Chatter from the Chair - Spring 2024

By Connie Schmidt

Hello my fellow River Prairie Group members,

This month begins the decision-making process for our 2024 elections in November as the primaries descend on us March 19. Please do your research and look for the candidates that will represent best environmental practices for all. An article in this issue gives you links for any information about the options for casting your vote. Sierra Club does make endorsements and they can be found on our website or check with your Executive Committee members for more information.

We had two wonderful programs already this year. In January, Deanna Doohaluk and Stephen McCracken from the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup gave us a detailed look at the immense amount of work involved from brainstorming to acquiring permits to see the Fullersburg Dam removed at Graue Mill. Wow – over 15 years to fruition, but a healthier stream and riparian zone, while maintaining the historical aspects of the mill, are now preserved for future generations.

Secondly, we learned “Why Monarchs Need Volcanos” with the virtual program set up by Lonnie Morris of the DuPage Monarch Project. Emily Stone, a naturalist, guided us through the video as she shared her travels to protected areas in Mexico’s Volcanic Belt.

IF you like the idea of diving a little deep and exploring the “Future of our Planet” please read Dan Schmidt’s article with that title. (Yup he is my son, but FYI, I’m happy to print articles from your sons and daughters too, so please send them along!) Part I of this article was printed last year, and this last part summarizes some advances in technology and new practices for the good of the planet.

And now for the best part, RPG is growing and transforming. We have a new board member, Wendy Vernon, and as a result, new energy in the focus areas of RPG. Read the article introducing you to Wendy and join me in welcoming her to the board. Unfortunately, life circumstances and numerous other responsibilities have pulled Kathleen Fischer off our board.  We sincerely thank Kathleen for her diligent support with water issues and in connecting RPG to the IL Chapter as our delegate. Thanks so much, Kathleen. Which means, we have an open board member position and very much WELCOME any interested folks to reach out to me and schedule a chat! There are six executive committee meetings over the year, with some being virtual and some in-person. Please let’s chat even if you are just curious.

In addition, there are lots of opportunities to just get involved. I’d love to have someone who knows a little about graphic arts help me with flyers for our various programs and events. This would probably be one hour a month or so. We love to have our enthusiastic nature lovers help table at some of the many events we support over the year. New folks are always paired with a seasoned leader. Our restoration workdays are a perfect opportunity to make a difference. We also help volunteers planting butterfly gardens through the DuPage Monarch Project. There are many more opportunities, so I’ll invite you to give me an email or call to see how you can become a little active and share your enthusiasm for the environment, and perhaps I’ll see you at one of our upcoming programs!

 

Connie Schmidt

Chair River Prairie Group

Cschmidt527@gmail.com

630 234 3029

From Yellow to Green – Making the Transition to Electric School Buses

On Monday, March 11th, join PowerForward DuPage, local school districts, municipal and community leaders, and healthcare professionals, at the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook as we discuss fleet electrification solutions and the positive economic and health benefits associated with transitioning to electric school buses.

The event is from 7:30am – 9:30am and includes a light breakfast and the opportunity to tour one of the buses in Lion Electric’s fleet.

Sponsors include: Bus2Grid; ComEd; The DuPage Regional Office of Education; Environmental Law & Policy Center; Equity in Health Advisors Network; Highland Electric Fleets; Lion Electric; and the River Prairie Group of the Illinois Sierra Club. Special thank you to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and the Mayslake Peabody Estate.

Event Registration: PowerForward DuPage

Go VOTE!

Calling all DuPage County residents (and beyond)! If you are over 18, please be sure that you are registered to vote, you look over the candidates closely, and then you vote. The Illinois Primary election for both federal and state candidates is:

March 19, 2024

Of course, there are several ways you can vote, including in person on March 19, absentee, and early voting. Details are available for these various voting options at: US Vote Foundation. US Vote is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan public charity founded in 2005 and committed to the unified Vision and Mission: Every Citizen is a Voter. Here you will learn Absentee Ballot Request Deadlines, Absentee Ballot return deadline, and Early Voting dates. 

Locations for early voting, which began in February, are listed on the DuPage Election Commission website and can be found here. There are sites at locations such as the County Fairgrounds, the Naperville Municipal Center, the Westmont Public Library, Addison Township office, and Stratford Square Mall. The times are listed on the site, as well as voter registration and voting process information.

The bottom line is this: please get out and vote to make your voice heard for the statewide and federal candidates that will face off in the General Election in November. The policies that these decision-makers will be determining do affect the quality of our lives, so make your voice heard. 

