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Friday, June 3, 2011
Greetings
from FREP! |
| Please visit our
Website
for additional information and updates on activities shared in
this newsletter |
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| FREP ACTIVITIES |
| FREP Noon Network |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 Noon -
1:30 PM
Program: Hawks
Bluff Park, Batavia Park Dist.
Jim Eby, Director of Planning & Development
Location: Meet at
Hawks Bluff Park, Batavia
950 Twin Elms Lane, Batavia
See directions below
Maplink
Hawks Bluff Park is
30 acres of wetland, upland prairie, oak savanna
remnant, and a portion of the Mill Creek stream corridor and remnant
Oak Savannah. Use of permeable pavers in the
parking area.
Other amenities include large picnic shelter,
multilevel playground, sports court with
basketball and practice tennis wall, asphalt and
wood fiber trails totalling a mile, challenge
course, small amphitheatre area, and a "Jens
Jensen type" council ring. Recipient of $266,900
OSLAD development grant.
Directions: From
Randall Rd. go west on Main St. to Deerpath Rd.
Turn south on Deerpath to intersection with
Limestone Dr. Go left on Limestone Dr. to stop
sign. Go straight at stop sign to intersection
with Bird Ln. Go left on Bird Ln. Follow Bird
through neighborhood and as it bends to the
south it becomes Twin Elms Ln. Continue south on
Twin Elms Ln. to the parking lot at the
intersection of Twin Elms and Kane Ln. Turn in
the south entrance of the lot please. |
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| Upcoming Noon Networks: |
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Noon - 1:30 PM
Program: Focus on Silver
Creek Watershed Planning
Location: TBA |
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Noon - 1:30 PM
Program: Focus on
Ferson-Otter Creek Watershed Planning
Location: TBA |
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FREP members, potential members, and the general public
are welcome to attend FREP meetings and programs.
Learn more
about activities in the watershed and network with others.
FREP Meeting Minutes can be found
HERE. |
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| Program
Presentations Online: Many past Noon
Network and meeting program presentations can be found in pdf form on the FREP Website
HERE. |
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| Special Invasive Plants Workshop Offered |
Wednesday, June 22 1-3:30 PM
FLYER
Invasive Plants: Nature's
Troublemakers
Learn how to identify invasive plants that take
over our yards, woods, and nature preserves -
crowding out the native plants that provide
habitat for birds and animals.
Instructor: Cathy
McGlynn, Coordinator
Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant
Partnership
Website
Location: Lake
Barrington Village Hall
23860 N. Old Barrington Road 60010
Co-sponsored by:
FREP &
Flint Creek Watershed Partnership
FREE -- Please RSVP to Patsy Mortimer
pmortimer@earthlink.net
Thank you to Patsy and the Village of Lake Barrington
for helping to make this possible. Cathy spoke to a
large group at our FREP meeting in January.
We will be arranging a second workshop for the southern
part of the Fox watershed in the next few months. |
The following document is available
on the
NIIPP Website:
 |
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| FREP Meeting -- Annual Picnic |
July is the month for our Annual FREP
Picnic (in place of a meeting) Date TBA
Jason Pettit, our Recreation Committee Chair, is currently
making arrangements for a visit to Farnsworth House and a picnic
at the nearby Silver Spring State Park in Yorkville. There is a
really interesting Lumenhaus feature at Farnsworth House, now
through July.
Website
We are looking at a later afternoon event, possibly on our
regular meeting date of Wednesday, July 20,
or Friday, July 22. There will be a fee to tour Farnsworth
House. The picnic will be "bring a dish to share"
Please watch the
FREP Website news page for details, and our early July
Downstream. |
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| FREP Government Relations Committee |
Our Annual: Conversations About Conservation With Our
Legislators
Friday, September 23, 2011
Registration and networking at 9:30am
Kendall County Historic Court House, Yorkville
Representative Kay Hatcher will be the keynote speaker. All
senators and representatives from the watershed are invited to
attend. Please join us to hear the latest from Springfield
(like IDNR funding, cuts to OSLAD grants, and legislation that
impacts our watershed). This is a wonderful opportunity for you
to meet your representatives, ask questions, and let them know
how their votes impact you.
More details to follow as the date gets closer. Please plan on
joining us for the morning. |
Are you interested
in learning more about current environmental legislation?
Please contact Katie Parkhurst
at 847-658-4184 or
katieparkhurst@algonquin.org.
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| Watershed Planning |
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The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for
Planning (CMAP) is the delegated authority for the region’s
areawide water quality management plan.
CMAP has an agreement with the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency (IEPA) to complete four watershed-based plans within the
Fox River Basin. Watershed planning commenced Sept. 2010 in Blackberry Creek
and Ferson-Otter Creek watersheds (Lower Fox River, Kane and
Kendall counties) and in Sleepy Hollow Creek and Silver Creek
watersheds (Upper Fox River, McHenry County). Funding for these
projects was provided by the IEPA through Section 604(b) of the
Clean Water Act (CWA).
