Earlier this summer, I took my six-year-old granddaughter for a walk on the trails at Nahant Marsh in Davenport, Iowa. It was late afternoon and much to both of our surprise, we saw a Blanding's turtle. The first thing my grand-daughter said was, "Is it real, grandma?" I said, "Of course it's real." Gently she touched the turtle's tail and it slightly moved. Then she peered up at me and asked me if I had placed the turtle there so she could find it. I was puzzled by her questions.
Those two questions kept haunting me. Then I had a moment of clarity. Why would she think it wasn't real? All she really knew of nature was what she saw in books or on the Discovery Channel. Why wouldn't she think it was staged? All the animals she had seen were in zoos or at Disneyland. I knew then I need to challenge myself to make sure she not only saw but felt, smelled and experienced nature first-hand and not through some fabricated method.
It was at this same time I read Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv who eloquently mirrors these very thoughts. This is a must read for parents, grand-parents, people working with kids for anyone who cares about the future of nature for our children and ourselves. Mr. Louv feels we need to save our children from what he calls a "Nature-Deficit Disorder."
I quote Mr. Louv, "Reducing that deficit – healing the broken bond between our young and nature – is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical and spiritual health depends upon it. The health of the earth is at stake as well. How the youth respond to nature, and how they raise their own children, will shape the configurations and conditions of our cities, homes – our daily lives." I couldn't say it better or feel it more, Mr. Louv.
When I was growing up, my mother's mantra was, "Go out and play and I'll call you for supper." Today I bet we would be hard pressed to hear that one. So, make sure the children in your life put their iPods on the steps, and then take them outside at night with flashlight in hand to see and hear the wonders of nature in their own back yard. Or, spend time in the flower or vegetable garden and investigate the true wonder and amazement of nature as it moves, works and flourishes under their noses.
Please, let's not be the last generation that cares. Children are like sponges – give them the opportunity to soak up the amazement and wonder of nature.

- Julie Werthmann

Illinois Mammals: Saturday, September 16th, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Ann Sullivan will present a hands-on program on furbearing animals. Learn
to identify the signs animals leave behind. Furs, scat, tracks, antlers, etc., will be examined and animal behavior will be explored. Singing Bird Nature Center, 15th Street and 45th Avenue, Rock Island. (309) 788-9536.

How to Feed Our Winter Birds: Thursday, October 5th, 7:00 p.m. –
8:00 p.m.
Ornithologist Cliff Stewart will present a program on the feeding of winter birds at Singing Bird Nature. Center

Fungi Program and Walk: Saturday, October 7th, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Join photographer Jim Frink on for an indoor program showing fungi of Black Hawk followed by a walk to observe fungi in the forest. The Black Hawk forest is a Nature Preserve and no plants or fungi can be collected, only viewed and appreciated. Program will be in shown the Singing Bird Nature Center.

Meet the Unhuggables: Friday, October 20th, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Black Hawk State Historic Site will celebrate Halloween with a short walk to meet some of the site's less appreciated residents. Primarily aimed at children and those who are young at heart. Story telling and refreshments are included. The event will be held in and around Singing Bird Nature Center.

Winter Birds at the Feeder: Saturday, November 4th, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Naturalist Bob Motz will provide a free program on winter birds at your feeder by viewing, identifying, and discussing natural history of birds seen from the picture windows at the Singing Bird Nature Center. Identification books will be used, as well as one-page sheets that can be purchased for home viewing. Seed types will be shown and their use for attracting a variety of winter birds will be discussed. Binoculars will be provided for viewing birds during the program. Questions, phone Bob Motz at (309) 788-8389.

Shopping is for the Birds: Friday, November 24th, 9:00a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
We invite you to join us at the Singing Bird Nature Center as an alternative to joining the flocks of people at stores on one the busiest shopping day of the year–the day after Thanksgiving. Site naturalist Chuck Wester will present a program on wild life especially aimed at children. All participants will complete a craft project to take home.

Upcoming Events:

Bald Eagle Days–January 6th and 7th, Valentine Walk–February 14th, programs on the Sauk and Mesquakie in March and April, exotic plant removal in March and April, grand opening of the new fur exhibit in the spring, Lawn and Garden Show–March 23rd-25th, Stroll Thru Springtime–April 28th.

All programs are free and are sponsored by The Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation. For more information, please go to their web site: www.blackhawkpark.org/events.

