Chatter from the Chair

By Connie Schmidt

Hello to my friends from the River Prairie Group. Tabling season is in full swing with members of RPG leadership sharing information on the Sierra Club, DuPage Monarch Project, Plastic Reduction, and Clean Energy at many events. We are collecting names at tabling events to share the newsletter hoping to engage new members. I welcome you to email this newsletter to share with friends to welcome them to join our activities.

As we engage in our Lobby work for policy and laws in Springfield, it is more and more obvious that most of our DuPage County legislators are friendly to environmental legislation. This (in part) is due to many years of lobby and education work done by members of the RPG Lobby Team. See the article on the initiatives we are working for in 2024. Our own Senator Laura Ellman is the lead sponsor on the Wetland Bill that will restore IL regulations to what the federal rules were, before they were rescinded. Many thanks to the RPG folks who went to Springfield for the Annual Lobby Rally, May 9.

Check out the spring program recap, where many of you may even see yourselves in the photos. Many thanks to our presenters for sharing their valuable experience and information with us. In another article, Bob Barbieri writes of his adventure to see the eclipse in southern IL. What an amazing opportunity that was for many of us! There is even an article I wrote on an inspirational author who presented at a conference I attended.

As we put this newsletter together, our hope is that it helps you feel connected with RPG and each other. Again, I encourage you to share it and to reach out if you have questions. I hope to see you on the trail or at one of our events soon. Please look over the link to the calendar, which is updated frequently here.

2024 Illinois Lobby Issues for Sierra Club Volunteers

By Linda Sullivan and Connie Schmidt

DuPage legislators were impressive in the spring legislative session in the number of environmental bills important to the Sierra Club IL Chapter that they cosponsored or voted for.

At the time of this writing, the season is not over, and some of our most important bills are still pending. Below is a rundown of what we have passed, what we still hope to pass, and the legislators that helped us. If you see that your state representative or state senator cosponsored one of our bills, you can help the cause by contacting them and thanking them. To get their contact information check here. You will have to search for Senate members or House members. You can also search the bills mentioned below from this site.

These good results from our legislators are in part a result of the work of RPG’s Lobby Team.  Constituents who made in-district lobby visits to legislators are Nikhil Angelo, Jeff Gahris, Ed Max, Connie Schmidt, Linda Sullivan, and Robert Wagner. A whole bunch more RPG members are going to Springfield on Lobby Day. Our Lobby Team and Political Committee give Sierra Club power to influence legislators to make good environmental laws!

Wetlands Protection Act (SB0771 HB5386)

DuPage cosponsoring in Senate: Laura Ellman (Chief Sponsor), Rachel Ventura, Karina Villa

DuPage cosponsors in House: Terra Costa Howard, Janet Yang Rohr, Anne Stava Murray, Jen Ladisch Douglass, Diane Blair Sherlock, Stephanie Kifowit, Maura Hirschauer

Summary: This bill creates the Wetlands and Small Streams Protection Act to restore protections for wetlands and small streams that were formerly protected from pollution and destruction by the Clean Water Act. Makes provisions concerning exemptions; wetlands delineation, classification, notification, permits, and veto; general permits; appeal of final decisions made by the Department of Natural Resources and judicial review; investigation and enforcement; and county authority. Creates the Wetlands and Small Streams Advisory Committee and establishes duties and rules for the Committee. Creates the Wetlands and Small Streams Protection Fund.

For more details see the Sierra Club IL Chapter Fact Sheet here.

Moratorium on CO2 Pipelines (SB3441 HB4835)

DuPage Senate sponsors - none

DuPage House Sponsors: Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock (chief sponsor), Janet Yang Rohr 

Summary: This bill creates the Safety Moratorium on Carbon Dioxide Pipelines Act. It establishes a temporary statewide moratorium on construction of carbon dioxide pipelines until certain studies at the Federal and State levels are conducted. Details requirements for the State study regarding the safety of carbon dioxide pipelines, which include receiving input from first responders, analyzing pipeline ruptures or leaks in a variety of settings, and recommending setbacks and funding based on that analysis.

For more details see the Sierra Club IL Chapter Fact Sheet here.

Buy Clean – Global warming Ceiling (HR3141)

DuPage House Cosponsors: Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock (chief cosponsor), Jenn Ladisch Douglass, Terra Costa Howard, and Janet Yang Rohr

DuPage Senate Sponsor:  Laura Ellman (Chief Sponsor)

Summary: Speed industrial decarbonization by directing the Illinois Central Management Services to establish a maximum global warming potential for state purchases of vehicles, appliances and building materials for state-funded projects.

