Shopping the Praire Food Co-op

By Jeff Gahris

This lovely little community-owned grocery store in Lombard has been open since last July. It is a great place to find some fresh vegetables and unique items. After some challenges associated with the opening of any business, it’s heartening to see the efforts to improve the customer experience, and to provide a community atmosphere.

The goal is to provide access to local, organic, and fairtrade producers and artisans, thereby supporting a broader food economy. I look forward to seeing what kinds of local and fresh produce will be appearing during this year’s local growing season.

If you find a chance to stop by, you will find some surprising good prices. For example, I found gluten-free Three Wishes cereal at less than $5.00. It can be priced around $9.00 at conventional stores. Store management has been working on finding the right price points for specialty foods that are pleasing for shoppers.

The co-op is community owned and operated and deserves our support. You do not need to be an owner to shop here. The store is located at 837 S. Westmore-Meyers Rd, Lombard, and is open 7am to 8pm daily. See more details here, https://www.prairiefood.coop  

Celebrating Native Bees: Why Pollinator Week Matters More Than Ever

By Lonnie Morris

Every June, communities across the United States and beyond come together to celebrate Pollinator Week—a time dedicated to recognizing the essential role that pollinators play in our ecosystems, food systems, and daily lives. Among the most important of these pollinators are native bees, a diverse group of species that often go unnoticed but are vital to both wild landscapes and agriculture.

This year, Illinois has something special to celebrate: the Black and Gold Bumble Bee has been designated as the State Bee. Seeing one is easy as they’re common in DuPage County and can be found in gardens, parks and preserves. The Black and Gold is a large bee with a loud buzz that has been described as like the sound of a helicopter flying by.

Black & Gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus)

Photo by Cathy Hlohowskyj

Pollinator Week is more than just a symbolic observance; it’s a call to action. Native bee populations are facing serious threats from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and disease. As natural habitats are replaced by residential and commercial development, these bees lose access to the diverse flowers and nesting sites they depend on.

There are a variety of ways for helping pollinators: planting native trees, shrubs and flowers, reducing the size of a lawn and replacing it with bee and butterfly friendly gardens and avoiding the use of pesticides as they’re lethal to pests and pollinators. Adopting a more relaxed and natural style of gardening creates places where bees and butterflies can safely nest and spend the winter.

Everyone is welcome to attend Behind the Scenes with Monarchs and Native Bumble Bees, a DuPage Monarch Project program about the ways of helping bees and butterflies thrive in a suburban landscape.

As awareness grows, so does the opportunity to support and protect native bees. Pollinator Week serves as both a celebration and a reminder: the health of our planet is closely tied to the health of its native pollinators.

Protecting pollinators isn’t just about conservation—it’s about sustaining the intricate web of life that depends on them.

Jeff's Jots - Summer 2026

 

You might have heard about a “super El Nino” weather pattern that might lock the earth into a hotter climate.  It’s concerning, but we are still actively working to avoid the worst scenarios for humanity and nature, both for us and the future for future generations.

Tired of feeling overwhelmed and sitting it out as a result? For a good dose of hope, try joining our group. We have been participating in various local events this spring to raise awareness, and we have lobbied our legislators in support of strong environmental bills. Activism in the face of uncertainty just feels good in a time of distress.

Over the last few years, I lobbied for clean energy legislation, and helped people with their energy bills, and supported the Prairie Food Co-op (see image). But what are your issues? The impact of data centers on our communities and the price of electricity? The loss of wetlands due to the rollback of federal protections, or the loss of monarch habitat? Would you simply like to take a hike in a beautiful and relaxing natural area while meeting new friends? We have diverse interests, and may have something meaningful for you.

We are asking for volunteers to represent Sierra Club at special events (with on-site training), attending our program meetings, and helping at the meeting welcome table. Join us!

Lastly, please consider membership in Sierra Club.

Jeff

 

Upcoming programs:

May 27 – All About Beavers

June 24 – The Magic of Fireflies

Sept 23 – Illinois Archaeology, Part 2

For details, see our calendar at https://www.sierraclub.org/illinois/river-prairie

An Illinois State Native Bee?

By Connie Schmidt

What a pretty bumble bee! Meet the black and gold bumble bee or Bombus auricomus. We hope it may soon be the Illinois State Native Bee. This story begins in the office of Janet Yang Rohr, the IL State Representative for District 41. Last summer she held an environmental advisory discussion with residents of her district. Many topics were covered including transportation, clean energy, and carbon capture, but to highlight habitat protection and the importance of pollinators, Connie Schmidt of the River Prairie Group suggested having an Illinois state native bee. The purpose for this is to celebrate and educate residents on the importance of our native bees to our ecosystems. The recommendation for an Illinois state native bee was hatched.