Dead and dying trees were noticed in early July 2006 at certain forested areas within a mesic and dry-mesic upland forest where the herbicides Garlon 4 and Stalker were used to control a variety of exotic shrubs including winged wahoo, privet, and bush honeysuckle in the spring (May) of 2005 using a basal bark application to the exotic shrubs. In some areas, Garlon 4 was used alone and in other areas Stalker was mixed with the Garlon 4 and basal oil according to label rates. Stalker was used to provide better control of bush honeysuckle.
Garlon 4 alone only provides partial control of bush honeysuckle. No obvious injury to untreated trees within the project areas was noticed until about a year after the herbicide was applied, which was surprising. The herbicide was applied in May 2005 and the damage was noticed in July 2006. It appears the trees have been damaged inadvertently by the herbicide Stalker. There is at least one other known case were the active ingredient in Stalker, imazapyr, resulted in off target tree death about one and a half years after it was used to control unwanted brush in Michigan in winter 1995-96 (The Nature Conservancy's Global Invasive Species Initiative Listserve Digest #037 found at tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/listarch/arch037). Bob Szafoni and I surveyed the damaged areas and surrounding forest. Injured trees were only found in areas where herbicide had been applied. While most of the Waterworks Prairie Tract had been prescribed burned March 1, 2006, injured trees were found both within and outside of the burn unit and always at areas that had been herbicided (as shown by the presence of dead exotic shrubs). Leaf samples of damaged trees were taken to the University of Illinois Plant Clinic. The clinic determined that the samples showed no symptoms of disease or major insect problems and strongly suspects that herbicide moved off target and caused the injury.
I met with the contractor who applied the herbicide on site to review the application method and the apparent off-target damage to trees. Off-target damage to trees occurred in areas 1) where exotic understory shrubs were moderately to extremely dense, and 2) where the herbicide Stalker was used in conjunction with Garlon 4 and basal oil. No off target damage was observed in areas were Garlon 4 mixed in basal oil was used alone. Approximately 170-200 subcanopy and canopy trees had misshapen and/or yellowish leaves, partially dead branches and limbs, or else were completely dead. Approximately 20% of the injured trees (damaged and dead) were dead. Numerous species were injured or killed including black oak, red oak, white oak, sugar maple, bitternut hickory, shagbark hickory, white ash, flowering dogwood, sassafras, and pawpaw. Herbaceous grasses, sedges and wildflowers were green and appeared healthy in the treated areas.
Interestingly, a nearby floodplain forest area where bush honeysuckle was also controlled in August 2005 with Stalker and Garlon 4 mixed with basal oil did not have injured or recently dead trees within the treated areas.
Herbicide was applied as a basal bark treatment, and it is likely that Stalker herbicide splashed back from the treated stems and resulted in off-target injury to nearby trees. This occurred in areas where the exotic shrubs being treated were moderately to very dense and more herbicide was used compared to areas with low density of exotic shrubs. In some areas the exotic shrubs formed an extensive, dense thicket that was difficult to walk through. It is virtually impossible to prevent herbicide from splashing off treated stems in this situation. I spoke with a BASF field representative and discussed the injury with him. He stated that nearby trees can be affected from Stalker activity. He recommended that Stalker should not be applied within locations that are twice the diameter of the drip zone of desirable trees or shrubs. He further stated that he would advise against using it in deciduous woodlands or areas with desirable trees or plants.
There is some thought that using Stalker in the dormant season may be safe and result in little or no off-target injury, in contrast to the above situation where it was applied in spring. I am not inclined to use Stalker in woodlands at any time for the following reasons. In the Michigan case where imapzpyr application killed hundreds of nearby trees, the herbicide was applied in the winter and there was no rainfall the next few days. The active ingredient in Stalker can persist in soil
for over a year. The Stalker labels states that this herbicide is phytotoxic at extremely low concentrations and non-target plants may be adversely affected from drift. Importantly, it also states that untreated plants can be affected by root uptake of Stalker herbicide through movement into the top soil resulting in injury or loss of desirable trees or other plants.
To be safe, I will no longer use Stalker or imazapyr formulations in forests or woodlands. I would appreciate feedback from other natural areas managers, workers or researchers who have used Stalker to control woody plants in woodlands. I can be contacted at: marykay.solecki@illinois.gov, phone number 217-688-2622, or 1 North Street, Sidney, IL 61877.

