February 8, 2008                                     Greetings from FREP!

Agenda:
1. Introductions of speakers and legislators – and we invite everyone present to introduce themselves so we can all learn what communities, organizations, and businesses of the watershed are represented.

2. Overview of FREP and our activities

3. Featured Speaker – Senator Linda Holmes on Cool Cities Program

4. Featured Speaker – Senator Pam Althoff on iSpace Initiative

5. Remarks by Jack Darin, Director of the Illinois Chapter of Sierra Club, updates on conservation issues and legislation that Sierra Club is tracking locally, in Illinois, and nationally.
 
6. Remarks by any other elected legislators, or their staff representative, in attendance

7. A question and answer period ends the program portion of the event, where everyone can participate in the “conversation.”

A light lunch buffet will then be served, where informal conversation can continue.
Donations will be appreciated to help defray the cost of the lunch.

This program is open to FREP members and the community.

To help with lunch plans, please RSVP by March 5th to Becky Hoag, FREP Communications Manager, at 630/482-9157, or email her at foxriverinfo@comcast.net.

This event has been planned by the FREP Government Relations Committee: Jeff Mengler, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service & John Church, University of Illinois Extension, Co-chairs.  Members:  Paul Anderson, Illinois Institute of Technology; Bill Donnell, Fox Valley Park District; Sue Harney, Dundee Township; Karen Miller, Kane County Development Department; Mary Ochsenschlager, Kane-DuPage Soil & Water Conservation District Board; Cindy Skrukrud, Friends of the Fox River & Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter; Katie Parkhurst, Village of Algonquin; June Keibler, Dundee Township Park District; Nancy Williamson, IDNR C2000 Ecosystem Administrator.

We will meet in the small auditorium, located in the west, visitors’ side of the building.  The building is located on the north side of Stearns Road, between the Fox River/Dunham Road and Rt. 59. Please don’t go by Mapquest! They place the address east of Rt. 59.

Wildlife Preservation Fund Grants due April 1, 2008:  two grant programs administered through the IDNR Office of Resource Conservation Division of Natural Heritage. The Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Small Project Program proposals are open to all persons and may address many types of projects including management, site inventories, education or special equipment purchases. Examples of past projects include wildlife habitat improvement, species
enhancement, education and research projects throughout the state focusing on species ranging from birds to turtles - and habitat ranging from forests to prairies. Individual proposals are eligible for up to $2,000 from the Wildlife Preservation Fund. Proposals are also being accepted for the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Maintenance of Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities That Take Care of Threatened or Endangered Species Program.
Informatin at IDNR website: http://dnr.state.il.us/grants/index.htm. The packet is also available by calling 217/782-2602 or by e-mail at DNR.SPECIALFUNDS@illinois.gov

The Lower Des Plaines Ecosystem Partnership (LDPEP) Presents:
The Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly: Protecting an Endangered Species in the Lower Des Plaines River Watershed
Tuesday, February 19, 2:30pm at Peabody Estate,
Mayslake Forest Preserve District in Oak Brook

The Hine’s emerald dragonfly is among the most endangered dragonflies in the United States. This state- and federally-endangered species has become an important symbol of conservation in the Lower Des Plaines valley.  Hine’s habitat is now only found in limited locations throughout the upper U.S. Midwest and only within the Lower Des Plaines River Watershed in Illinois. The Hine's emerald, so named because of its brilliant emerald green eyes, is found in shallow marshes, wet meadows, and small streams where calcareous water emerges between the limestone bedrock and overlying glacial till. Learn more about this endangered species and what is being done to restore habitat for the Hine’s in Illinois from presenters Tom Velat, ecologist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and Jeff Mengler, biologist for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Chicago.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lynn Rotunno at lowerdesplaines@yahoo.com or 630-674-5900. Mayslake Peabody Estate is located on the south side of west 31st Street (Oakbrook Road) one-quarter mile west of Route 83 and one-half mile east of Midwest Road/Cass Avenue.

For more information about the Hine's emerald dragonfly, visit http://www.lowerdesplaines.org/HinesDragonfly.html

Natural Lawn Care for Professional Turf Managers and Landscapers  Webcast
Safer Pest Control Project is pleased to announce that a Live Webcast of our upcoming Natural Lawn Care for Professional Turf Managers and Landscapers will be available on Wednesday, February 20th and Thursday, February 21st.  Select sessions from both days will be broadcast live over the internet. The webcast will provide people with the fundamental principles of natural lawn care.

All that is required is a computer and internet connection capable of handling streaming video and audio. For complete details  and registration information  visit http://www.spcpweb.org/training/details/?id=17.  The webcast is made possible by the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.  Sign up today-- the Live Webcast is the next best thing to actually being at the sold out workshop.

The workshop is also funded in part by Boeing, an Illinois corporation. We hope you will be able to join us online.

Smart Growth Resource Library   Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods
The Playbook is a web-based resource that provides strategies, tips, and tools that cities and counties can use to take immediate action on climate change through: Green building, green neighborhoods, and sustainable infrastructure. The Playbook is designed both for communities that are considering making the first steps toward these, as well as for those who want to take existing efforts to a new level.

Project partners include a consortium of more than 20 local governments, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and utilities that produced the first phase of the Playbook to help promote the goals set out in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. More than 600 mayors, representing more than 50 million U.S. residents, have signed the agreement, which commits communities to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the targets set in the Kyoto Protocol.   Read more at: http://greenplaybook.org/

Becky Hoag, Communications Manager, Fox River Ecosystem Partnership
630-482-9157
foxriverinfo@comcast.net   Plese Email me if you have an Email to add to our mailing list.
FREP WEBSITE:  http://foxriverecosystem.org

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