By Connie Schmidt

Roger Blomquist, a volunteer from Argonne National Laboratory in Willowbrook will provide a plain-English overview of nuclear technology in the Argonne Nuclear Energy Exhibition Hall. He will describe the history of nuclear energy and Argonne’s role in it, the basics of how nuclear reactors work, what reactors and the fuel look like, and nuclear waste. He will also explain how advanced reactors are different from our current ones and what that means for the future. If there is time, he can discuss research reactors, which do not produce electricity but have other missions.

In addition, he will give an overview of the Advanced Photon Source, where Nobel Prizes have been won. It’s about 500 meters across, so it will be viewed from the observation deck on the 5th floor. The group will be able to see the massive mechanical and electronic guts of the accelerator from the visitor’s gallery.

At this point Sierra Club does not sanction Nuclear Energy, but this is a very special opportunity to learn more about this topic as the state investigates energy needs for the Illinois Grid. Participation requires registration. Anyone who attends must bring a Real ID or passport and provide a mobile number and email address on the sign-up form. The Real ID or equivalent is required for site access. Registration will close on Feb. 10, 2027.

For more information about Argonne National Lab, see https://www.anl.gov/argonne-national-laboratory. The “Visiting Argonne” link lists requirements and procedures for visitors.

 

Traffic signals at the GWT crossing at County Farm Rd are now operational.

By Don Kirchenberg

Very proud to be standing with DuPage County Board member Greg Schwarze - DuPage County Board 6 today at the Great Western Trail crossing at County Farm Rd when they turned on the new pedestrian activated traffic signal! He supported us from the very beginning and suggested a traffic signal instead of a flashing light. Over the years his unwavering support along with his wife Julia Geenen Schwarze (also the Village Clerk with the Village of Carol Stream) have coordinated very successful annual cleanups of the GWT in Carol Stream for the past 5 years. We are very lucky to have such dedicated public servants like Greg and Julia! 

Here's some background information on our efforts over the past 4+ years to make the GWT crossing at County Farm Rd safer. Note 3 people had been seriously injured attempting to cross County Farm Rd according to the IL Department of Transportation. Hopefully this first ever signalized trail crossing at a roadway in DuPage County will prevent more injuries. 

 And thanks to the Active Transportation Alliance for this fantastic blogpost.

 

Be an advocate for soil and water in Kane and DuPage Counties!

Be an advocate for soil and water in Kane and DuPage Counties! Serving as a director on the Soil and Water Conservation District is a privilege and an opportunity to give back to the community via a local public body that provides support to and creates programs for natural resource conservation in Kane and DuPage Counties.

The Board meets regularly to formulate and administer programs of work that are tailored specifically to the conservation and protection of soil, water and related natural resources within the District.

Alternatively, anyone living within or owning land in these counties may serve as an Associate Director, as appointed by the Board. Associates can provide additional advice and perspective, as well as learn more about the District prior to perhaps running for a seat on the Board at a later date.

Attending a Board Meeting is an ideal way to learn about its function, all members of the public are welcome. Meetings are typically held on the 2nd Thursday of every month. The schedule is posted on our website kanedupageswcd.org.

Not ready to serve on the Board? Remember to VOTE! Owners and occupiers of land in Kane and DuPage Counties are entitled to vote in the election of the KDSWCD Board. Polling locations will be open at the KDSWCD office in St. Charles and the DuPage County Farm Bureau in Carol Stream. Make your voice heard on behalf of local natural resources on February 9, 2027!

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF PETITION: To all persons of legal voting age who own or reside on land located within the boundaries of the Kane DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District – beginning on December 11, 2026, nominations will be accepted for a two-year term of the office of Director of the Kane DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District. Petitions may be obtained at the District’s office at 2315 Dean Street, Suite 100, St. Charles, during our normal business hours of 8am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday. To be considered for nomination as a candidate for the office of Director, nominees must provide proof of residency or ownership of land located within the boundaries of the District. Completed petitions must be returned to the District office by 4:30pm on January 12, 2027.

More information at https://kanedupageswcd.org/kd/elections

Pat Miller Community Engagement Award

 By Lonnie Morris

The DuPage Monarch Project is pleased to announce the Village of Glen Ellyn has received the Pat Miller Community Engagement Award in recognition of the Summer of the Monarch.

The Summer of the Monarch was a celebration of the iconic butterfly’s annual visit to Illinois with a series of events for all ages: a butterfly hunt at seven local pollinator gardens, self-guided garden tours, a monarch bike ride, Monarchs and Margaritas and free vegetable and flower seeds offered by the library. Glen Ellyn added the iconic butterfly to its public art in a prominent downtown location with a mural painted by Rose Fenske. The seasonal butterfly can now be seen year-round.