- Mary Kay Solecki

Fall is the best time to start your bird feeding program according to Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Natural Resources Educator. Birds, small mammals, and other wildlife are actively seeking food sources to fatten up for migration or for winter temperatures if they are year-round residents. By having your feeders up early, there is a better opportunity birds will find the feeder and become accustomed to using it before winter arrives.
Since enjoying the birds is a major objective, you will want to locate the feeder where it can be conveniently viewed – and used. Due to differences in body size, feet and bills, birds not only prefer different seeds, but also different foraging areas. This does not mean that birds will never feed in a different area, but you will increase your chances by catering to their feeding preferences.
Birds such as juncos, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, and mourning doves prefer to forage on the ground for seeds. Frazee notes that you will often observe these birds hopping around the lower branches of shrubs and rustling through leaf litter in search of seeds and berries. A small brush pile, open lean-to or grassy patch provides cover for ground-feeding birds while they eat.
A covered tray feeder raised off the ground on a fence or pole is the most common feeder you see in people's yards. Tray feeders will accommodate most of the ground feeders plus chickadees, nuthatches, and finches. While this type of feeder will attract the widest variety of birds, the seeds are not protected from the weather and can get wet and/or moldy. Frazee cautions that squirrels and large birds, such as grackles and blue jays may also invade a tray feeder.
Hanging feeders may include hopper, silo and tube feeders with perches. Hung from a branch, eaves, or a clothesline, these feeders sway freely in the wind, which doesn't bother birds such as finches, chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches. However, some birds such as sparrows, get a little "sea-sick" and prefer more stability. Frazee encourages filling large hanging feeders with sunflower seeds to attract cardinals and blue jays. Small feeders should be geared more toward finches, chickadees, nuthatches and tufted titmice. Niger seed is very attractive to goldfinches and works well in small-hole tube feeders, which avoid waste.
Woodpeckers and nuthatches are primarily insect eaters. They prefer foods high in protein and fat such as suet and peanut butter that can be dispersed in clinging feeders. Made of hardware cloth, mesh bags, pine cones, coconuts or other "structures" lacking perches, clinging feeders are excellent for dispensing peanuts to smaller birds or suet to insect-eaters.
Lastly, just like persnickety kids, birds have different food preferences. Hands down, black-oil sunflower seeds are the most popular food among a large variety of birds. Juncos and sparrows go wild for white proso millet, goldfinches can't resist niger seed, and chickadees and titmice will delightfully indulge themselves with peanuts. In a nutshell, Frazee concludes that the key to successfully attracting wildlife to your backyard is to add variety.

In the last few weeks we have had a chance to observe where the water goes when it rains. What doesn't seep into the ground runs off over the surface – over fields, lawns, roadways, and parking lots - and drains into systems of underground pipes or roadside ditches.
"The health of our waters is directly connected to how you use your own backyard, streets, and neighborhood," says the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in a March 2006 bulletin. "Anything poured into a gutter or a storm drain, such as trash, used motor oil or antifreeze, is not removed by a treatment process and flows directly to the receiving water." In the countryside, roads and ditches carry pollutants to rivers, streams, and lakes.
Other common substances that contribute to storm water pollution are gas, paint, pesticides, solvents, detergents, excess nutrients, pet waste, and pavement wash offs. Soil particles and sediment carried by runoff affect the quality of water. Yard waste including grass clippings and ashes from burning can be carried away by storm water and pollute water bodies.
Fall is a planting time and plants can help keep pollutants out of rivers, streams, and lakes. Grasses, trees, and shrubs can filter pollutants from the water and create buffers to hold back pollutants. Plants native to the local ecological area give added benefits since they require the use of less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Grassed swales planted with native species can serve as a natural drain that helps water seep into the ground and filters runoff.
In residential areas you can keep pollutants out of storm water by composting yard waste, carefully managing vehicle fluids, properly disposing of hazardous household waste, cleaning up after your pet, sweeping instead of hosing off your driveway, directing downspouts to a vegetated area, and covering trash bins.
Good storm water management at industrial sites includes plantings, diversion of rainfall runoff from potential sources of pollution, discharge of waste to sanitary sewer, reduction of smokestack emissions, prevention of spills and quick response when cleanup is needed.
Soil erosion from construction sites contributes to environmental degradation that clogs fish gills, damages fish habitat, and blocks the light aquatic plants need to survive. Plantings can create filter strips that hold soil and keep it out of street gutters where rainwater washes it into storm drains. As little soil as necessary should be disturbed and the site protected with vegetation. If equipment is maintained on site, the area needs to be treated as if it is an industrial site.
The NRCS has an Urban Manual that addresses the realities of land development activities and the natural resource needs of conservation-minded communities. Your NRCS technical staff can be reached at your County USDA Field office. The manual can be accessed at http://www.gis.uiuc.edu/nrcs/engin/urban.htm.
–Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water
Conservation District (Published in The Journal Standard, Freeport, Illinois.)

Ever wish you had an easy source of outside water that was inexpensive and convenient? Have you ever considered a rain barrel?
Rain barrels are containers that capture water from downspouts. They come in a variety of sizes and are environmentally friendly. Capturing rain water provides home-owners with a free, outside water source, and, in urban settings, keeps that water from entering storm drains which decreases runoff. A common practice for the early settlers living on the prairie, the use of rain barrels has recently re-emerged in the United States.
There are many places on the internet where rain barrels can be purchased, with prices varying greatly. However, if you are looking for an easy winter project, consider making one yourself. Search for rain barrel directions on the internet and you will be greeted with several hundred web sites. Pick the one you like the most and gather your materials.
I was able to make a 55 gallon rain barrel for my home for less than $20. It was fun, easy and has provided an easy source of water for my flowers and garden this summer!

- Jodie Tate, Extension Educator, Natural Resources

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, will speak in Evanston on Wednesday, November 15 in a special engagement sponsored by the Chicago Wilderness consortium and the Chicago Park District. Louv will address the critical links between access to nature and childhood development, including children's educational performance and physical and mental well-being. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv makes the connection between an absence of nature and trends such as attention-deficit disorder, obesity and depression, and addresses the barriers between children and nature and what can be done to remove them. Louv, currently a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune who has also written for the New York Times, The Washington Post and other newspapers and magazines, has been addressing environmental issues in his work since the 1970s and is also the author of The Web of Life and 101 Things You Can Do for Our Children's Future. He will speak at Lutkin Hall on the campus of Northwestern University from 7-8 p.m. on November 15. The event is free but space is limited; reserve your seat by calling 312-580-2137.