This bill recently passed the House and is now in the Senate.

You can find Sierra Club’s Fact Sheet on this bill here.

Transit to Trails HB5277 (Passed through house successfully, now in the Senate with Villivalam as chief sponsor.)

 

Summary: The bill establishes a Transit to Trails Grant Program that will allow entities such as public transit to apply for projects that facilitate travel by public transit to public outdoor recreation sites for outdoor activities that include but are not limited to hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, and wildlife viewing.

For more details see the Sierra Club IL Chapter Fact Sheet here.

The next two bills involve Clean Heat and Building Decarbonization as well as Clean and Equitable Transportation. At the time of this writing, both have just been introduced with support from Governor Pritzker. Members of the River Prairie Group will be briefed on these bills and go to Springfield to lobby local leaders for support. Read more about them here.

Recap of Our Spring Programs

By Connie Schmidt

March – Dark Skies

In March, we had a presentation from Adam Kreuzer on the consequences of outdoor light pollution and what we can do to preserve our natural night skies. His presentation focused on how light pollution adversely affects migrating birds, our other wildlife friends, and our personal health. In addition, we can save energy and money by using more efficient or less lighting. Adam is a delegate for DarkSky International and a founder of its Chicago Chapter, DarkSky Chicago.

April - Make Your Garden Come Alive with Native Plants!

In April, Bruce Blake gave an amazing program on bringing your garden alive with native plants. He explained how to create a garden with color during the growing season that would benefit birds, butterflies, and nature.  He started from planning to creating a healthy soil base to plant selection and planting. He even added some fun suggestions to feature whimsical art in a garden. As owner of Prairie Wind Native Plant Nursery, Bruce has plenty of experience on how to create a healthy habitat for native pollinators. Many photos were shared in his slide show of native gardens. As a bonus, Bruce brought free plants from his nursery for those who attended, and everyone was invited to take two home to get their gardens started this year. Thanks to Prairie Wind Natives! See more about Bruce’s business here.

In addition, Bruce invited three other native gardeners to share their stories as well. 

Joe LeCroy had help from wife Sue and daughter Becky for his informative presentation. 

Jeff and Bonnie Gahris shared photos and the process in creating their Wheaton garden.

Thanks to technology, Wendy Vernon was able to join via zoom and shared her beautiful yard story.

2024 Prairie Path Clean-Up

Thanks to Jeff Gahris for leading the Prairie Path Clean-up for the Glen Ellyn section of the path adopted by the River Prairie Group of Sierra Club. 

Trees are Extraordinary

By Lonnie Morris,

Volunteer Coordinator of the DuPage Monarch Project

Trees have long been revered for the many benefits they give us. They also continue to surprise us as we learn more about them. Recent research has revealed the important contribution trees make to the survival of native bees in the early weeks of spring. The growing impact of the biodiversity crisis has set off an alarm calling for more attention and understanding of the complicated web of relationships sustaining life on earth.

 Kelsay Shaw, botanist and owner of The Possibility Place, a native plant nursery in Monee Illinois, will share his 25 years of experience growing native trees and observing the many bees and butterflies they support.

Save the Date

Meadows in the Sky for Bees and Butterflies

Kelsay Shaw

September 25 at 7:00 pm

800 N Main St, Glen Ellyn

Renovation Ongoing at Mayslake Forest Preserve

 By Connie Schmidt

Many of you may know Mayslake from attending an outdoor Shakespeare performance on a warm summer evening. Others may know of Mayslake from the art fairs held in their lovely grand hall. Still others may have bought native plants over the last several years at the Native Plant Sale held at Mayslake. 

This article is written to let you know that much is going on at the former Peabody Estate, and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage is opening the doors wide to encourage you to come check out the improvements and note that more is in store for this beautiful building and the surrounding landscape. This building has a wide array of uses, but one of the most active uses of the building is to connect people to nature through art. You can visit on Monday through Friday from noon to 3:00 with hour long tours available of the history, and beautiful and renovations. It is also open on Saturday from 9:00 – 1:00 but closed on Sunday. Here is a little background information from the District website.

