of native plants in general then focus on growing situations found in various yards, along with light, soil, and water requirements. Sharon will then make suggestions on specific, mostly deciduous, native shrubs that will meet various growing requirements. Sharon said recently, “The focus of this program is the selection of native shrubs, not landscaping per se. We want to help people pick shrubs that will work for their particular yards.”

Sharon has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in horticulture, with a focus on woody plants, trees and bushes. She will have handouts for attendees.

Wild Ones Natural Landscapers is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the use of native plants in landscaping. For more information about Wild Ones, the program, or to join, contact Karin Wisiol (847-548-1650).

Libertyville

Lake County Audubon General Meeting
 

A talk and slide show by Donald Dann of Bird Conservation Network. His talk will be geared toward those who are interested in learning how to participate in one of the nation’s top outdoor activities, bird watching.

He will cover such subjects as identifying birds by shape, field mark, and call. Tips will apply to beginners as well as those seeking to sharpen their skills. Mr. Dann has a wide range of experience as a naturalist, educator, and bird walk leader and has served on the boards of a variety of environmental organizations such as the Bird Conservation Network, the Nature Conservancy, American Birding Association, Bird Conservation Network, and the Birders’ Exchange.

After Mr. Dann’s talk, Audubon will have available birdhouse kits for sale, along with instructional help to put them together. Bring your hammer. Contact Person: Vic Taylor 847-223-4048.

Grayslake

W&W Public Meeting

Dr. Stephen Ciatti, Argonne National Laboratory

W&W Public Meeting
Thursday, March 22, 2007, 6:45 p.m.

Hybrid, electric, diesel, fuel cell; Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, Ford Escape; ethanol, biofuel, E80—how can you keep track? If you could, you’d need a rocket scientist to make sense of it all, especially from an environmentally sensitive viewpoint.

Not exactly a rocket scientist, Dr. Ciatti works at Argonne National Lab exactly on these transportation technologies and will help us to cull fact from fiction. And the facts will surprise you!

Conservation Committee Meeting immediately preceding at 6:00 p.m.

Contact Larry Marvet at 847-537-2083 with any questions.

Help unite members eager to have public meetings. See Help W&W! to join our membership committee.

Prairie Crossing
Byron Colby Barn
Grayslake
Jones Point Road

Turn W onto Jones Point from Rt. 45 at the light a between Casey and Rt. 120 / Belvidere. The Barn and its parking area are on the left.
Map and Directions

Lindenhurst

Go E on Sand Lake Rd from Grand, W of 45, E of Deep Lake.

Map and Directions

Lincolnshire

W&W Public Meeting

This summer our usual band of singing cicadas will be joined by an enormous army of the 17 year, “periodic” cicada, sometimes called 17 year locusts. The northern Illinois brood is scheduled to emerge this year, when the ground warms to 65 degrees, with up to a million of these red eyed insects per acre! We’ll prepare you for this magnificent—and LOUD—event at our next Sierra Club meeting when we hear from Lake County Forest Preserve educator Allison Lehnen. Learn what to expect when these bugs crawl and fly into your neighborhood.

An Amazing Brood Of Cicadas Will Emerge in a Neighborhood Near You!

Our previously scheduled April presentation by photographer Todd Gustafson was postponed to May 24 due to scheduling issues—see below!)

Contact Larry Marvet at 847-537-2083 with any questions.

Help unite members eager to have public meetings. See Help W&W! to join our membership committee.

Vernon Area Public Library

300 Old Half Day Rd

(Take Rt 22/Half Day Rd W from Milwaukee Ave/Rt 21,
turn north (right) at the first light, then quick left into the Library parking lot.
Map and Directions

Lincolnshire

Learn How to Live Green!

 

 

Come celebrate Earth Day with an event meant to be remembered! Along with the Village of Lincolnshire, local and national environmental clubs will be at the library in support of Earth Day, with topics, displays and discussions on environmental concerns, including global warming, recycling and the need for clean water. There will be organic food samples, a Field Museum Soil Adventure and Bubba the Art Bus for children, a Lake County Forest Preserve animal exhibit, a 102.3 WXLC live broadcast and so much more!

 

 

 

Co-sponsored with Vernon Area Library. See other events there from April 5 - April 25.

Calendar downloads: rtf or iCalendar.

Help make our presence there fun and successful. See Help W&W! to join our membership committee.

Vernon Area Public Library

300 Old Half Day Rd

(Enter Olde Half Day Rd from either Rt 22 or Milwaukee, between Rt. 45/Half Day and Rt. 22.
The Library is on the N side.)

Map and Directions

2007

Grayslake

Soil and Water Conservation District of Lake County

The Soil and Water Conservation District of Lake County is celebrating its 50th Anniversary on May 23 at the College of Lake County. The event is free to all those who would like to attend.

RSVP by contacting the District at 847-223-1056 ASAP.

The event will include a full day of workshops including topics on conservation subdivisions, water resource planning, smart growth, and native landscaping for homeowners.

The event will be headlined by Peter Annin, the author of Great Lakes Water Wars. Annin's presentation will explore the hidden history and precarious future of the controversial Great Lakes water use issue. Water is one of our most treasured resources in Lake County and throughout the country, but what if our water use was limited? Annin's presentation will open the eyes of the community to strive to conserve and protect an unprecedented natural resource that supports 40 million people.

 http://www.lakeswcd.org/

Lincolnshire

W&W Public Meeting

Contact Larry Marvet at 847-537-2083 with any questions.

Help unite members eager to have public meetings. See Help W&W! to join our membership committee.

Vernon Area Public Library

300 Old Half Day Rd

(Take Rt 22/Half Day Rd W from Milwaukee Ave/Rt 21,
turn north (right) at the first light, then quick left into the Library parking lot.
Map and Directions

Grayslake

Free and Open to the Public – Registration Required

Our near future holds far less access to carbon-rich resources than have been available for the last hundred and fifty years. Our use of carbon has created global warming which will be with us for at least another two hundred years. There will be catastrophic consequences created by these global conditions. We need to act immediately, but there will be no quick fixes.

Come join us as our speakers explore the fundamental question facing human beings of every time and place: What is a good and just way to live? Our speakers will explore cultural and social changes of the sort that will be necessary to live within the boundaries of contemporary sunlight and healthy ecosystems. Simply put: We will need to portage out of Carbon Creek with its intellectual assumptions about human superiority and the earth's twin role as inexhaustible energy source and waste sink. This will be difficult because these assumptions are the foundations of science, technology, economics, politics, and ethics. Replacing these systems and assumptions with a worldview that preserves human freedom without degrading the earth's ecosystems is the central challenge of our time. Fortunately others, such as Alexander von Humboldt and Aldo Leopold, have thought deeply about these problems, as our speakers will explore.

We will hear from historian, Laura Walls; philosopher, Strachan Donnelley; conservation biologist and historian, Curt Meine; and philosopher, Bill Vitek.

This symposium is free and open to the public (including lunch at Noon) for all who have registered. To register, email: brookehecht@humansandnature.org

Lake Zurich