The biennial Wild Things Conference comes to town in February 2007 and
will be an exciting opportunity to learn about the latest ecological restoration techniques, meet fellow volunteers for nature, and participate in discussions ranging from advocacy to zoology. The conference will be held at Northeastern University in Chicago, IL. The Wild Things planning committee is currently looking for ideas for presentations and presenters. If you would like to make a presentation at the conference (or would like to suggest a presenter or a particular topic), visit http://habitatproject.org/wildthings/callforpres.html. Please distribute this information to anyone you think might be interested. If you would like to participate or act as a sponsor of this conference, please contact Judy Pollock at chicagowildthings@yahoo.com or 847-965-1150, ext. 15.

Natural boundaries, basic features of Earth such as topography, climate and ecosystems are defeated by mankind on a regular basis. Expanding populations, the yearn for travel and trade across mountain ranges, bodies of water, vast areas void of vegetation may signal the advent of several "new" plant diseases and "invasive" insects yet to be considered "biologically established" on this continent. Now, before panic sets in, consider that we are not talking about continental United States, but China!
Yes, there's been a lot of press coverage concerning the spread of Asian long-horned beetle, European Ash borer, Giant African Snails, and Japanese beetles creating havoc on the flora of the Midwest. But on the flip-side, check out what China has to say about the American White Moth (Hyphantria cunea – Fall webworm) that is eating its way across forests and crops in China, cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) that has the capacity to invade natural grasslands, crayfish (Procambius clarkii), American Pinewood Nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) that has reduced certain species of native pines of China, and American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana). What goes around comes around – be it bug, slug or plug.
If archeologists are correct, the "invasiveness" of a plant (or insect) is more likely a function of time. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) was native to North America seven million years ago.

- Gary Letterly, Extension Educator, Natural Resources

Everyone is invited to attend
the October Master Naturalist Meeting on Tuesday, October 10th, 6:00 p.m. at Singing Bird Nature Center, Black Hawk State Historic Site, Rock Island, IL. Snacks will be supplied!
During the meeting, a series
of new Master Naturalist sub-committees developed by the Master Naturalist Advisory Committee
will be outlined and volunteers
will be asked to participate. The development of sub-committees should allow for more participation within and among Master Naturalists and Advisory Committee Members on a variety of projects. Ideas will be bounced around during the meeting's discussions so that we can create a reasonable number of specific priorities and brainstorm solutions for meeting our collective goals.
During the meeting, volunteers will be requested to form a sub-committee to help plan and organize the monthly Master Naturalist meetings beginning in November. If you are interested in working with this sub-committee, please let Liz Haynes know by October 10th, so that there will be ample time to plan upcoming monthly meetings.
Lastly, the Master Naturalist Advisory Committee will be revising the structure of their committee to include more Master Naturalist volunteers. Though the committee will not be ready to roll-out the new structure at the October 10th meeting, some of the ideas they are contemplating will be discussed.
Hope you can attend! Please contact Liz Haynes at 309-796-0512 or ehaynes@uiuc.edu if you have any questions.

The development of new shopping centers, new houses, new roads and parking lots creates impervious areas. An impervious area is any surface in a watershed that does not allow water to soak into the ground, increasing storm water runoff. The amount of impervious area in a watershed affects the health of the watershed and water quality; and, thus, it can be used to predict the health of our streams. Water quality deteriorates as the amount
of impervious area increases in a watershed. Watersheds with 10 percent or greater amount of impervious area have been shown
to negatively affect stream quality.
Our growing and changing communities can impact our water quality and the health of our streams. As our land use intensifies with development, it will have a direct relationship on our water quality as it reduces the amount of water available for groundwater recharge and affects the base flow (year round flow between storms, maintained by the slow seepage of groundwater out of the soil) of perennial rivers and total groundwater discharge into our rivers. Urban areas with a lot of impervious surfaces rely on storm water drains to carry storm water runoff to streams and rivers resulting in more pollution.
Before we make any decisions about development and land use in a watershed we need to think of the whole watershed, its resources and the needs of its inhabitants. A healthy watershed requires an ongoing level of protection. It is up to us to protect our greatest natural resource, water, for current and future generations.

- Susan Meeker, Extension

Check out www.ebeehoney.com/ Pollination.html, a recently recommended website regarding native bees and their behavior.

On an overcast September 9th, a gathering of famished Master Naturalists assembled at Andress' Prairie Rose Farm with the intent of outdoing each other in a culinary cook-off, naturalist-style. With competitive determination, each chef filled the air with mouth-watering smells of edible delights. All items, main dishes and deserts alike, were cooked in cast iron Dutch ovens. Sweet corn roasted in their husks complemented the meals. Three overly willing judges spent considerable time contemplating the merits of each recipe, awarding points and choosing winners in each category. In the end, everyone who participated departed with a prize, along with full bellies and the desire for a leisurely nap.

