Upcoming CSI Events
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CONTACT US: kevinmurphy1532@mac.com
ON-GOING PROGRAMS
Chicago Conservation Corps (C3)
Fall 2011 Environmental Leadership Training Series
The Chicago Conservation Corps is now recruiting for its Fall 2011 Environmental Leadership Training Series. During the training, you'll learn from community and environmental leaders about urban environmental challenges and opportunities for change; then you'll lead an environmental service project in your community with C3 support and resources. Attend one of the orientations listed below to learn more. Please note that times are subject to change.
October 1 · 11:00am – 12:00pm
Chicago Center for Green Technology
445 N Sacramento Blvd, Chicago, IL 60649
October 3 · 12:00pm – 1:00pm
City Hall, 121 N La Salle St, 11th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602
October 4 · 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Washington Park Fieldhouse
5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr, Chicago, IL 60637
To apply for the C3 Leadership Training Series, you must be a City of Chicago resident and attend one orientation. The Fall 2011 training will be held at the Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd, on Saturdays from 9:30am. – 1:30pm on October 15, 22, 29 and November 5. A mandatory field trip will take place from 8:30am – 3:00pm on November 12th. Attend an orientation in early October to learn more. To sign up for an orientation or for more information, visit www.conservationcorps.org or contact C3 at (312) 743-9283 or conservation@cityofchicago.org. A $75 fee covers course participation and project support. Financial assistance is available upon request.
(Chicago Department of Environment)
September 10, October 8, November 12, December 10
9:00am – 12:00pm
Dan Ryan Woods Stewardship Workday
Help us remove invasive invasive plants, collect seeds, and clean up the preserve so native flora and fauna can thrive. Tools and gloves provided. Meet at the parking lot on the north side of 87th St. two blocks east of S. Western Ave. For more information and to RSVP please contact Benjamin Cox at (773) 398-1178 or benjamin@fotfp.org.
(Friends of Dan Ryan Woods, Friends of the Forest Preserves and Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
September 10, October 8, November 12, December 10
10:00am – 1:00pm
Eggers Woods Stewardship Workday
Help us clear invasive brush from the site’s savanna and woodland. Tools and gloves provided. Meet near the caretaker’s house at Eggers Grove (East 112th Street and Ave. E). For more information and to RSVP contact John Pastirik at (773) 991-0613.
(Calumet Ecological Park Association and Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
September 17, October 15, November 29, December 17
9:00am – 12:00pm
Powderhorn Prairie Stewardship Workday
Help us clear invasive brush from this beautiful prairie and savanna. Tools and gloves provided. Meet in the Powderhorn Lake parking lot on the east side of Brainard Ave. just south of Burnham Ave. For more information and to RSVP contact Alice Brandon at (312) 356-9990 or alice@fotfp.org.
(Friends of the Forest Preserves and Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
September 24, October 22, November 26
10:00am – 1:00pm
Kickapoo Prairie Stewardship Workday
Help us clear invasive brush from this beautiful prairie. Tools and gloves provided. Park in the Thorton Township Municipal Building (Halsted and 144th St.) and meet at the entrance to the prairie site that is directly west and across the street from the parking lot. For more information and to RSVP please contact Eileen Klees at (773) 238-4221 or eklees@wowway.com.
(Friends of the Forest Preserves and Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
October 1, November 5, December 3 • 9:00am – 12:00pm
Beaubien Woods Ecological Stewardship Volunteer Workday
Come learn about this natural area and clear invasive species from the preserve.
Your help goes a long way in helping to beautify the site. Tools, gloves and snacks provided. Meet at the preserve’s only picnic shelter adjacent to Flatfoot Lake (take the Bishop Ford [I-94] to the Beaubien Woods Exit #69 just south of 130th St. If coming from the south, exit at 130th street and loop back onto the expressway so that you can get off at the Beaubien Woods Exit). For more information and to RSVP, contact Laura Milkert at
(312) 665-7444 or lmilkert@fieldmuseum.org.
(The Field Museum & the Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
October 1
Environmental Education Volunteer Training
Would you like to gain experience working with high school students? Expand your knowledge in the field? Help support ecological stewardship workdays with students? We are looking for volunteers to participate in a pilot 3-hour workshop this fall, and to commit to participating in several workdays throughout the school year. We will train volunteers on how to support a student ecological restoration workday with the Calumet Is My Backyard, CIMBY, program. For more information, contact Laura Milkert at (312) 665-7444 or lmilkert@fieldmuseum.org.
(The Field Museum & BOLD Chicago Institute)
SEPTEMBER 2011
September 10 · 8:30am – 3:30pm
Shirley Heinze Land Trust 30th Anniversary Tour of Natural Areas
Bus departs from the Porter County Visitor’s Center 1215 N. State Rd. 49 Porter, IN.
