Due to inclement weather this afternoon, Monday's workday will be cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13, 2012.
From 1-3 PM, we'll spend time cutting invasive brush, working as part of a larger brush removal effort in one of Fermilab's premier savanna restoration sites. This is a very neat area and could use our help. Please join us.
Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Upcoming Work Days
Fermilab Natural Areas will NOT be hosting a seed spreading event Friday, March 9th. The Roads & Grounds crew is ready for spring burn season and they are hoping to get started. As different prairie plots and woodlands receive prescribed fire treatments, we may spread seed the following Friday. We will send a message in advance. Until then, join us next Monday for brush cutting and enjoy the emerging spring! Yesterday we heard our first chorus frogs and saw an active snake!
Join us Monday, March 12th, from 1-3 PM for an afternoon cutting invasive brush. We will be working as part of a larger brush removal effort in one of Fermilab's premier savanna restoration sites. This is a very neat area and could use our help. Please join us.
Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Thanks last week to Lori, Bob, Sue, MaryJo, Jacques, Bob, Evalyn, Marlene, Denis, and Larry! Ten volunteers helped clear honeysuckle and buckthorn from the new stewards woodland. What work we accomplished and fun we had in two hours! Thank you!
Join us Monday, March 12th, from 1-3 PM for an afternoon cutting invasive brush. We will be working as part of a larger brush removal effort in one of Fermilab's premier savanna restoration sites. This is a very neat area and could use our help. Please join us.
Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Thanks last week to Lori, Bob, Sue, MaryJo, Jacques, Bob, Evalyn, Marlene, Denis, and Larry! Ten volunteers helped clear honeysuckle and buckthorn from the new stewards woodland. What work we accomplished and fun we had in two hours! Thank you!
Photo: seed spreading event, Februrary 3, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
March/April Newsletter published!
Read the latest FNA newsletter for information about last month's annual meeting, plans for next month's Arbor Day tree planting and lots of bird news. Also, we've included ideas about how you can get more involved with Fermilab Natural Areas, including butterfly monitoring training, rain barrel assembly or becoming a volunteer steward.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Butterfly Monitoring Classes at Fermilab
Tom Peterson, Fermilab engineer and resident butterfly expert, will be leading two butterfly monitoring classes at Fermilab this spring.
- Saturday, May 5, 10:00 a.m. to noon at Fermilab. A beginners' butterfly monitoring and identification class.
- Saturday, June 2, 10:00 a.m. to noon at Fermilab. An intermediate-level butterfly monitoring and identification class.
Although these classes are intended for people who may be interested in becoming, or already are, members of the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, visitors are also welcome! The beginner class spends about 45 minutes covering when, where, how, and why we monitor butterflies in the Chicago region. The rest of the class is devoted to viewing photographs of the 20 or so most common local butterflies, discussing their habits, and how to identify them.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
March Desktop Calendar
Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the March 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:
1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).
2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”
3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Invasives Workday, Monday 2/27
Please join us Monday, February 27th, from 1-3 PM for an afternoon cutting invasive brush. We will be working in a neat area on the north side of Morgan's Woods. Wood ducks, rare orchids, and the county's last bobcat are all part of this small, but rich woodland and its history!
Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Last week we worked in Big Woods South and had 4 great volunteers cut honeysuckle! Thank you to Marlene, Rob, Bob, and Denis.
Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Last week we worked in Big Woods South and had 4 great volunteers cut honeysuckle! Thank you to Marlene, Rob, Bob, and Denis.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Main Ring Savanna Restoration
from Fermilab Today, February 13, 2012:
The highly endangered oak savanna was once one of the most common vegetation types in the Midwest. But during the surge of settlement in the 1840s the savanna gave way to the plow, and now less than one percent of Illinois' original savanna remains.
Thanks to a grant from The DuPage Community Foundation, one of those remnants, located in the center of the Main Ring, will be restored.
In December, the foundation awarded $7,500 to Fermilab Natural Areas to begin restoration of this 35-acre oak savanna.
The multi-phase restoration effort planned to start this winter will include removing invasive species of trees and shrubs, burning of selective areas, enriching of flora and a monitoring of the ecosystem. Typical savannas are very open woodlands, with less than 50 percent canopy cover, and diverse forb communities growing in the understory. Years of neglect have allowed the proliferation of many invasive tree species, such as cottonwood, ash and cherry. Also present are non-native plant species such as European buckthorn, multi-flora rose and honeysuckle.
Fermilab's record as an environmental steward is excellent, and includes the restoration of thousands of acres of prairies, woodlands and wetlands. This restoration would not be possible without the supplemental funding from organizations such as the DuPage Community Foundation. Since the initial grant was received, the Wiest Foundation, located in Naperville, Illinois, has donated an additional $2,000, and Davey Tree Service in West Chicago has agreed to donate a work crew to get the project started.
For more information on the project, email Fermilab Natural Areas or call 630-840-4845.
—Rod Walton, Fermilab ecologist
The highly endangered oak savanna was once one of the most common vegetation types in the Midwest. But during the surge of settlement in the 1840s the savanna gave way to the plow, and now less than one percent of Illinois' original savanna remains.