Imagine if you could attract chipmunks and weasels, turtles and lizards, towhees and wrens all with one simple structure that fits in the corner of your yard. You can! It's called a wildlife brush shelter and you probably already have the materials necessary to build one.
Placing a wildlife brush shelter on your property can add an interesting and important element to your backyard habitat, attracting a wide variety of wildlife that may have been missing. Providing dense, heavy and secure shelter close to the ground can attract many animals that may not feel comfortable in even the most colorful butterfly garden or thoroughly landscaped yard.
The variety of wildlife you may see using your brush shelter over the years is long and impressive. Flycatchers and dragonflies perch on the tips of branches "hawking" for flying insects while salamanders and shrews hide under logs at the base. Lizards and butterflies sun themselves on the surface at the same time that rabbits, turtles, juncos and sparrows use the tangled branches for temporary shelter. Toads, mice and ground beetles will come and go as will the skunks, snakes and quail that feed on them. Woodpeckers will pick insects out of the more decayed wood while foxes set up dens underneath.
Building a wildlife brush shelter is quick, easy, involves little to no cost and is lots of fun. The concept is simple: build a sturdy structure out of logs and branches that provides shelter while still allowing enough spaces for animals to move around. Your goal is to provide a topography of nooks and crannies, a fortress of crevices and interlocking branches to provide hiding places for dozens of animal species.
Start by building a strong base with large logs, six to ten feet long and four to six inches in diameter. Stack and criss-cross them in a manner that's sturdy and provides a variety of runways and spaces. (Imagine an animal the size of a rabbit being able to navigate through your structure). After using half a dozen or more logs to build a sturdy base simply start adding large branches criss-crossed in a slightly tighter mesh than the logs. Continue adding more branches of a gradually smaller diameter and a denser, more compact weave. Your end product will be an dome-like structure. The dimensions of an average brush shelter are approximately ten feet across and five feet high. However, if you're dealing with limited space a shelter half that size made with smaller brush will still attract a variety of critters. Someone with a larger property may want several shelters twice that size.
Your wildlife brush shelter is now ready for occupancy for a myriad of local wildlife. Time to sit back and enjoy the parade of color, life and interesting behavior that wildlife often provide. With this simple addition you've helped complete the local food web bringing a more complete natural cycle to your backyard habitat!
Tips for creating brush shelters

• Some communities do not allow brush shelters, and some neighbors might not understand their value. Check you local codes and notify your neighbors if the brush pile will be highly visible.
• Place your shelter on the edge between two habitats - these "ecotones" house the most wildlife.
• Make sure at least half of your shelter receives direct sunlight - many animals love to bask.
• Use stone piles in your shelter as part of the base to create hiding places and along the edges to serve as basking sites.
• Plant native flowering/fruiting vines to sprawl over the shelter to attract hummingbirds and songbirds.
• Weave evergreen branches into the roof of your shelter in the Winter to provide cover from snow/ice storms.
• Add old pipes to your shelter's base to serve as tunnels for rodents, reptiles and amphibians.

Article courtesy of National Wildlife Federation. For more information, go to http://www.nwf.org/backyard/logpile.cfm.

- Kevin Munroe, Reston Association

The registration deadline for the 2nd annual National Master Naturalist Conference has been extended to October 15th, 2006. If you are involved in coordinating, administering, or developing a program in natural resource conservation, education, and outreach, you won't want to miss this dynamic conference. Session topics creating, maintaining, and working effectively in partnerships at the state and local level; group dynamics and conflict resolution, volunteer training and retention; program marketing and evaluation. Keynote speakers will address topics such as local volunteer education programs and natural resources; organizational change and planning for the future; and environmental education for youth. Interactive workshops will be held on conflict resolution, team building, adult learning, and increasing diversity in your program. And, the Program Marketplace will provide a relaxed atmosphere in which to exchange ideas and learn more from a wide variety of natural resource programs from across the United States.
The conference will also unveil the formation of an exciting new national organization, the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs (ANROSP), a network of science-based, community-level environmental outreach and stewardship programs. The Alliance is a nexus for resource and information exchange, to implement and enhance citizen-science conservation programs across the nation.
Additional conference information, including registration form, schedule, off-site sessions, travel and lodging can be obtained on the conference website at http://extension.missouri.edu/masternaturalist/nationalconference .
For more details about the conference or the Alliance,
contact Dr. Celeste Mazzacano, Project Coordinator, at cmazzacano@gmail.com or
573-239-4267.