Donna Wandke, Representative Yang Rohr’s Chief of Staff, contacted Barbara Bell, a teacher from Lincoln Junior High in Naperville, who brought the idea to fellow teachers in her school including Emily Barlog. All 208 8th graders at the school worked on the project to choose the native bee for Illinois. It was exciting to give students the opportunity to have a voice in government in this multi-disciplined project. There are over 400 native bees found in Illinois, so the initial task was narrowing the field, and with help from DuPage Monarch Project Coordinator Lonnie Morris, they were able to do so. The students looked at habitats, pollination benefits, and various traits to narrow the field to their top 10 choices. Then the students worked on presentations for nominating the top three choices, and those were shared across the state of Illinois by the State Superintendent’s office. The final presentation by the students with reasons for choosing the back and gold bumble bee is presented here. Please listen to their short video.

Three Cheers for Representative Yang Rohr and Donna Wandke, her Chief of Staff, who was pivotal in coordinating this project!  The Illinois State Native Bee bill was submitted in January for consideration. It is now IL House bill 4438, and we hope that this bill will be a bipartisan success. The River Prairie Group Executive Committee voted unanimously to encourage Illinois Chapter to consider it on the list for supplemental priority efforts as we lobby this year. Watch the Chapter Website for the priority issues for 2026 to be posted in early March. However, anyone can ask their local legislators to support this bill, and we encourage you to do so. In addition, please contact Representative Yang Rohr’s office to thank her for being a good friend to native bees.

A Trifecta for Active Transportation

By Connie Schmidt

Jeff Gahris, Chair of the River Prairie Group, put together a trio of wonderful presenters for our January meeting to discuss DuPage trail systems, active transportation, and e-bikes. We had Dave Simmons from Ride Illinois, Ken McClurg from Illinois Prairie Path, and Steve Johnson and Libby A’Hearn from the Friends of the East Branch River Trail.

Dave talked about how his organization is responding to e-bikes, moto-bikes, and trail and bike lane safety. For the past 6 years, Dave has been working with the nonprofit headquartered in Elk Grove promoting safe bike use for recreation and transportation. Their mission is to “Make Illinois Better with Biking”. We learned that legislation coordinated with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was introduced for the 2026 session to improve e-bike safety statewide. Individual municipalities have been wrestling with regulation and policy. With leadership from state legislation, law enforcement, education, and health care working together the campaign for “Ride Safe, Ride Smart, Ride Ready” is launched. Details can be viewed here.

The second speaker was Ken McClurg, a longtime leader from the Illinois Prairie Path, an east-west trail with several spurs as it travels from Cook County to the Fox River in Kane. This trail is arguably the first successful rails to trails conversion project in North America and dates back to 1963.  A fascinating WTTW documentary that includes history of the IPP and the origin of many of the rail trail projects across North America can be viewed here. Ken talked about the impact of e-bikes and moto-bikes along the Illinois Prairie Path. Their concept is a “suggested speed limit of 15 mph” with recommendations for trail etiquette including wear a helmet and a friendly shout-out when passing to be posted on temporary signs along various sections of the path. Although the actual trail is part of the DuPage Department of Transportation and regulated by the County, the Illinois Prairie Path group is a member volunteer effort to support the trail. Their website includes activities and clean-ups, maps, historical information, and their efforts to add amenities along the trail for the many users. Check out their information here.

The final presentation was made by Steve Johnson and Libby A’Hearn of the Friends of the Friends of the East Branch DuPage River Trail. The DuPage County Division of Transportation has been discussing various routes for this trail project for nearly 25 years when this concept was first introduced. For the last 10 years an advocacy group has written a petition and been extremely active lobbying for governing bodies to move forward. Steve and Libby were on hand to talk about the various plans for a north-south trail that would eventually run from Bloomingdale down to Woodridge. Now a phase one study is in process to look at alignment for the trail from The Great Western Trail down to Butterfield Road. Three routes were discussed, with one being a bike path along Rt. 53, hopefully funded by IDOT when Rt. 53 is widened. One of the other two routes travels through a residential neighborhood on the west side of the river and the other more preferred recreational route would highlight the river habitats following the banks of the East Branch of the DuPage River. Phase one has been funded and is in progress. Read more on the DuPage County website about the East Branch DuPage River Trail project here. There is another website created by the volunteers with the petition and plenty of other advocacy actions to encourage steady progress of this effort as it appears to be stalled. You can access the petition here.

