2024 Forest Preserves of Cook County Calendars are available at Crabtree starting tomorrow, Saturday, Jan 6th. Stop in the nature center to get your free copy.
Archive for the ‘Audubon Society’ Category
Stop by Crabtree Nature Center and pick up a 2024 calendar starting tomorrow
Posted in Audubon Society, Crabtree Nature Center, FPDCC on January 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Blue States Are Stripping Rural Counties Of Ability To Prevent Green Energy Takeover Of Their Communities
Posted in Audubon Society, FPDCC, Going green, Horizon Farm, Land Use, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Village Code, Zoning Board on December 20, 2023| 1 Comment »
By NICK POPE | Daily Caller
Several blue states have deprived rural counties of the ability to reject the massive green energy projects that corporations want to site in their communities, while green industrial interests and environmentalist groups have poured money into state capitals.
Michigan, California, New York and Illinois have all passed legislation that consolidates authority over land use issues and rules with state-level bureaucrats at the expense of local governments that could have altered their own zoning codes to stem the tide of industrial green projects like solar and wind farms. These policies deprive rural residents in these states of their freedom and local autonomy, while also benefiting the corporate interests that line the pockets of the states’ Democratic governors, state policy experts and lawmakers told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Much of the renewables business and movement has been co-opted by big corporations,” which “are spending millions” on politics “because this is a matter of billions for them,” Edward Ring, a senior fellow for the California Policy Institute and the organization’s co-founder, told the DCNF. “What we are seeing, for example, with the ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ is one of the biggest gifts of money to corporations that we have ever seen in this country,” Ring told the DCNF, referring to the IRA’s subsidies facilitating the rise of green energy.
Since 2020, there have been about 350 local restrictions or rejections of solar and wind projects across the country, according to energy expert Robert Bryce’s Renewable Rejection Database. (RELATED: Grid Watchdog Warns That Dems’ Climate Agenda Could Put Large Swaths Of US At ‘Elevated Risk’ For Blackouts)
Illinois
In February, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted H.B. 4412, which “prevents counties from enacting preemptive local ordinances that outright ban local wind and solar projects, hindering the state’s new climate goals.” Illinois is aiming to reach 100% green energy generation by 2050, and will need to build out a significant network of new solar and wind projects to get there.
“These new energy companies, many of which are owned by large, out-of-state venture capital firms receiving massive tax breaks, are now able to remove local control against the wishes of the community,” Republican Illinois State Sen. Terri Bryant told the DCNF about the policy. “This bill is especially dangerous in heavily agriculture counties that have limited zoning and large spaces of land used for crops… removing local control in favor of new energy companies, many of which are out of state and out of the country, is not just a threat to property rights, but to our national security and food supply chain.”
In his two terms as governor, Pritzker has pursued left-wing policies in numerous policy arenas, including imposing tight gun control measures, a $15 minimum wage and eliminating cash bail requirements for suspected criminals. These policies align with the left-wing agenda promulgated by other members of his family, one of the wealthiest in the country, according to the New York Post.
The offices of Whitmer, Newsom, Hochul and Pritzker did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Read more here.
Looking for a way to contribute to science? Have a love for birds?
Posted in Audubon Society, Crabtree Nature Center, FPDCC, Organizations on December 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is a century-old community science bird project, making it the United States’ most enduring bird monitoring initiative. Scheduled from December 14, 2023, to January 5, 2024, the 124th Christmas Bird Count is organized annually by Audubon and its collaborators to safeguard and track bird populations in the United States.
This isn’t just for birdwatching pros – all skill levels are welcome. The deets collected during the count aren’t just for show; they’re the secret sauce for studying bird populations across North America.
If you’re keen on participating, you can register to receive updates and findings about all of Audubon’s community science programs via their email newsletter, American Birds. Alternatively, you can get involved by signing up for a count near your location.
For additional details and to locate your nearby Audubon chapter, please visit Audubon.org.
Forest Preserves of Cook County October 2023 Newsletter
Posted in Audubon Society, BACT, Cook, County, FPDCC, Going green, Horizon Farm, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on October 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Milkweeds (Asclepias sp.) are the host plant for monarch butterflies; adult monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, but in this region, they lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed. | Exploding Milkweed Seed Pod, Photo by: Roberta Appleby
In this issue:
- Major Restoration Project Completed at Powderhorn Lake
- Find Fall Color in the Forest Preserves
- Learn about the “Stay on the Trail” Initiative
- Latest News: Save the Date for 2024 Picnic and Special Event Permits, Camping Reservations; Forget Your Fear, Bats are Beneficial; Consider Doing Business with the Forest Preserves; Forest Preserve Foundation Board Hosts Seed Collecting Event
- Upcoming Events, and
- Volunteer Opportunities
Read the newsletter here.