 

Springtime in the Shawnee National Forest

 Join us April 11 – April 14, 2024 (think hikes, the Snake Road, and wildflowers)

If you have never experienced the wonder of Southern Illinois, this is the opportunity for you! We are looking forward to hiking and exploring southern Illinois in the Shawnee National Forest over this long spring weekend. Hikes will include the infamous Snake Road, which should be loaded with wildflowers (and a few snakes just waking from hibernation) at the ecologically rich LaRue Pine Hills. In addition, the group will have a day of exploring the Cache River area wetlands, plus a hike through the awesome trails and bluffs at Giant City State Park. This is an amazing area with granite cliffs and outcroppings that offer magnificent views. More hikes are likely to be added to this list. The leaders will offer both moderate, and more strenuous hike choices. 

Participants will be staying at the woodsy TOUCH OF NATURE (Southern Illinois University) Environmental Education Center, which is in/near Giant City State Park. You will be checked into one of their rustic lodges which have enough rooms so that everyone will have their own room with washroom and showers in room. What’s best is they will be supplying all our meals Friday through breakfast Sunday, along with a pack lunch supplied each day. Thursday night we are on our own and may dine at Giant City Lodge. (If you are a meat eater, I must suggest the Fried Chicken, which is amazing.)

Estimated cost at this time is $450.00 per person (with 3 meals Friday, Saturday, and Sunday breakfast, plus 3 nights lodging).

More info to follow once folks are registered. For further details:

Paul Saindon (paul@pauls.us) or Ed Max (hortusmax@gmail.com) (630) 209-3005

Sign up here.

Saving the Dark sky

Adam Kreuzer is a Delegate for DarkSky International and a founder of its Chicago Chapter, DarkSky Chicago @ www.IDAChicago.org. Adam will present on the consequences of outdoor light pollution and what we can do to preserve our natural night skies. His presentation will focus on how light pollution adversely affects migrating birds, our other wildlife friends and our personal health. Please join us for this exciting presentation!

Register here.

Make Your Garden Come Alive with Native Plants!

 

Would you like to have a garden that comes alive with color? A garden that teams with birds, butterflies, and nature? Maybe you have an artistic side and would like to show it in your garden?

Sierra Club’s River Prairie Group will show you how you can use native plants in your home garden. Prairie Wind Native Plant Nursery will show you the many plants you can put in your garden that will make it stand out and be a healthy habitat for native pollinators as well.

Join us on April 24, 7:00 P.M., at the Glen Ellyn Historical Society, 800 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn. We will have pictures of native gardens and suggestions from many people who have grown and used natives in their landscaping. There will be some free native plants to take home.

Registration encouraged.

Questions? Bruce Blake – 630-220-3625

PrairieWindNatives.com

RPG Welcomes Wendy!

 By Connie Schmidt

The River Prairie Group of Sierra Club is very happy to welcome Wendy Vernon to its Executive Committee. Not only has Wendy joined the Ex-Com, but she also volunteered to act as secretary, already taking minutes at our January meeting. That’s kinda like “jumping into the deep end of the pool before dipping your toe in to check the temperature”! 

To introduce you to Wendy, let me tell you a recent fun fact.  This fall, Wendy and Roger took their only child, Jenny, to PARIS for her birthday. What a terrific, exciting opportunity they provided for their family to share. Daughter Jenny is still sharing amazing photos of the adventure with friends on Facebook. What memories they created. What a great way to immerse yourself with a passion!

Wendy is no stranger to the interests of the Sierra Club. She and her husband, Roger, have outfitted their home in Carol Stream with solar panels and taken it a step further by adding the battery storage option for blackout days. Moving towards the goal of electrifying their home and transportation, they've switched to an induction stove, an electric dryer, an electric lawn mower, and electric cars, with their next goal focused on installing an electric heat pump. Wendy also serves as a solar ambassador with the Illinois Solar Educational Association (ISEA), where she gives “Powering Your Home with the Sun” presentations and participates in the Illinois Solar Tour each year by opening her home to showcase the solar panels and other sustainable features that have been implemented. Wendy's dedication to promoting the transition to clean energy showcases her as someone actively embracing positive change.

In addition, the natural world is a big priority for Wendy. She has been active in the Greater DuPage Chapter of Wild Ones, the DuPage Organic Garden Club, and Sustain DuPage. Wendy brings a huge amount of background information on native plants and the importance of habitat protection. She is a great example of living her principles as her personal life reflects her advocacy. 

As she joins our board, Wendy has picked up the mantel of leadership for us in reducing the use of plastics here in DuPage. She has already begun to network with statewide efforts of Sierra Club to share resources on this concern. This is an awesome area to focus on, as the RPG has not had a champion in this specific area, and we sincerely appreciate her enthusiasm with this splash into this important area of interest.

In conclusion, we sincerely thank Wendy for stepping forward and sharing her talents with the River Prairie Group. She is bringing a wealth of background knowledge and enthusiasm, helping us swim into the currents of 2024. THANKS WENDY!