Chatter From the Chair

By Connie Schmidt

Hello my fellow River Prairie Group members,

What a Summer and Fall roller coaster we have all been on! With more endorsements than any of the other 14 groups in Illinois (except for Chicago Group), Linda Sullivan rocked our political involvement out of the park. We walked for numerous weekends and multiple candidates, and then she joined other members to head to Wisconsin and work federally there. Read about our success stories in Linda’s article in this newsletter, and many thanks for her leadership on one of the most important aspects of Sierra Club, that of promoting environmentally friendly policies through our endorsed officials.

So much is happening in other aspects of the county as well. In Naperville, the city is being asked to sign a new contract for their dirty electric supply of coal, and citizens have formed a group to study and encourage the city leaders to make decisions for a cleaner energy future. Read the article that Marc Willensky researched for us here and get the background on this important issue facing multiple towns in our area, including St. Charles and Batavia, as well. 

Speaking of clean energy, Jan Bradford, one of our amazing outings leaders, led a creative trip to Wisconsin to tour a solar field. She wrote it up for you here and included several photos of this fun event that received great reviews from those who attended.  In addition, watch for an article on an upcoming trip on New Year’s Day to the Indiana Dunes. Outings are as diverse as our leaders, and we hope you will check them out or join our team to learn how to provide these opportunities to get others out and see our beautiful areas nearby.  See Calendar.

We partner in many ways with the DuPage River Salt Creek Work Group, and one of our biggest successes was the removal of the dam at Fullersburg Forest Preserve. However, not all dams can be removed, so DRSCW researched a creative solution to fish passage for Fawell Dam at McDowell Grove, which protects the Naperville Riverwalk from flooding. Many thanks to Stephen McCracken for writing this interesting article on a “fish ladder” to be installed to allow more species of fish to access areas upstream.

I’d like to highlight the work of the DuPage Monarch Project. Along with the partners Forest Preserve District of DuPage, Wild Ones, The Conservation Foundation, and the RPG, a team is planning a HUGE Pollinator Blitz for March 15, 2025, at the lovely Mayslake Forest Preserve in Oak Brook. A reminder is included in this newsletter, but my sneak peek for you is that there will be informative speaker presentations, vendors, demonstrations, and much more, so please mark your calendar to join us that day.

And lastly, again the work of DMP, read Lonnie Morris’s article on the amazing 2024 DMP award recipients who are increasing habitat through restoration and citizen involvement to help all pollinator species and native ecosystems. The work is truly remarkable. 

Watch for programming information early next year through a note to be sent out by Joe Pokorny in our informal newsletter update. We hope to have a “member meeting” where anyone curious about various programs can meet the team leaders and become more involved. This is OUR Sierra Club, the River Prairie Group, and we can be strong and mighty for a beautiful environment for our future generations with the help of all hands on deck. See you soon! 

Connie Schmidt
Chair River Prairie Group
Cschmidt527@gmail.com
630.234.3029