Barrington Hills Park District announces Forest Preserve Master Plan Presentation for Horizon Farm & Spring Creek
Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Audubon Society, BACOG, BACT, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Cellular Service, Cook, County, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Longmeadow Parkway, Massbach Hounds, Organizations, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, The Other Half, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Unions on October 7, 2023| 1 Comment »
When: Oct 11, 2023, 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Riding Club Meeting Room, 361 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills.
What: The Forest Preserves of Cook County developed a long-term, comprehensive master plan for Horizon Farm and Spring Creek which they will share with the public.
You are welcome to attend the meeting to learn the details of how this plan addresses conservation and recreational issues.
Related: “Horse lovers trying to save racetrack at Horizon Farm Forest Preserve, while bird and nature lovers question the impact,” “Forest Preserves of Cook County Fully Opens Northwest Cook County’s Horizon Farm Preserve,” “Park District hosting February 8th Cook County Forest Preserve District discussion,” “FPDCC holding Horizon Farm public meeting June 14th,” “FPDCC presents Horizon Farm update,” “Decadelong legal battle over Barrington Hills horse farm — eyed as huge forest preserve — may be nearing resolution”
Horse lovers trying to save racetrack at Horizon Farm Forest Preserve, while bird and nature lovers question the impact
Posted in Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Audubon Society, BACT, Barrington Hills Polo Club, BH Polo Club, Citizens for Conservation, Commercial Horse Boarding, Cook, County, Crabtree Nature Center, Deception, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, Going green, HARPS, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Organizations, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, The Other Half, Traffic, Unions on August 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Front to back: Robert McGinley, Dan Lobbes, Renae Frigo and David Holman head back after checking the status of a former dam on Goose Lake in Horizon Farm preserve on Aug. 18, 2023, in Barrington Hills. Members of the Barrington Area Conservation Trust and The Conservation Foundation were out surveying Horizon Farm as part of an annual effort to track changes on the property. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
On a group tour of Horizon Farm Forest Preserve and its rolling pastures, a visitor joked that it would make a great par 3 golf course. Nature lovers shuddered at the thought, though such a use is prohibited on the site.
But the comment illustrates the tension the Forest Preserve District of Cook County faces balancing preservation and recreation. The district’s main mission is to preserve open space, and provide “nature-compatible” recreation.
In the case of Horizon Farm in northwest suburban Barrington Hills, the issue boils down to whether to save a half-mile horse racing track. The nearly 400-acre preserve used to be a horse breeding and training ground. The track was used to train thoroughbreds for racing at the now-closed Arlington International Racecourse.
When the forest preserve district bought Horizon Farm out of foreclosure for $14.5 million in 2013, officials expressed openness to keeping equestrian uses of the site. But 10 years later, the racetrack sits filled with wild plants, unused, its railing falling apart. A big chunk of the preserve remains closed, and some trails are overgrown. Horse lovers and other preserve users are wondering whether the district will save the track.
“It’s really a prize,” Barrington Hills Park District President Dennis Kelly said. “There’s been a lot of interest in the equestrian community, but we have not gotten a response.”
Not everyone is married to the idea of a horse track. Friends of the Forest Preserves, an independent nonprofit, takes the general position that recreation in the forest preserves — from boating to fishing to camping — should facilitate enjoyment of nature.
“As soon as recreation becomes about the activity, that is not in line with what should be done with the forest preserves,” Friends President Benjamin Cox said.
The group supports horse trails since anyone can use them, but has not taken a position specifically on the horse track. Exclusive sites such as a golf course or baseball diamond are only for those uses, so Friends would prefer not to build those in the preserves.
Read more here.
The Bird Migration Explorer Lets You Interact With Nature’s Most Amazing Feat
Posted in Audubon Society, Topics Of Interest on September 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »
With this revolutionary new tool, anyone can follow hundreds of species on their epic journeys and discover challenges they face along the way.
Humans have long been captivated by migratory birds, awed by the animals’ biannual treks between their breeding and wintering grounds. A new digital platform, the Bird Migration Explorer, brings this natural phenomenon to your screen, enabling you to pore over the movements of individual species, discover the birds at a specific location, and learn about challenges these far-flying creatures face.
Created by Audubon and nine founding partners, using science contributed by hundreds of researchers and institutions, the platform paints the most complete picture ever of the journeys of 458 avian species that breed in the United States and Canada.
Users are met with a colorful map composed of routes of more than 9,300 birds captured by tracking devices and shared by scientists across the Western Hemisphere. The effect is astounding, says Melanie Smith, program director for the project: “You can see how birds trace the outlines of continents, rivers, lakes, mountain ridges.”