Read more about the project and information about each of the
four watersheds
HERE. |
| Watershed Planning Meeting Schedule:
Meetings are open to
the public, anyone interested is welcome to attend and participate. |
Blackberry Creek
Watershed Meeting
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
2 - 4 PM
Yorkville City Hall Council Chambers
Contact Tara Neff:
630-428-4500, Ext. 23
tneff@theconservationfoundation.org
Webpage
Ferson-Otter Creek Watershed Meeting
Tuesday, June 28, 2 PM
Trotter & Associates
40W201 Wasco Road, Suite D, St. Charles
Contact Tara Neff:
630-428-4500, Ext. 23
tneff@theconservationfoundation.org
Webpage
Sleepy Hollow Creek Watershed and Silver
Creek Watershed Meeting
Tuesday, June 14, 1:30-3:30 PM
City of McHenry 333 S. Green Street,
City Council Chambers, McHenry
MAP
Contact Lynn Rotunno at: 815-338-0393
watershedinfo@mcdefenders.net
Webpage |
| Additional Watershed Planning Groups |
There are other active watershed groups
involved with planning and implementation activities. Visit our
Subwatersheds page for more information or these specific
Websites/Webpages:
Tyler Creek Watershed Meeting Wednesday, June 15, 4:30
PM
Judson University, Elgin Linder Tower – 2nd Floor
Jelkes Creek Watershed Meeting Wednesday, June 15, 7
PM, West Dundee
Spring Creek has also begun the planning process. Contact info
is on our
Subwatersheds page |
| EPA Website that
should be helpful to all the planners:
Healthy Watersheds |
| |
| FREP Noon Network May 18 honored Dick Young |
| There was a great turnout for the Noon Network on
May 18th featuring the Blackberry Creek Watershed and
one of its greatest assets, Nelson Lake Marsh and the
Dick Young Forest Preserve. Drew Ullberg of the Kane
County Forest Preserve District gave a tour and shared
great stories about the late Dick Young and what he
meant to this area. |
 |
| Jason Pettit of Kendall County Forest Preserve
District (below, left) also shared memories about Dick,
who actually lived in Kendall County and did so much
work in that area as well. Drew provided the group with
paperbags of seeds, and each participant helped sow
seeds as we walked the area. |
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| Fox River Guide & Website |
A new publication is currently being
developed and plans are for it to be distributed later in June: The Citizen's Guide to
Preserving the Fox River. It
will feature articles and
photographs "to engage more local residents in protecting their
Fox River." The Conservation Foundation (TCF) and FREP are
working together on this project.
The companion website is already up, and will be expanded in the
coming months. Visit it at:
preservethefox.org |
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| Other Activities & News of Interest |
| If you have an
activity or event you'd like FREP to share on
our Website or in the Downstream, please email
the information to Becky at:
foxriverinfo@comcast.net |
Saturday & Sunday
June 11 & 12
Noon to 4 PM |
Garfield Farm
Museum’s 1840’s Days
Campton Hills Road, off Rt. 38, west of
Geneva
Website
Discover what life was like over 160
years ago. The event offers children and
adults the opportunity to learn about
their rural heritage through guided
tours and period demonstrations.
Admission fee |
Saturday, June 11
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM |
Electronic Waste
Collection for McHenry County residents
McHenry County College
Flyer |
Saturday, June 11
9 AM - 3 PM |
Oakwood Hills
Village Lake Festival
North Beach & Park
Flyer |
Sunday
June 12 |
McHenry County
Conservation Foundation's Annual
Pedal-Paddle Through the Prairie
Website
Glacial Park |
Friday,
June 17
11 AM - 2 PM |
Algonquin’s Conservation Community Day,
11 AM - 2 PM
Woods Creek
Website |
Saturday
July 30 |
Chase the Moon
Midnight Bike Ride
Website
Sponsored by The Conservation Foundation
Starts at Warrenville, ride through
Fermilab
Fee Registration Required |
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|
Funding Opportunity |
Lake County
-Countywide Watershed Best Management
Practice (BMP) Implementation Program
Request for Project Proposals
he Lake County Stormwater Management
Commission (SMC) is planning to apply to
the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency (Illinois EPA) for Clean Water
Act Section 319(h) grant funds to
support the countywide implementation of
watershed best management practices
(BMPs) that are identified in or
supported by an existing watershed-based
plan*. This new Countywide Watershed BMP
Implementation Program is intended to
provide cost-share grant funding to
support the implementation of watershed
protection and restoration projects and
programs that prevent, eliminate, or
reduce water quality impairments caused
by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution in
the nine Lake County watersheds that
already (or soon will) have a
watershed-based plan.
Deadline:
Wednesday, June 29.
Detailed RFP Document |
National Park
Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation
Assistance
Website
Every year, the National Park Service
helps hundreds of locally-driven
projects that create opportunities for
healthy outdoor recreation, connect
youth with the outdoors, and connect
communities to parks.
Rivers, Trails, & Conservation
Assistance from the National Park
Service provides no funding, but our
experienced staff can help communities
plan for success.
Applications
accepted until August 1. |
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Other News/Information |
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Illinois RiverWatcher Summer
2011 Newsletter |
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Becky
Hoag,
Communications Manager, Fox River Ecosystem Partnership
630-482-9157
foxriverinfo@comcast.net Please
Email me if you have an Email to add to our mailing list.
FREP WEBSITE:
foxriverecosystem.org
This newsletter is posted on the FREP Website on the
Downstream Newsletter Archives Page |
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