Open to all
Join board members, supporters and staff as we tour various habitat types owned and managed by Shirley Heinze Land Trust in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties of Indiana. The majority of the tour will take place from the comfort of a charter bus with a few stops at Shirley Heinze preserves where you will be met by restoration staff to take a short hiking tour of the preserve and learn about the dynamics of the natural areas. We will stop at Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve for a provided lunch. A $25 fee is required to participate in the tour. For more information please call (219) 879-4725.
(Shirley Heinze Land Trust)
September 10 · 10:00am
Kankakee Sands presented by Marianne Hahn
Gibson Woods Nature Preserve's Nature Center
6201 Parrish Ave, Hammond, IN
Open to all
RSVP is appreciated for this free program (219) 844-3188
(Gibson Woods Wild Ones)
September 10 · 10:00am – 2:00pm
Chicago Sustainable Backyard Program Tree Sale and Workshop
William W. Powers State Recreation Area/Wolf Lake
12949 Ave. O, Chicago, IL
Open to all
Join the Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) and its partners for a day of educational workshops and discounted tree sales on Wolf Lake. As part of the Sustainable Backyard Program, DOE and Possibility Place Nursery will be selling trees at a 50% discount for Chicago residents. Trees help beautify our city, clean our air and water, provide habitat for our native wildlife, improve our property values, and can even help us save money on our energy bills. Join us to learn more about the benefits of trees and how to plant and care for them at home. For more information contact Dan at (312) 742-7865 or daniel.swick@cityofchicago.org.
(Chicago Department of Environment & CSI Partners)
September 11 · 3:00pm – 5:00pm
10th Anniversary of 9/11 Memorial Tree Planting
Burnham Greenway
108th St. & Ave. D, Chicago, IL
Come join John Pastirik for a memorial planting of trees. White Oak, the state tree of Illinois, and a Sugar Maple, the state tree of New York, will be planted. A cook-out will follow. Bring a lawn chair. Call John (773) 991-0613 or Judy at (773) 646-4773 for more information.
(Calumet Ecological Park Association and Trees R Beautiful)
September 14 · 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Chicago Southland Green Drinks
Fifth Quarter Tap
18105 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL
Open to all
Join other volunteers, community members and environmental professionals for this evening of socializing, networking and education. The evening wil begin with an optional networking activity followed by a special gust speaker and then open social time. For questions please contact ehasle@fieldmuseum.org.
(The Field Museum)
September 16
Deadline for entering The Wolf Lake Watershed Meets Daniel Burnham poster contest at the 8th Annual Active Living Fair
Winners honored at 10:00am Saturday, October 1 at Environmental Education Center, 2405 Calumet Avenue, Hammond, IN. Guided nature walk will follow with healthy lunch provided. Open to students attending Wolf Lake area schools and youth organizations, poster contest ask participants to depict how the Wolf Lake Watershed is in keeping with the Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan. Monetary prizes will be awarded to winners. Deadline for submitting entries is Friday, September 23. Winning entries will be exhibited at AWLI’s Informational Kiosk at the Calumet Environmental Center.
Contact AWLI at (312) 220-0120 or (219) 933-7149 for more information or email: AWLI@sbcglobal.net.
(Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Lake County Solid Waste, Management District, & Healthy Southeast Chicago)
September 17 ·10:00am – 3:00pm
Archeology Day
Sand Ridge Nature Center
15891 Paxton Ave. South Holland, IL
Open to all
Gain a better understanding of Native American culture by chatting with local archeologists who will be sharing their extensive collections and knowledge, storytelling, games, and guided hikes.
(Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
September 23 ·7:30pm
The Astronomer’s Night Sky
Sand Ridge Nature Center
15891 Paxton Ave. South Holland, IL
Open to all
Come out and learn about what’s visible in our early fall night sky. View planets and/or deep sky objects through a telescope, weather permitting. Register by September 21 by calling (708) 868-0606.
(Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
September 24 · 9:00am – 12:00pm
National Public Lands Day
Whistler Woods Forest Preserves (134th & Halsted)
Open to all
Join with friends and neighbors across the country in celebration of National Public Lands Day by participating in a clean up at Whistler Woods. Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. Please do not wear sandals or flip flops. Dress appropriately for the weather. Event is free and all ages are invited to participate. Call (312) 857-2757 for more information.