The Summer of the Monarch brought together the Village of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn Downtown Alliance, Glen Ellyn Park District, Go Green Glen Ellyn and The Conservation Foundation to highlight the challenges facing monarchs and pollinators. It continued the actions accomplished by the village, park district and public library for the 2025 Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Working together, the community completed the pledge and earned Glen Ellyn the highest honor of Monarch Champion.

The Village of Glen Ellyn’s leadership and commitment to monarchs and pollinators fostered a spirit of conservation that is taking root throughout the community.

Prairie Enthusiast Larry Sheaffer (August 27, 1948 – January 31, 2023) Jane Foulser Habitat Award

By Lonnie Morris

The DuPage Monarch Project is honored to announce that Larry Sheaffer has posthumously received the Jane Foulser Habitat Award in recognition of his enduring legacy of flourishing habitat where butterflies, fireflies, and pollinators continue to thrive.

Larry described himself as an amateur naturalist. For many years, he honored his love of nature by preserving and restoring the prairie landscapes of northeastern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He also planted new natural areas along the Prairie Path and in Warrenville’s parks, viewing them as educational opportunities rather than self-sustaining ecosystems. As an ecologist, Larry knew it was impossible to create a true prairie. He called the new plantings “gardens without rows or paths.”

In the 1970’s, Larry joined the Illinois Prairie Path and soon after became a board member. It provided him with an opportunity to bring prairie back to the Prairie Path. He began by managing two remnant prairies, one just east of Hill Avenue bordering Hoffman Park in Glen Ellyn, and another just west of President Street in Wheaton.  He eventually became the manager for seven areas: Maywood Trail Head; the Hoffman and President St. remnants; Founder’s Park, a garden in Wheaton dedicated to May Watts; Volunteer Park in Wheaton; Prince Crossing in West Chicago; and Army Trail.

It was Larry’s idea to plant a prairie garden at Mile Marker Zero, the geographical center of the Illinois Prairie Path. He supervised site preparation, plant selection and installation then faithfully weeded, watered, pruned and seeded bare spots. This small prairie garden was aptly named Volunteer Park and eventually hosted stunning, colorful displays of more than 100 native flowers and grasses

Larry was a fifth-grade teacher who shared his love of nature with students at Bower Elementary School. He took time while tending the prairie remnants and gardens along the Prairie Path to answer passersby’ questions.

Through his dedication, knowledge and generosity, Larry left a lasting legacy of prairie habitat that continues to inspire people and provide refuge for wildlife and pollinators throughout DuPage County.

The Jane Foulser Habitat Award was presented to Mr. Sheaffer’s wife and family at the Illinois Prairie Path’s annual board meeting on November 1, 2026.

Lincoln Junior High Students Are Pollinator Protectors of the Year

By Lonnie Morris

The DuPage Monarch Project is pleased to announce the eighth students at Lincoln Junior High are the Pollinator Protectors of the Year. The students played a pivotal role in the recent designation of the black and gold bumble bee as an Illinois State Symbol.

The journey of the black and gold bumble bee to becoming Illinois’ state bee began in a Naperville classroom. Barb Bell and Emily Barlog, 8th-grade science teachers at Lincoln Jr. High, designed a project about native bees for their students. The students were asked to research a list of ten native bee species and narrow it down to three candidates. With assistance from the Regional Board of Education, the three bees they chose and their research findings was shared with schools around the state, where students voted for their favorite bee.

The black and gold bumble bee was the top pick. It is a big, fuzzy teddy bear of a bee with vivid yellow and black stripes. As a grassland-dwelling bee and pollinating powerhouse, the black and gold captures both Illinois’ historic landscape and agricultural traditions.

Protecting Illinois’ native bees begins with knowing about them. The Lincoln Junior High students took a major step forward by bringing the importance of native bees to the attention of policymakers and the public. By learning about the bees and engaging students around the state to participate in the selection of a state bee, a native prairie bee was chosen to represent the Prairie State.

People Protecting Pollinators

By Lonnie Morris, DuPage Monarch Project

The environment is undergoing dramatic changes but students and entire communities are stepping up to meet the challenge of protecting it. In 2026, eighth grade students played a critical role in making a bumble bee an Illinois state symbol, a teacher and prairie enthusiast was recognized for his dedication to bringing prairie back to the prairie path and a community came together to learn about and celebrate the monarch butterfly.

Learn how Naperville’s amazing Lincoln Junior High School students set in motion the designation of a new Illinois symbol with a research project and received the Pollinator Protectors of the Year Award from the DuPage Monarch Project.

Meet the man who loved the Illinois native landscape and brought it back to the Prairie Path for walkers, runners and bicyclists to enjoy.

