Monday, February 28, 2011

Event Recap: 4th Annual General Membership Meeting


Fermilab Natural Areas' fourth annual general membership meeting was held on February 17, 2011.  In addition to the standard business of electing Directors and reviewing the financials, meeting attendees received an update on the latest FNA activities in President Rod Walton's "year in review" presentation.  In addition, Fermilab Ecologist Ryan Campbell posited that the primary goal of restoration ecology is biological diversity in his presentation entitled, "Fermilab Natural Areas as a Restoring Force?"  For those who missed this comprehensive presentation on the goals and efforts of Fermilab and FNA’s ecological efforts, Ryan will reprise his talk during Earth Week, on April 22, 2011, at noon in Fermilab’s Wilson Hall One West conference room.
Following the formal meeting, the assembled members and friends lingered over cookies coffee, catching up on off-season activities and sharing ideas for the future of Fermilab Natural Areas.


Thanks to all who came out for the annual meeting and a special thanks to Pam Becker for the yummy refreshments.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Fermilab Family Open House

Come out to the Fermilab Family Open House this Sunday!  Fermilab Natural Areas folks will also be at the Open House to answer questions and talk to people about the work we do.  Click here for more information about the Open House.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Ash Borers and Tree Safety

Rod Walton authored this article which was originally published in Fermilab Today:

The Fermilab Village is home to a diverse community of trees, including exotic ornamental varieties and species native to our area. These trees provide a habitat for insects, birds and mammals as well as provide an appealing appearance and welcome shade in the summer. Unfortunately, approximately 150 ash trees exist among this collection.


This is unfortunate because these trees likely will become infected with emerald ash borers, an invasive, imported beetle that has decimated ash tree populations in the Midwest. Trees infected with this pest invariably die within a few years and can cause hazards when located near buildings or roads.

The beetles were first discovered at Fermilab in 2007 along Kirk Road and since then, the infestation has spread to cover the entire site, including the Village. Many ash trees are now dead or dying as a result. Experts from the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Morton Arboretum predict that virtually all our mature ash trees will die during the next few years.

In order to manage this imminent problem, Fermilab will begin preemptively removing ash trees in the Village, perhaps as early as this winter. As resources allow, the Roads and Grounds Department will continue to replace trees in the Village where it is appropriate to do so. Replacing these trees is something that our volunteers can help do during events such as our annual Arbor Day celebration. In the natural areas of the site, away from human activity, dead trees will be left standing to provide habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife. These trees will be incorporated into the future management of all Fermilab’s remaining natural areas.

Without prohibitively expensive chemical treatment, there is no viable defense against the emerald ash borer. Local municipalities and forest preserve districts are bracing for this problem now, and many neighboring municipalities are removing ash trees before they die or show overt signs of infestation. Preemptive removal of trees spreads out the cost and manpower needed to remove the trees safely and avoids the risks that standing dead trees create in populated areas.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

February 17: 4th Annual Membership Meeting

Please join Fermilab Natural Areas for our 4th annual general membership meeting on Thursday, February 17, 2011, at 7 p.m. in Fermilab's Wilson Hall, One West conference room.  We'll be electing five members to our Board of Directors, Board President Rod Walton will recap FNA's 2010 activities and plans for 2011 and Ryan Campbell will present an overview of projects currently underway at Fermilab, highlighting collaborations between FNA and Fermilab.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

February Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the February 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.

FNA will make a new desktop calendar available each month. If you'd like to share photographs for future calendars or the FNA newsletter, send us a note at fermilabnaturalareas@gmail.com.