Smith and her colleagues envision a broad audience utilizing the Bird Migration Explorer, from conservationists looking to identify and protect the places migratory birds need to members of the public curious about their seasonal neighborhood visitors. Available in English and Spanish, the platform makes it possible to delve into the fascinating world of migratory birds. Here’s some of what awaits you.
Read the full Audubon Society release here.
New Kane County forest budget includes Carpentersville Dam removal, property tax increase
Posted in Audubon Society, County, Kane on May 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The Carpentersville Dam has been a favorite site for birdwatching and fishing.
Kane County Forest Preserve District commissioners approved a budget this week that includes a property tax increase, money for government employee raises and grant funds to remove the Carpentersville Dam.
The forest district’s general fund, which accounts for the bulk of operational expenses, will increase by $800,000 for a budget of $10.65 million for the 2022-23 fiscal year. That includes a $197,000 property tax levy increase to account for new property and inflation. The levy hike is the maximum commissioners could approve without voter approval.
Those projects include the removal of the Carpentersville Dam via a $2 million grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. District staff members also are seeking grant funds to pay for a $1.3 million renovation of the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.
Commissioners also set high budget priorities on creating a bald eagle and wild turkey habitat in the Big Forest preserve ($335,000) and a new Rusty Patch Bumblebee habitat in Hoscheit Woods ($200,000).
Read more here.
Bison grazing for grassland bird habitat
Posted in Animal Welfare, Audubon Society, Cook, County, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, Going green, Horizon Farm, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, McHenry, Topics Of Interest on December 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The goal of the bison grazing partnership is to utilize bison as another tool to manage prairie and grassland habitat for the benefit of breeding birds and other wildlife. The District is committed to advancing its conservation goals through data-driven, conservation-oriented farm management using practices that protect soil and water resources, conserve wildlife habitat, and regenerate ecological function. We continue to seek innovative ways to accomplish these goals through new partnerships.
Bison are a native species that historically played a keystone role in the ecology of prairies and grasslands, and they are an excellent management tool for prairie ecosystems. They help keep the balance of habitat structure and species composition of the prairie. Their grazing and wallowing behavior creates a mosaic of microhabitats for grassland birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Bison are also more selective in their grazing habits, which promotes a more diverse plant community. It is important to the prairie habitat to have grazers part of the land management. The bison are doing the work of managing the prairie, and in a far more natural and beneficial way for wildlife.
In 2021, the Conservation District entered into a 15-year lease agreement on 180 acres of pastureland at Pleasant Valley Conservation Area in Woodstock to Ruhter Bison LLC to raise young bison (age 1-3 year-old animals). Liberty Prairie Foundation was instrumental in finding and connecting the two entities, which developed into a successful match for the District to begin a bison grassland grazing program. The Conservation District is using a low stocking rate and rotating the herd to manage the habitat. Ruhter Bison is dedicated to wildlife conservation and protecting natural resources.
“The bison will do the work of managing the prairie in a far more natural and beneficial way for wildlife,” said Brad Woodson Manager of Natural Resources, McHenry County Conservation District. “It is so important to prairie habitat to have grazers as another restoration tool in land management. Grazers like elk, deer or bison are essential to enhancing the diversity of a grassland habitat – they help keep the balance of habitat structure and species composition of the prairie.
We are looking forward to seeing the result!”
“When used in conjunction with prescribed burns, to manage grassland habitat, bison are a native species that historically played a keystone role in the ecology of prairies and grasslands. Their grazing and wallowing behavior creates a mosaic of microhabitats for birds, pollinators, small mammals, and other wildlife,” stated Brenna Ness Agricultural Ecologist, McHenry County Conservation District.
Grassland bison grazing is something McHenry County Conservation District has looked at establishing for many years, but there were few opportunities where the conditions were just right. The opportunity presented itself when the previous tenant, who utilized the land as a combination of agriculture and cattle, no longer wished to re-new their farm lease.
Read the full McHenry County Conservation District article here, watch their video and ask yourselves how great it would be to replicate this initiative in a portion of Horizon Farm?
Ansel Adams: Early works at Bess Bower Dunn Museum
Posted in Audubon Society, County, Entertainment, Lake, Topics Of Interest on November 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »
A nationally acclaimed exhibition, “Ansel Adams: Early Works,” is running at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County, 1899 W. Winchester Road in Libertyville, Illinois, from November 6, 2021 through March 27, 2022. The exhibition features more than 40 original photographs. The exhibition is organized by art2art Circulating Exhibitions LLC.
All photographs are from the private collection of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg. Support for this exhibition was provided by Dan and Shirley Mayworm and a grant from the Preservation Foundation, the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves.
Museum admission for residents is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors, $3 for youth ages 4–17, free for children ages 3 and under. Nonresident admission is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and youth.
For more information, contact 847.968.3400 or Dunn@LCFPD.org
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