Read how Village of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn Downtown Alliance, Glen Ellyn Park District, Go Green Glen Ellyn and The Conservation Foundation celebrated monarchs from May to August with the Summer of the Monarch.

Find out how you can be part of the solution to pollinator decline here.

Lincoln Junior High Students Are Pollinator Protectors of the Year

The DuPage Monarch Project is pleased to announce the eighth students at Lincoln Junior High are the Pollinator Protectors of the Year. The students played a pivotal role in the recent designation of the black and gold bumble bee as an Illinois State Symbol.

The journey of the black and gold bumble bee to becoming Illinois’ state bee began in a Naperville classroom. Barb Bell and Emily Barlog, 8th-grade science teachers at Lincoln Jr. High, designed a project about native bees for their students. The students were asked to research a list of ten native bee species and narrow it down to three candidates. With assistance from the Regional Board of Education, the three bees they chose and their research findings was shared with schools around the state, where students voted for their favorite bee.

The black and gold bumble bee was the top pick. It is a big, fuzzy teddy bear of a bee with vivid yellow and black stripes. As a grassland-dwelling bee and pollinating powerhouse, the black and gold captures both Illinois’ historic landscape and agricultural traditions.

Protecting Illinois’ native bees begins with knowing about them. The Lincoln Junior High students took a major step forward by bringing the importance of native bees to the attention of policymakers and the public. By learning about the bees and engaging students around the state to participate in the selection of a state bee, a native prairie bee was chosen to represent the Prairie State.

Prairie Enthusiast Larry Sheaffer (August 27, 1948 – January 31, 2023) Jane Foulser Habitat Award

The DuPage Monarch Project is honored to announce that Larry Sheaffer has posthumously received the Jane Foulser Habitat Award in recognition of his enduring legacy of flourishing habitat where butterflies, fireflies, and pollinators continue to thrive.

Larry described himself as an amateur naturalist. For many years, he honored his love of nature by preserving and restoring the prairie landscapes of northeastern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He also planted new natural areas along the Prairie Path and in Warrenville’s parks, viewing them as educational opportunities rather than self-sustaining ecosystems. As an ecologist, Larry knew it was impossible to create a true prairie. He called the new plantings “gardens without rows or paths.”

In the 1970’s, Larry joined the Illinois Prairie Path and soon after became a board member. It provided him with an opportunity to bring prairie back to the Prairie Path. He began by managing two remnant prairies, one just east of Hill Avenue bordering Hoffman Park in Glen Ellyn, and another just west of President Street in Wheaton.  He eventually became the manager for seven areas: Maywood Trail Head; the Hoffman and President St. remnants; Founder’s Park, a garden in Wheaton dedicated to May Watts; Volunteer Park in Wheaton; Prince Crossing in West Chicago; and Army Trail.

It was Larry’s idea to plant a prairie garden at Mile Marker Zero, the geographical center of the Illinois Prairie Path. He supervised site preparation, plant selection and installation then faithfully weeded, watered, pruned and seeded bare spots. This small prairie garden was aptly named Volunteer Park and eventually hosted stunning, colorful displays of more than 100 native flowers and grasses

Larry was a fifth-grade teacher who shared his love of nature with students at Bower Elementary School. He took time while tending the prairie remnants and gardens along the Prairie Path to answer passersby’ questions.

Through his dedication, knowledge and generosity, Larry left a lasting legacy of prairie habitat that continues to inspire people and provide refuge for wildlife and pollinators throughout DuPage County.

The Jane Foulser Habitat Award was presented to Mr. Sheaffer’s wife and family at the Illinois Prairie Path’s annual board meeting on November 1, 2026.

Pat Miller Community Engagement Award 

The DuPage Monarch Project is pleased to announce the Village of Glen Ellyn has received the Pat Miller Community Engagement Award in recognition of the Summer of the Monarch.

The Summer of the Monarch was a celebration of the iconic butterfly’s annual visit to Illinois with a series of events for all ages: a butterfly hunt at seven local pollinator gardens, self-guided garden tours, a monarch bike ride, Monarchs and Margaritas and free vegetable and flower seeds offered by the library. Glen Ellyn added the iconic butterfly to its public art in a prominent downtown location with a mural painted by Rose Fenske. The seasonal butterfly can now be seen year-round.

The Summer of the Monarch brought together the Village of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn Downtown Alliance, Glen Ellyn Park District, Go Green Glen Ellyn and The Conservation Foundation to highlight the challenges facing monarchs and pollinators. It continued the actions accomplished by the village, park district and public library for the 2025 Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Working together, the community completed the pledge and earned Glen Ellyn the highest honor of Monarch Champion.

The Village of Glen Ellyn’s leadership and commitment to monarchs and pollinators fostered a spirit of conservation that is taking root throughout the community.