 

Starved Rock Getting Some Lovin’ from Springfield

By Connie Schmidt

For years and years, River Prairie Group Outings leader Ed Max has taken members on hikes through the nearby Starved Rock State Park. Wildflowers, rambling creeks with waterfalls, ridges and overlooks, and meandering trails make this a perfect destination. So much so that Ed has reported, “It is being loved to DEATH.”  Litter, erosion, and off-trail wandering all make for human impact on this special place. 

Thank heavens we recently learned that Springfield has heard the call and is responding with an $18 million dollar trail-improvement project. The following is from the press announcement sent out by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources:

SPRINGFIELD – Starved Rock State Park, including the Starved Rock Lodge and other park amenities, will remain open to visitors during an $18 million trail improvement project that is expected to get underway this winter and continue through 2026.

The work will allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to reopen several closed trails and expand the hiking and recreational opportunities at Starved Rock, which is Illinois’ most visited state park, attracting more than 2 million visitors annually.

The park, in LaSalle County, features numerous timber trail bridges, stairways, boardwalks and retaining walls that have deteriorated over the years and require repairs or replacement. In addition to making trails safer and more accessible, the project will enable IDNR to better control erosion and protect plants and habitat from excessive foot traffic.

“It’s been 30 years since Starved Rock has benefited from a significant trail improvement project like this,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie. “The park, the lodge and other amenities will never close during this project. Even if a specific trail is temporarily unavailable, there will be other beautiful trails to explore, as well as the Starved Rock Lodge and additional nearby state parks for visitors to enjoy.”

To watch a local YouTube personality describe the announcement, click here.

Visitors planning trips to Starved Rock are encouraged to visit the park’s website and Facebook page in advance to confirm trail availability and plan accordingly. Updates will be posted weekly. Trails within the park west of the lodge and east of Parkman’s Plain will not be affected by the project.

 

Our Power for Policy Decisions: ENDORSEMENTS!

By Connie Schmidt and Linda Sullivan

The Sierra Club is unique among many organizations because we have a rigorous all-volunteer led process to endorse candidates for political office. Barbara Hill, the Chair of the Chapter Political Committee, describes the process like this: “Endorsing candidates helps us make and keep friends in office so that they will pass environmental legislation. We want to elect people that will be most effective at advancing our environmental agenda”. Helping with the endorsement process is also a great gateway to involve new members.

A questionnaire is developed which is specific to the office for which the candidate is running. The Sierra Club Illinois Chapter office sends questionnaires to all General Assembly candidates whose contact information can be found. RPG volunteers send the questionnaire to candidates in local races such as Forest Preserve Commission. 

The RPG’s Political Team meets with the candidates who return questionnaires and interviews them. Linda Sullivan, the River Prairie Group Political chair, runs the process. Commitments for support of environmental issues is crucial as well as a sound plan for electability.

This is not a “one-step” process. There are check and balance factors along the way. The RPG’s Political Team makes a recommendation whether to endorse. Their recommendation is then sent to the RPG Group Executive Committee who must vote with a 2/3 majority on the endorsement. The decision must then go up to the Illinois Chapter or the Chapter Political Committee for yet another 2/3 majority vote. In the case of the US Congress and US Senate, The National Sierra Club Political Team also must vote before an endorsement can be announced.

Endorsements can be crucial benefits for candidates. We provide our logo to the campaign to use on literature. In many situations, we rally volunteers to walk, phone bank and attend events in support of endorsed candidates. Our endorsements are available online. In some cases, Sierra Club funds field workers to the campaign offices.

Because of the many environmental champions that the Sierra Club has put in office, Illinois has passed numerous environmental bills including the recent Clean and Reliable Grid Act, Transportation Bill, Protecting the Mahomet Aquifer downstate, and many other efforts. Illinois shines both in clean energy job creation and as a top-tier state for clean energy in the Midwest, ranking 5th in the nation for total installed wind, solar, and battery storage capacity. 

We are proud of our all-volunteer led endorsement process. When the call goes out to join us in helping the campaigns of our future champions, we hope you will join us in whatever way you can. 

You can find our endorsements on the Illinois Chapter website.