Designed by renowned Chicago Architect Benjamin H. Marshall in 1919, Mayslake Peabody Estate was acquired by the Forest Preserve District through a voter referendum in 1993. In the years following the acquisition, the District made improvements to the life safety of the building, including adding a basic sprinkler system, abating hazardous materials in the building, and installing an HVAC system. Additionally, several incremental historic restoration projects were done at Mayslake Hall, funded in part with donor contributions, and the third floor of the retreat wing was adapted to be reused as storage for the District’s artifacts and collections. While a portion of the estate has been used for education programming and events, much of the estate remains unusable because of deficiencies in accessibility and the lack of funding to make needed upgrades to the interior to accommodate more robust education programming, until recently.

In 2019, the District’s Master Plan approved a Certified Project to restore the exterior of Mayslake Hall, which is now complete. While most project expenses were covered by District resources, the project benefitted from partnerships, including funding through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Public Museum Capital Grants Program and philanthropic support through The Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Landscaping is being planned for the exterior spaces as well and will feature native plants.

The interior has benefited from updates as well. Among the upgrades is the woodwork on the grand staircase, which was meticulously restored to showcase the intricate carving featured there. Throughout the first floor, new windows have been installed for energy efficiency and to bring in the lovely views of the outdoors.

However, the retreat wing, nearby Portiuncula chapel, and other smaller structures were not included in the restoration project, and much work remains to be determined. Additionally, impending issues with the estate’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system have been identified, requiring an increasing and unsustainable amount of labor, materials, and services to keep it in an operable condition. Also, air conditioning has never been extended to the event hall, thereby restricting use of the space. Some of the existing electrical and plumbing systems are also deficient and should be evaluated and updated for code compliance.

The district is already scheduling events at Mayslake, and a major fundraiser featuring Geoffrey Bair of WTTW was held this spring. River Prairie Group held a forum at Mayslake this Spring to educate stakeholders on the need to transition to electric school buses for the health of our children and air quality. (See another article in this newsletter for details.) AND, please stay tuned for a HUGE pollinator information event to be held here with DuPage Monarch Project in March 2025.

The Forest Preserve District is working with a consultant that specializes in restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings to perform an assessment of the building and its systems and code analysis. They will then formulate recommendations for repairs and restoration.  Additionally, the consultant will work with staff to develop a master plan for the building, including gathering feedback from the public and stakeholders. 

Although buildings are not the primary focus of the Forest Preserve or the River Prairie Group of the Sierra Club, this historical building offers much for residents of the district who may not be able to utilize nature outdoors. The District is creating a new Master Plan for Mayslake Peabody Estate and is prioritizing what modifications are needed to meet education programming for the future.

Shawnee trip participants find a world where nature dominates

By Linda Sullivan

The forest floor was a carpet of spring wildflowers. Snakes on Snake Road swam to the edge of ponds to stare at hikers who stared back in delight. The cypress swamps of the Cache River Basin were loud with the drone of insects and unfamiliar birds singing their ancient songs. Hikers who pulled out phones to use the latest app to identify them seemed out of place in an area where dinosaurs seemed just around the corner. The contrasting sunny hills and canyons were no less wild.  At night, those who ventured out were serenaded by frogs long extirpated from urban areas.

Fifteen participants on Ed Max and Paul Saindon’s four-day trip to the Shawnee National Forest in April stayed at Touch of Nature Lodge run by Southern Illinois University. Stepping outside the comfortable lodge on Grassy Lake was a world apart from where participants lived. For many, coming mostly from Chicago and surrounding suburbs, but also from as far away as the Dallas area of Texas, the razor-back ridges, lush canyons of the Shawnee, and mystic cypress swamps of the Cache River wetlands were a first-time revelation. Others had been to the area many times. But in three days of easy hikes, everyone said they visited parts of the Shawnee where they had not been before. All benefited from the deep knowledge and enthusiastic interpretation of plants and ecosystems by Ed Max and of geology by participant Mike Davis.

It was tough to go home, and many begged the leaders to do the trip again next year with one more day.

The World is Ours to Cherish

 By Connie Schmidt

 

Dear Friends,

I am honored to serve as a Library Trustee on the board for my local public library. And as a result, I was invited to attend the Public Library Association conference in Columbus, Ohio, this spring. My world as a Sierra Club volunteer, educator, democracy defender, and grandmother all collided with the Big Ideas speaker on the last day of the conference when Mary Annaïse Heglar spoke. WOW! 

Mary Annaïse began her work in the Climate Movement in 2014 with the National Resources Defense Council. As she edited and wrote documentation for them, she synthesized the understanding that our climate crisis is not being solved not for a lack of knowledge or will, but for a lack of POWER. The power is in the hands of those who have no will and ignore the knowledge. From there, she journeyed to a career in writing.