Thanks to a grant from The DuPage Community Foundation, one of those remnants, located in the center of the Main Ring, will be restored.
In December, the foundation awarded $7,500 to Fermilab Natural Areas to begin restoration of this 35-acre oak savanna.
The multi-phase restoration effort planned to start this winter will include removing invasive species of trees and shrubs, burning of selective areas, enriching of flora and a monitoring of the ecosystem. Typical savannas are very open woodlands, with less than 50 percent canopy cover, and diverse forb communities growing in the understory. Years of neglect have allowed the proliferation of many invasive tree species, such as cottonwood, ash and cherry. Also present are non-native plant species such as European buckthorn, multi-flora rose and honeysuckle.
Fermilab's record as an environmental steward is excellent, and includes the restoration of thousands of acres of prairies, woodlands and wetlands. This restoration would not be possible without the supplemental funding from organizations such as the DuPage Community Foundation. Since the initial grant was received, the Wiest Foundation, located in Naperville, Illinois, has donated an additional $2,000, and Davey Tree Service in West Chicago has agreed to donate a work crew to get the project started.
For more information on the project, email Fermilab Natural Areas or call 630-840-4845.
—Rod Walton, Fermilab ecologist
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
February Desktop Calendar
Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the February 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:
1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).
2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”
3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.
Many thanks to our photo contributors for their efforts!
1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).
2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”
3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.
Many thanks to our photo contributors for their efforts!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Osprey Nest available at Nepese Marsh
from Fermilab Today, January 26, 2012:
Fermi Natural Areas and Thorne Electric of Carol Stream situated a bird nesting platform at Nepese Marsh on the eastern side of the Fermilab site. Volunteering their services, FNA and Thorne Electric personnel hope that the structure will attract a pair of large birds of prey to nest.
Data suggest that osprey fledglings tend to stay within a couple miles of where they were born. Presently, there is a nesting pair of osprey on the western side of Fermilab's site. They have produced young, one of which may be the future tenant of the Nepese Marsh platform.
There are also bald eagles nesting on Randall Road in Batavia, which is a short flight. Perhaps, if the nesting platform does not interest an osprey, an eagle will take up residence in the coming months.
The platform was a joint effort by laboratory employees volunteering their time to complete various stages of the project, and Tom Eggleston, of the Housing Office, built the nest structure from scrap wood. Hopefully, a feathered friend will move in by spring.
—Dave Shemanske, FESS
Data suggest that osprey fledglings tend to stay within a couple miles of where they were born. Presently, there is a nesting pair of osprey on the western side of Fermilab's site. They have produced young, one of which may be the future tenant of the Nepese Marsh platform.
There are also bald eagles nesting on Randall Road in Batavia, which is a short flight. Perhaps, if the nesting platform does not interest an osprey, an eagle will take up residence in the coming months.
The platform was a joint effort by laboratory employees volunteering their time to complete various stages of the project, and Tom Eggleston, of the Housing Office, built the nest structure from scrap wood. Hopefully, a feathered friend will move in by spring.
—Dave Shemanske, FESS
See more photos of the nest installation online:
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Heather Williams: A Volunteer's Perspective
Fermilab Natural Areas' volunteer & member Heather Williams' article, "Why I Volunteer with Fermilab Natural Areas," was published in Batavia's TribLocal online edition earlier this week!
Many thanks to Heather for all of her grant-writing and restoration workday efforts.
Friday, January 13, 2012
January / February FNA Newsletter available
The latest news from Fermilab Natural Areas highlights the receipt of a grant from the DuPage Community Foundation, a tool donation from Corona Tools, and an Eagle Scout project to repair footbridges in the Big Woods.
Thanks to all of you for your support in 2011 and we look forward to many good things in 2012! As always, a high-resolution of the newsletter is available online.
 |
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
January Desktop Calendar
Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the January 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:
1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).
2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”
3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.
1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).
2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”
3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Happy Holidays & Thank You!
Many thanks to everyone for your support all year long! From those who've provided financially to those who've come out to lend a helping hand to the natural areas - THANK YOU!
Best wishes for a wonderful 2012!
Many thanks also to Gordon Koizumi for providing beautiful photographs all year long, including these two beauties. Gordon writes:
I hope you have been able to get out and go for a walk. Today was a cold day but there are still very interesting things to observe. I thought I would include something a bit different from my usual photos as well. The second photo was taken with my point and shoot at the pond near the Science Education Center. What you are looking at are just some bubbles trapped in the clear ice that has formed over the pond. I thought they were interesting so I took some amateur photos of them. Although you can't see it in this photo, these bubbles look like they were left above a route taken underwater by some fairly large animal such as a muskrat or a fisher. You can see a clear "trail" where there's no underwater vegitation that leads from one bank toward the other. I have seen some weasel like creature near by very briefly not too long ago but not well enough to be able to identify it with any certainty. I've been told that a fisher has been observed. Has anyone seen him/her?
Thursday, December 1, 2011
December Desktop Calendar
Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the December 2011 calendar pictured below onto your computer:
1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).
2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”
3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.
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