Posts filed under 'Green Rockford'
June 9th, 2010
If you’re saddened and frustrated everytime you see or hear a report about the sickening oil spill in the Gulf, here’s a way to do one small but important thing that’s positive for the environment. For a while, at least, it will take your mind off the oily mess in the ocean.
Your mission, should you accept it, is to help save the prairie at Washington Elementary School
in Belvidere.
It’s just a little prairie, about 20 by 200 feet. It’s been neglected
and now is more of a mess than a prairie. But it can be saved and
here’s why it should be.
– Butterflies, insects and birds need all the natural vegetation we
can provide. Not the hybrid, bred to bloom in profusion plants that
don’t provide the nourishment they need. They can’t live without
indigenous plants that were here 200 years ago. As those plants have
dwindled in number, so have God’s little creatures.
– Children need to know about the importance of prairie plants, for
the sake of the environment and for their sense of history. What
better way to teach them than to have a prairie at the their school
where they can observe its changes, its beauty both in the blooming
period and the dormant times, and see for themselves the birds,
butterflies and bugs that flock to it for food and habitat.
– This prairie was planted in 1976 by Roger Gustafson, who died in
2008. The first executive of the Boone County Conservation District
and the first full-time naturalist for the state of Illinois, he spent
his life preserving the environment and teaching others to do the
same. It would be a disservice to his memory to let this prairie be
turned back into Kentucky bluegrass and dandelions.
Washington School officials say they can’t take care of the prairie.
So the Rock River Chapter of Wild Ones, with president Constance
McCarthy leading the way, is trying to save the prairie and arrange
for its maintenance.
McCarthy has until Monday to (1) find volunteers who will commit to
short- and long-term maintenance of the prairie; and (2) find
volunteers who will put together a curriculum guide about the prairie
for Washington teachers and students.
As McCarthy said, “So many kids go to school, go home and play video
games. This will help them find a connection to the natural world and,
as they grow up, become stewards of the environment.”
So far, McCarthy has promises of prairie plant donations from local
environmentalist Anne Meyer. That’s a good start; now she needs people
who “get it” about the vital importance of prairies and are willing to
put some time and sweat into this project.
If you can help, contact McCarthy now at kublaikhan@mac.com or 815-282-0316.
The prairie, which has some cup plants and rosin weeds in it, could
look beautiful and be an important enhancement in the education of
Washington kids, McCarthy believes.
She recalled an incident related to her by Meyer about a prairie at
Immanuel Lutheran School in Belvidere. One day, a bus load of
volleyball players and fans from Chicago headed to a game in these
parts stopped at the prairie and piled off the bus with butterfly nets
and notebooks to catch bugs for a science assignment. It’s crazy that
we live in a world where they couldn’t find those bugs at their own
school or in their own neighborhood.
May 25th, 2010
Want to see thousands of shooting stars, the kind Mother Earth provides on the ground? If so, be at Harlem Hills Nature Preserve at 6 p.m. May 26 for a Wildflower Walkabout.
Gary and Judy Anderson will lead the easy hike, sponsored by Severson Dells Nature Center and the Natural Land Institute.
 Harlem Hills is a state nature preserve. The state DNR Web site says to get there, take Forest Hills Road to Flora Drive, turn east on Flora for a tenth of a mile, and see the preserve on the south side of the road. I’ve been told it’s not that easy, however, so if you want to enjoy this hike, better call one of these numbers first: Severson Dells at 815-335-2915 or NLI at 815-964-6666.
 Harlem Hills is 53 acres. According to the DNR, it is Illinois’ largest and finest remaining example of a gravel hill prairie.
Mark these upcoming Wildflower Walkabouts on your calendar: June 3, MacQueen Forest Preserve in DeKalb County; June 9, Byron Forest Preserve’s Nardi and Jarrett preserves; June 17, Atwood Prairie; June 23, Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve; and July 1, Colored Sands Forest Preserve. Make at least one of these to observe and appreciate some special and seldom-seen parts of northern Illinois.
For details, call the Dells at 815-335-2915 or NLI at 815-964-6666.
October 13th, 2008
That’s the title of the free breakfast at 7 a.m. Oct. 22 at Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Country Club for Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful. The presentation will highlight KNIB’s contributions to the community. Call 815-964-7291 for info. Go if you want to learn more about the group.
September 30th, 2008
In case you missed it, Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey recently returned from an trade mission to China and Sweden to attract international business. We have sister cities in both countries, and there’s a green angle: Sweden is known for pushing technologies. China, like America, is a huge energy consumer, and one company is pursuing this local project (photo below from the press conference).
FYI, the mayor blogged about his trip here.
August 29th, 2008
this morning, waiting for an appointment while watching cnn, i saw an ad for the city of rockford … that promotes recycling.
a little girl acts as a judge, with a man in the courtroom acting clueless about where to take used tires and so forth.
i didn’t know what it was all about until the end, at which the city promoted going green and going to its web site. i didn’t catch every bit of the ad, but the city does have area detailing what residents can recycle.
what i learned: i can drop off paint, batteries and aerosol cans at a collection site.
June 12th, 2008
the city of rockford encourages you to…
– ride your bike, walk or carpool.
– declare your own “no idling day” (turn off your car if you are sitting for more than a few minutes).
– use the stairs at work instead of the elevator.
– explore the city on an RMTD bus.
in case you missed it, the mayor signed his commitment to being green yesterday.
June 2nd, 2008
sorry, greenies. i’ve had things to write about but just not the time. too busy with healthyrockford.com launch for tuesday.
but a roundup:
1. the concepts found art or recycled art are nothing new, but if you’re interested in what you can make out of existing materials, go to the golan liberman contemporary art party at 10 p.m. saturday, june 7, at 2209 e. state in rockford. the gallery is kicking off summer with food, wine, a belly dancer and, of course, art. see calendar listings here and here. if you want to turn your trash into treasure, try this or this with your kids.
2. expect to see a number of green government initiatives. last week, representatives from the city of rockford, the green community coalition and the rockford metropolitan agency for planning told the editorial board about how they’re committing to the greening of rockford. this editorial is just a brief summary of what to expect. i’ll be writing more.
3. congrats to the first “who’s going green” award winners.
J.L Clark, large business.
Choices Natural Market, small to medium business.
Freedom Field Renewable Energy Project, large agency.
Zion Development Corp., small to medium agency.