In 2001, the U.S. Congress created the State Wildlife Grants Program and charged states with developing proactive Wildlife Action Plans to conserve wildlife before they become more rare and more costly to protect. The Illinois Wildlife Action Plan outlines specific actions developed by scientists, sportsmen, conservationists and members of the community working together. Please go to the following website to learn more: http://dnr.state.il.us/news.html

There are many simple things you can do in your daily life – what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home – that can have an effect on your immediate surrounding, and on places as far away as Antarctica. For a list of things that you can do, visit www.stopglobalwarming.org. More information on solutions and links to other informative websites can be found at www.nwf.org/globalwarming.

URBANA – If you're baffled by the myriad of environmental regulations that pertain to agricultural and horticultural operations, help is only a mouse-click away. EZregs, a new website hosted by University of Illinois Extension, can help farm producers, green industry professionals, land use planners and others make sense of environmental regulations in Illinois.
The website can be found at: www.ezregs.uiuc.edu.
"EZregs makes it easier to find and understand the regulations that affect the day-to-day operations of farm producers and other ag and horticultural professionals," said Ted Funk, U of I Extension specialist in agricultural and biological engineering. Funk is one of the co-authors of the website, along with Randy Fonner, Scott Bretthauer and Bruce Paulsrud, all Extension specialists at the U of I.
The EZregs website has a database of 13 sets of regulations, including IEPA Livestock Regulations (Parts 501, 506, 560, 570, & 580), the Livestock Management Facility Act (Section 900), the Illinois Construction Site Stormwater Permit, the Illinois Pesticide Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Historic Resources Preservation Act.
Currently, users of the website can access sections on four different operation types--Livestock Production, Food Crop Production, Ornamental Horticulture Production and Landscape Maintenance. Within these sections, users will find regulations on pesticides and worker safety.
After choosing an operation type, users can scroll through a list of frequently asked questions about that operation. Clicking on any question will pull up all the different regulations pertaining to that question.
As an example, all livestock producers deal with the issue of waste management for their facility. If a producer clicks on the question, "How do I know whether I need a waste management plan for my facility under the LMFA?", sections from the Livestock Management Facilities Act and Rules will explain the purpose, scope and applicability of a waste management plan.
Often the scope of a question will encompass more than one set of regulations, said Funk. "For instance, if a producer wants to build a lagoon, the question 'What are the design standards for a lagoon?' will pull up not only IEPA Livestock Regulations, but also applicable regulations from the Illinois Construction Site Stormwater Permit, the Historic Resources Preservation Act and the Endangered Species Act."
Many of the regulations are followed by an "interpretation block," said Funk. "In other words, we put the information in layman's terms. Here's what this really means, and here's how you are affected."
There is also a glossary section following many of the regulations, with terms of interest that the users might want to refer to, said Funk.
Regular visitors to the website can create an EZregs account for different agricultural or horticultural operations. Users may save the questions that apply to their operation, and this information will be "remembered" each time the user logs in.
The site will be updated on a regular basis, said Funk, and future plans include the addition of the Illinois Noxious Weed Law and the Illinois Drainage Law to the regulations database.
"I think this is one of those web sites that people are going to bookmark as a favorite and return to often," Funk concluded. "There are just too many details in the regulations for anyone to commit to memory; and those are details that can make or break an operation."
The funding for this project was provided by the Illinois Pork Producers Association (through the Pork Checkoff program) and US EPA Region 5.

When we receive a rain, a lot of it falls on surfaces that can't soak up water. Instead of allowing all of this water to uselessly drain away, one can create a place that will allow the water to drain back into the ground, away from the house. This is the idea behind a rain garden.
A typical rain garden is an area that is 4 to 8 inches deep, with a flat bottom. The size of the garden for most yards would need to be around 75 to 300 square feet in size. A berm is built on the down slope end and sides to help keep water from running out of the garden. Rain gardens are designed to drain within an average of two days, so mosquito concerns should not be a problem.
There are many native wildflowers that will work well in a rain garden. Native perennials do not need fertilizers and pesticides to thrive. It is usually best to start the garden with plugs instead of seeds.
If designed properly, the garden can enhance the beauty of yards and neighborhoods, along with providing habitat for birds and butterflies.
For more information on rain gardens, visit the following web sites:
http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/pdf/home.gardens.pdf
http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/spring2001/raingardens.html.

- Duane Friend, Extension Educator, Natural Resources

Biodiversity describes the variety of life on earth and the complex relationships between all living things and their environment. Many factors threaten global biodiversity, including habitat loss and degradation, invasive exotic species, pollution, overpopulation and excess consumption of natural resources. People depend on the earth's biodiversity each and everyday, as it provides us with food, water, air, fiber, fuel and medicine. Therefore, the actions and lifestyle decisions you make each day impact biodiversity. Here are a few things you can do to protect biodiversity:

• Avoid products made from endangered or threatened species
• Choose durable products over disposables
• Buy organic products
• Purchase locally grown produce that is "in season"
• Choose products with little or no packaging
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Compost grass clippings, leaves and food scraps
• Avoid planting invasive exotic species-remove them if established
• Incorporate native plants into your planting areas
• Create a rain garden to capture pollutants and storm water
• Keep pets indoors, in an outdoor kennel, or on a leash
• Use biodegradable cleaning products
• Conserve water and check home for leaks
• Purchase energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs
• Use and/or support renewable energy

Volunteer in your local community – plant a tree or pick up litter.
By understanding how the choices you make in your everyday life impact biodiversity, you can help protect life on earth.