If you are not familiar with her, she has written essays in numerous publications such as Rolling Stone, Wired, Boston Globe, and Vox.  A participant from the audience at the conference commented that her essays were required reading in her master’s level course syllabus. Mary Annaïse has published a children’s book, The World is Ours to Cherish, and next month her debut historical fiction novel Troubled Waters will be released. 

Her message was loud and clear.  She is not an “activist” but thinks of herself as an advocate. This is a subtle but powerful distinction that I related to deeply, moving toward a positive effort rather than negative refute of archaic systems. Don’t get me or her wrong, she forcefully calls out the fossil fuel industry who knowingly perpetrated the situation that our climate is in at this moment; yet moving toward healing was her message…with urgency.

Mary Annaïse spoke about conflicting efforts within the movement as well.  She called it generational enmity, Youth vs Aged, which again was rooted in grappling for power. At times she explained that she felt that the older generation was tired and stood back to push the younger generation forward to lead or the elders were shoved to the back as the youth were tired of their older ways and inability to gain control of the narrative. This generational divide was the impetus for her transition to a writing career. Her children’s book and much of her essay work lead to help not only children, but the children in each of us, to feel enchanted and empowered to see the light of cherishing our world in order to protect it. Does this not sound like the Sierra Club motto that we seem to repeat less and less these days? “Enjoy, explore and protect.” 

A Black woman, raised in the rural South, Mary Annaïse Heglar connects and explores the work of the Civil Rights Movement to the Climate Movement. The urgency for justice and dignity for all people represented in the Civil Rights movement was palpable. Fierce work was done to make the change that was so very needed. She explains, and I agree, that within Climate Movement, at times, we sit back and “hope” for change and power shifts for solutions to be enacted. Since 1980 and before when James Hanson first warned our Congress that we are burning up our atmosphere and must change our ways, complacency of those in power has overshadowed enacting solutions. Yes, we have outliers who are ringing the alarms, but our society as a whole has yet to become engaged.

Writing and speaking for elders, children, and the connecting generation between, Mary Annaïse Heglar echoes thoughts in my heart and perhaps yours, too.  She gave new energy and encouragement to a weary struggle with her summary statement: “Climate Change is a saga, not a story.” So, my takeaway was to write this note to each of you to become engaged and hold on for the ride. We have urgent work to do. 

Transition to Electric School Buses in DuPage

By Janet F Guider

"The environments we create and experiences we provide for young children and their families affect not just the developing brain, but also many other physiological systems."*

Reflecting on the Clean School Bus journey we embarked on nearly a year ago, it's heartening to see the progress made for a healthier environment for our students and community. The initial disconnect highlighted the need for educators to recognize the importance of clean, healthy air in education. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to creating a conducive learning environment, it's becoming increasingly clear that environmental scientists play a crucial role in enlightening educators, physicians, and policymakers about the link between many adult-onset and chronic illnesses and early childhood exposures or experiences. This underscores the importance of our role in advocacy efforts.

Health risks to our students include behavioral and mental health, consequences linked to stress, respiratory problems, and disease sequela associated with pre-existing co-morbidities many students live with. These are further complicated by the pervasiveness of air particulates related to the adverse health effects of diesel fumes.

Over the past year, we've worked tirelessly across DuPage County in close collaboration with the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), the River Prairie Group/Sierra Club, Equity in Health Advisors Network, Inc. (EHAN), and more recently, Power DuPage. Together, we are advocating for the US and Illinois EPA to prioritize replacing diesel-fueled buses designated for our students with special needs through a social justice lens. Yes, shifting to a clinical base with a more significant benefit to our students must be a priority instead of simply retiring older buses. This collective effort is a testament to our shared commitment to the health and well-being of our students.

On March 11, 2024, we hosted a well-attended breakfast at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, Illinois, greeted by Dan Hebreard, President of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and numerous stakeholders. Several political operatives across the County, Adam Forker, Executive Director, DuPage County Health Department, DuPage County's Regional Office of Education, Amber Quirk, superintendent, other school superintendents, representatives from the State of Illinois, Birth-to-Five program, Illinois EPA, and the US EPA joined us. For some attendees, it was their first ride onsite on an electric school bus and a courtesy from Lion Electric.

Even as Sierra Club members, we are learning the serious business of facilitating improvements to our environment using evidence-based research to acknowledge intersectionality and integrate practice with policy, particularly through the social justice lens in a public health framework.

