Announcements

I am happy to announce that for the next two years, Zach Taylor, Program Manager for WRD Environmental, will facilitate a new Greencorps Chicago – Calumet program. This program will function similarly to Chicago Department of Environment’s Greencorps Chicago program, a job training and community service program. Zach most recently worked as a Field Ecologist for V3 Companies and has conducted restoration work in the Chicago, Nevada and Maine. He holds a B.A. from Winona State University in Minnesota.

About Greencorps Chicago – Calumet

The Greencorps Chicago - Calumet (GCC) program will specialize in ecological restoration training and use of those skills to restore Calumet area open spaces. Zach will be directing nine new trainees starting this May, and work will continue through November 2011 thanks to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding from the USDA Forest Service. Crew members will receive training on restoration techniques, chainsaw operation and safety, herbicide application, seed collection, plant identification, regional ecology, and prescription burn training.

Partnering with GCC for Projects

Greencorps Chicago – Calumet is ready to review potential project opportunities for our crews to assist you in open space efforts in the Calumet region of Chicago. If you have work you would like completed, please fill out the Partnership Proposal form (attached in two formats – one for electronic submission and one that is printable for those who prefer fax or mail.)

Appropriate work requests include but are not limited to: invasive and non-native plant removal, native planting, forestry and tree care, pesticide application, prescribed burning, weekday site preparation or cleanup, and other tasks related to open space management. As a job training program, GCC will consider projects that may not be traditionally classified as restoration. Feel free to contact Zach to determine whether your project would be a good fit for the program.

GCC will provide labor and some tools but may need partners to contribute tools and other materials depending on the project. For example, plant materials and soil amendments are not a substantial part of our budget but GCC may be able to work with partners to seek grants, other funding or solicit donations.

Based on the grant agreement and other contract restrictions, the crew will focus on Chicago’s open spaces at this time. However, special events or workdays could take them to sites in northwest Indiana or Chicago’s south suburbs on occasion.

Timeline/Work Days

The current GCC timeline has the crew conducting work from late May 2010 until November 2011. GCC work will be completed Monday through Thursday but exceptions will be made for special projects on weekends, so if you have weekend work don’t hesitate to talk to Zach.

Location / Zach’s Contact Information

Starting in May, GCC’s home base will be the Calumet Stewardship Office at 13300 S. Baltimore Avenue Chicago, IL 60633. Mail can be addressed to Zach or GCC at that location. Zach’s phone number is 312-287-3566 and email is zachary.taylor@cityofchicago.org.

Crew Members

A key goal is to hire people from within the Calumet region for this program. At least 6 of the 9 crew members will be recruited through Safer Foundation, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated individuals re-enter their communities. Safer has been working for more than 30 years to reduce recidivism by helping people with records obtain employment and social services. If you would like more information about becoming a crew member, please contact Zach.

I want to thank the USDA Forest Service for supporting Calumet in this way through federal stimulus dollars. There is great potential for this initiative, and my hope is that if it is as successful as we hope, we can find ways to sustain it and expand it to the greater bi-state Calumet region. By developing a trained workforce and generating new partnerships, Greencorps Chicago – Calumet looks forward to contributing to the ecological revival started by you: community members, volunteers, and professionals. Please share this with any others you think may be interested.

Thanks, and have a great day.

Adopt-a-Beach™ Year-round

Location: any beach in Illinois & Indiana

Sponsored by Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Open to all.

Join more than 9,000 thousand volunteers throughout the Great Lakes who participate in beach and shoreline cleanups to remove trash and collect data on their findings.

For more information on the Adopt-a-Beach™ program in Illinois and Indiana, contact: Frances Canonizado by email at fcanonizado@greatlakes.org or call her at (312) 939-0838 ext. 227 Visit www.greatlakes.org/adoptabeach.

We have just received this information about "Chicago Lakefront Fishes from the Field Museum. The URL for downloading the PDFs accompanies the PDF pages displayed here.

To download PDF copies of these documents, go to this site: http://sites.google.com/a/fieldmuseum.org/pwillink/Home/chicagoregionfishes

Get on the “Green” Bandwagon by Recycling Your Old Electronics

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EverLights Is Drop-off Site for 10th Ward Residents

CHICAGO, Illinois – To make it easier for Chicago’s 10th Ward residents to go green, EverLights is now serving as a drop-off site for old computers, monitors, printers and TVs.

Located inside Evergreen Supply Company, at 990l S. Torrence Avenue, EverLights will accept the hazardous waste during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Further information can be obtained by calling 1-773-734-9873.

“We wanted to make it easier for community residents to safely dispose of their hazardous waste,” says Kelly Aaron, EverLights founder and president. “All items dropped off will be de-manufactured and recycled in the U.S.”

EverLights, a certified WBE/SBE company, provides attentive, personalized recycling services to a wide array of companies including University of Chicago, Millennium Park, John Hancock Center and the State of Illinois. Among the items it accepts for recycling are fluorescent bulbs, HID lamps, PCB and non-PCB ballasts, hazardous waste, batteries and computers.

“Proper disposal is not only the right thing to do but it’s the law,” says Aaron. “Recyclable material must be properly packaged and shipped to a qualified recycling facility. Our job is to make that happen.”

July and Beyond: Leave No Child Inside Explorer Days!

Chicago Wilderness members and partners are also collaborating on a series of "Explorer Days" events in June and continuing through August 21. These free events feature fun, hands-on outdoor activities inspired by the lives of insects and are designed to nurture a child's sense of wonder and appreciation for nature. Explorer Days are primarily targeted at families with children six and under.

•August 1: North Park Village Nature Center, Chicago

•August 21: North Park Village Nature Center, Chicago

Complete details, including event descriptions, hours, and directions to the events, can be found on the Leave No Child Inside initiative website, http://kidsoutside.info. Please contact Emilian Geczi, LNCI Coordinator, if you have any questions: 773-631-1790 ext 18 or emilian.geczi@chicagowilderness.org.

Please help spread the word about these events to your colleagues and contact lists. (A pdf flyer for the Explorer Days is available to download at https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7gT3RawV74NODA3MzE1ODEtOGFjMy00MTZhLWE0MTAtZWE0ZWY0NmJjMTIz&hl=en.)

The events embody the alliance's vision of a culture in which children enjoy the natural world and are encouraged to be outside in it. Be a part of the celebration!