- Liz Haynes, Extension Educator, Natural Resources

Encouraged by the success of the first piloted Master Naturalist program in Rock Island in 2005, several partners in east central Illinois decided to develop their own local program. After months of work, they are now proud to unveil the "East Central Illinois Master Naturalist Program", with classes that began this September. This program is designed to educate and train a corps of volunteers to provide support in the conservation, management, and interpretation of our natural resources and is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension Champaign County, the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, and the Urbana Park District along with staff and volunteers from these and other community organizations. The geographic area that covers this program includes the following counties: Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Lawrence, Livingston, McLean, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Shelby, and Vermillion counties. The program will include a combination of classroom instruction and field demonstrations that will present a variety of topics including: archaeology, botany, entomology, forests, geology, grasslands, interpreting nature, ornithology, mammalogy, and wetlands.
Interested in developing a local Master Naturalist program in your neighborhood? Many of you have said "YES". An ad-hoc steering committee is currently being organized to develop the organization structure and provide input towards the development of a Master Naturalist state-wide program. There are currently 10+ counties in Illinois that are interested in starting a Master Naturalist program and we are waiting for the recommendations from this committee before moving forward. In addition, Rock Island and the East Central Illinois programs will be asked for guidance on how to replicate this model program to other areas across the state.

As the 'ole saying goes, "What goes up, must come down" - and leaves are no exception. With the advent of the cooler autumn temperatures, many trees begin to display a magnificent display of color. However, even the prettiest colored leaves will eventually fall to the ground, although some trees, such as the oaks, will wait until late winter for leaf drop to occur. But leaf disposal should not present a serious problem for the homeowner, reports Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Natural Resources Educator, because there are a variety of uses for them.
How many leaves might a typical homeowner have to rake this fall? Well, Frazee reports that an ordinary, mature tree may have as many as a quarter of a million leaves on its branches. So, if you live on a one-half acre lot and have ten mature trees...well, try not to think about it!
Leaves make an excellent mulch beneath trees, shrubs and other landscape plantings. As compared to fresh green grass clippings, Frazee suggests that tree leaves that drop in the fall are relatively dry and can be used as mulch with little or no odor problems. Leaves collected in the fall with a lawn mower bagger will contain some grass clippings. Frazee reports that this mixture of leaves and grass can also be used as a mulch without odor problems.
Leaves are also an excellent source material for compost. The microorganisms found on leaves are sufficient to start the composting process. When placed in a compost pile in the presence of adequate moisture, leaves will decompose into an excellent organic soil amendment that can be used as a soil conditioner.
According to research studies, leaves from different tree species will decompose at different rates, but the product is the same. Leathery leaves such as oak leaves contain more lignin and other woody substances and therefore take longer to decompose than fine-textured leaves. Leaf decomposition can be accelerated by increasing the surface area by mowing the leaves while they are being collected or shredding them after collection.
Another tip from Frazee is that leaves collected in a lawn mower bag will contain some grass clippings. Since they contain more nitrogen than the leaves, they will help to increase the rate of decomposition. Additional nitrogen will also speed the rate of composting.
Dry leaves will require moisture for composting. In early autumn, leaves will have a moisture content of 30-40%. Late season leaves will have less than 20% moisture. Leaf composting proceeds best with 40-60% moisture. It is a good idea to use a garden hose to wet leaves that are to be composted. Since fresh grass clippings contain 60-70% moisture, they can be mixed with leaves to provide moisture. If the compost pile begins to smell, it is
an indication that it is too wet.
Oxygen is needed for aerobic decomposition to occur. Frazee cautions that if the oxygen supply is too low, anaerobic decomposition will occur and the compost pile will begin to smell. This problem can be corrected by turning the pile to add more air.
As leaves decay, they produce heat. The heat of an active compost pile will peak at 140 - 150 degrees Fahrenheit (F). When the temperature of the compost pile begins to decrease it is time to turn the pile. Ideally, the turning process should be repeated three to four times to get finished compost. Once the leaves turn into leaf compost, Frazee recommends that it be used as a soil conditioner to improve the tilth and fertility level of soils in the yard and garden.