Janice F Guider MPH CHES®

RPG/Sierra Club

Environmental Health and Justice

 

*National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2020). Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined: Working Paper No. 15. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu

Eclipse Experience

By Bob Barbieri

I’ve seen several partial solar eclipses over the years and have always found them amazing, but never had I had the opportunity to experience a total eclipse of the sun… a totality! Everyone who has seen one has said that it is awe-inspiring. I missed the total eclipse that came through Southern Illinois in 2017 and decided that I wasn’t going to miss this one, too.

We were very fortunate that the path of this eclipse was going to pass over Southern Illinois again. My wife and I decided that we would make the trek downstate. We had hesitated too long at the beginning of the year to find accommodations near Carbondale. Since I went to school at Southern Illinois University, I knew there were lots of places to camp in Shawnee National Forest. My old college roommate was also interested in going and went down two nights early to save a great camping spot just up the hill from Cedar Lake.

The morning of the eclipse was perfect, with warm temperatures and only a few thin clouds to obstruct a beautiful blue sky. We found a perfect spot near the lake with an unobstructed view of the sky and set up our chairs to wait for the big event.

The eclipse began around 12:45 pm with the moon moving across the sun from the bottom right. It took over an hour for the moon to creep over the sun. We watched the slow progress with our goofy eclipse glasses until all that was left of the sun was a small slice of orange. One second later, the eclipse reached totality. The sun’s corona burst from around the moon’s shadow, with white streaks shooting in all directions. At a few places around the edge, red spots appeared. These are solar prominences where solar plasma is being ejected from the sun. The sight was breathtaking! As we looked around us, the day had turned to twilight. The temperature dropped, and colors changed to an eerie hue, as if we had put on intense polarized sunglasses. We had a pair of binoculars, which gave an even better view of the eclipse itself. Eclipse glasses are not needed during totality, so we could stare directly at the sun without danger to our eyes. Totality lasted little over 4 minutes, but we could have watched forever. Such an amazing experience that we will never forget.

As we hiked back to our campsite, the shadows from the sun, still partially covered by the moon, showed like little crescents through the trees onto the ground. A surreal sight to cap off a totally astonishing experience. We camped another night in Shawnee National Forest to avoid the traffic going north and were treated to a nice quiet evening in the woods. Even a pair of noisy barred owls seemed to be sharing their experience.

Not Just Recycling but also Plastics Reduction

By Connie Schmidt and Wendy Vernon

Wendy Vernon is adding a new area of action to the work of the River Prairie Group of Sierra Club. She has created a website that is linked to our River Prairie Group page here. Just scroll down to see “Plastics Reduction” and click.  Below is an excerpt from her front page, but please explore, as there is much more on the site. If you are interested in working on this issue or for more information, you can reach her at wvecoactionhub@gmail.com.

Plastic poses a multifaceted environmental challenge, contributing to pollution in our air, water, and soil. Its production and usage exacerbate climate change because plastic is derived from fossil fuels, leading to intensive energy consumption throughout its lifecycle. Beyond extraction, fossil fuels are utilized in transportation, refining, manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and disposal processes.

Moreover, plastic presents significant health risks as we ingest and inhale both the plastic material and its associated harmful chemicals. Plastic not only endangers human health but also disrupts ecosystems, threatening the well-being of various species and their habitats.

Furthermore, the inequitable distribution of plastic's impacts exacerbates social injustices. Marginalized communities often bear the brunt of living near plastic production, transportation, and disposal sites. Thus, addressing the plastic problem is not only an environmental imperative but also a matter of climate justice and public health.

Click on the links below to access documents that I have created with resources on the following topics. Check back often; this document will be updated with new resources. Please feel free to share with others!

Learn More About the Plastic Problem - In order to reduce plastic, we all need to know why this is important. This document includes links to films, presentations, podcasts, books, and other organizations with resources for plastic reduction education and action.

Contact Your Legislators - Individuals can reduce their use of single-use plastic, but it can be particularly challenging because of limited alternatives. We need legislation to lay the groundwork to make it easy for everyone to reduce single-use plastic. This document outlines proposed State of Illinois and Federal legislation to support single-use plastic reduction and ways you can reach out to your legislators to let them know you want legislation passed to address single-use plastic.

Reduce the Amount of Single-Use Plastic That You Use - Although it's challenging to completely avoid single-use plastic, there are steps you can take now to reduce your usage. Some of these actions may even save you money and inspire others when they see your efforts!