After years of searching for signs of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in Illinois, a population of the invasive bug was discovered by a homeowner in Lily Lake in Kane County in mid June. The emerald ash borer is a small beetle - about a half-inch long and an eighth-inch wide - that is devastating to ash trees, killing more than 15 million ash trees since it was first discovered in the Detroit metropolitan area in 2002. It has spread to Ohio, Indiana, Ontario (Canada) and now to northeast Illinois. It is believed the beetle was introduced in the Detroit area on solid wood packing material carried in cargo from Asia, where the beetle is a native species.
Earlier this month, Governor Blagojevich announced a plan of action to help control the emerald ash borer in Illinois. The plan utilizes a portion of the $7.6 million commitment from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), earmarked for Illinois and Wisconsin to fight the infestation. The funds will be utilized on EAB surveys, tree removals, and conduct outreach and education at the direction of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). The Governor also created a management and science advisory team charged with providing advice to the IDOA on these subjects and consists of IDOA, IDNR, USDA Ð Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA Ð Forest Service, University of Illinois and Morton Arboretum.
In an attempt to prevent the spread of the beetle from infected areas, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana have implemented quarantines, restricting the movement of ash wood from all of the infected counties in each state.
Illinois has established an emergency rule that bans the importation of firewood from quarantined areas by utilizing a list of zip codes associated with these locations. Campground hosts and those who issue camping permits can cross-check zip codes on camping permits with the zip code list. If firewood is found to have come from a quarantined area, all of the wood will be burned immediately.
Foresters believe the damage emerald ash borer will cause will rival that of the Dutch elm disease and the chestnut blight - diseases which all but wiped out the American elm and American chestnut in the United States. These diseases were also caused by the introduction of exotic invasive species.
The emerald ash borer larvae kill ash trees by feeding on the inner bark that transports water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. The feeding larvae ultimately girdle the tree and branches, causing the death of those trees in one to three years. The adult insect causes little damage.
After reading news reports earlier this spring on emerald ash borer, a Kane County landowner contacted officials upon seeing ash trees dying nearby. Illinois Department of Agriculture inspectors quickly sampled and confirmed the infestation as emerald ash borer on June 13.
Officials immediately began a check of other trees in the area with the assistance of partners including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Forest Resources staff and United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (USDA - APHIS) to determine the spread of the population of emerald ash borer beetles. The site appears to be restricted to two clusters of 19 ash trees.
A second EAB case was detected one month later by a Wilmette resident who alerted the village forestry staff. Village officials examined a suspect tree, immediately contacted the USDA, and the infestation was confirmed. A more extensive survey at the site is currently underway to determine the full extent of the infestation.
Federal and state agriculture officials are considering staffing a command center this summer to search for other signs of emerald ash borer and make sure residents comply with restrictions on moving ash wood into or out of the area. Experienced trainers from Michigan will demonstrate techniques for peeling bark on ash trees that show signs of infestation. Signs include dead leaves and D-shaped holes on the sides of trees where insects have emerged. Visual inspections are not foolproof in finding emerald ash borer infestations. The beetles' larvae can remain hidden under bark for up to two years before the insects emerge, creating the D-shaped hole in the side of trees. Foliar applications of a pesticide are being made to infested trees in order to kill the beetle on site. These trees will be removed after adult beetle emergence sometime in August and the wood will be burned.
IDNR is participating in an expansion of the search for the emerald ash borer through so-called "trap tree" monitoring at state parks, fish and wildlife areas, and recreation areas throughout northern and central Illinois. IDNR is also monitoring the transport and use of firewood at state site campgrounds. The effort includes restricting campers and other visitors from bringing firewood from areas where the emerald ash borer has been found, working with IDNR firewood vendors to make sure firewood used in state campgrounds does not come from affected areas, and suggesting that firewood brought to state campgrounds be used at the site and not removed.
There are plans to create an online resource to help the public accurately identify the emerald ash borer. An emerald ash borer hot line hosted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture is also available by calling 1-800-641-3934.
We hope you will join us in being on the lookout for this dangerous pest.

- Sam Flood, Acting Director, Illinois Department of Natural Resources

The Illinois Resource Management Mapping Service Web Site (RMMS) that allows people to create maps of any area in Illinois in a matter of minutes over the Internet has been updated to include soil data from 84 counties.
The following counties do not have soil data available yet:
Clark, Clay, Cook, Effingham, Fayette, Hamilton, Kendall, LaSalle, Logan, Macon, Montgomery, Richland, Stevenson, Vermilion, Wabash, White, Williamson, Woodford.
The RMMS mapping tool is designed to provide communities and natural resource professionals with the ability to map their natural resources using information available on the Internet. The RMMS is located at: http://agec31.agecon.uiuc.edu/website/rmms/.
Agency staff can use the RMMS web site to view natural resources, farmers can use the site to view individual fields, and city planners can use the site to review town boundaries and plan future growth. Users can quickly locate, create, print, save, and email maps of large and small areas within Illinois in a few minutes. Numerous map layers from demographic data to resource data may be added to the base map to give a better idea of a specific location's resources and other important attributes. After the base map is selected you can choose resource layers (lakes, river, watershed), administrative layers (townships, legislative, IDNR districts), and economic layers (highways, county roads, railroads). The map engine allows people to buffer points, buffer critical areas, view aerial photographs and tabulate acreages on data features. Users can create maps within watershed, farms, and fields.
If you have any questions about the RMMS map engine, please call Susan Meeker at 309-694-7501, ext. 225, or email smeeker@uiuc.edu.

"Climb the mountains, and get their good tiding. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

- John Muir