(Chicago Wilderness, Calumet Is My Back Yard, Friends of the Parks, Southeast Environmental Task Force & the Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
September 24 · 9:00am – 12:00pm
National Public Lands Day - Seed Collection at Hegewisch Marsh
13250 S. Torrence Ave., Chicago, IL
Open to all
Join us and help with vital wetland restoration by collecting seeds at Hegewisch Marsh which is in its 5th year of restoration work. Volunteers will collect native seeds from prairie plants and learn about restoration at the site. Instruction on plant ID and seed collection will be provided. Materials will be provided. Please wear long sleeve shirts, jeans or old pants, work shoes, and bring a refillable water bottle. Call Jerry Attere at (312) 744-9136 to RSVP.
(Chicago Department of Environment)
September 24 · 10:00am – 12:00pm
Stockwell Woods Hike
Stockwell Woods in Long Beach, IN
Open to all
The hike will be through one of Save the Dunes’ nature preserves that was recently restored. We will discuss the restoration work, invasive species control approach, and the forested foredune-black oak savanna habitat. Refreshments will be served after the hike. Please RSVP and/or send questions to Samantha Erdelac at sam@savedunes.org or call (219) 879-3937.
(Save The Dunes)
September 24 · 10:00am – 12:30pm
Asters and Goldenrods Identification Class
Sand Ridge Nature Center
15891 Paxton Ave. South Holland, IL
Registration Required
Fall is graced by a bouquet of late-blooming asters and goldenrods. Yet these plants can be challenging to identify even for the seasoned botanist. Join us for an in-depth look at the asters and goldenrods of the Chicago Region as we explore the subtle differences within these species groups. Please contact Becky Schillo at rschillo@fieldmusuem.org or (312) 665-7420 to register by September 16th.
(The Field Museum)
October 2011
October 1 · 9:30am – 1:30pm
Annual Donor Hike and State Dedication of new additions to Ambler Flatwoods Nature Preserve
Open to all
At 350 acres Ambler Flatwoods is Shirley Heinze’s largest and perhaps richest nature preserve. In the past 2 years several new acquisitions have added 150 acres to this unique natural area. A ceremony to recognize the new parcels as state dedicated nature preserves will kick off the event followed by a guided tour of the new parcels. Afterword’s we will gather for a provided luncheon and presentation. For more information please call (219) 879-4725
(Shirley Heinze Land Trust)
October 1 · 9:00am – 4:00pm
8th Annual Active Living Fair
Shelter #1, William Powers Conservation Area, Chicago, IL
Wolf Lake Park/Environmental Education Center, Hammond, IN
Open to all
Events include Birding/Nature Walks, Farmers Market, Bi-State Wolf 8 Health Walk-a-thons, Health Screenings, Nutrition Presentation, Tai Chi, Bike and Vehicular tours of Wolf Lake, and Student Poster Contest winners. Contact AWLI at (312) 220-0120 or (219) 933-7149 for more information or email: AWLI@sbcglobal.net.
(Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Lake County Solid Waste, Management District, & Healthy Southeast Chicago)
October 1
Let Sleeping Logs Lie presented by Helen Gonzales
Gibson Woods Nature Preserve's Nature Center
6201 Parrish Ave, Hammond, IN
Open to the public
Donna Gonzalez will present a program to encourage you to have native plants in your yard and garden to attract the birds we will see in autumn and winter. Don't tidy up your garden too much. Birds need the fruit, berries, nuts, seed heads, and insects to fuel them for their flight south, or to keep them well fed through winter. Then, in the spring, birds use plant material for their nests and need to find insects to raise their young.
RSVP is appreciated for this free program (219) 844-3188.
(Gibson Woods Wild Ones)
October 8 · 9:00am
Live Healthy-Discover Nature Fall Bike Ride
Location TBA
Open to all
Bring your bike and join a naturalist for a leisurely-paced ride on the paved forest preserve trail near Sand Ridge Nature Center. Please bring helmet. Please register by October 6 by calling (708) 868-0606.
(Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
October 8 · 10:00am – 3:00pm
Volunteer Workday - Seed Collection
Cressmoor Prairie, Hobart, IN
Open to all
At only 42 acres Cressmoor Prairie in Hobart, IN. is the largest remnant black soil prairie in Indiana and is home to just under 300 species of plants. Recently a new 4 acre addition has been added and restoration is underway. Stewardship staff have already cleared all the invasive shrubs from the site and now we need your help to collect seed from the high quality portions of the prairie so they can be sown in the restoration site this winter. Lunch will be provided, please RSVP volunteer@heinzetrust.org if you wish to attend and for directions to site.
(Shirley Heinze Land Trust)
October 8 · 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Clean-up of Burnham Greenway
Eggers Grove Forest Preserve Parking Lot
112th St. & Ave. E, Chicago, IL
Join us for a clean-up of the Burnham Greenway along Eggers Grove Forest Preserve. Wear sturdy shoes, long pants, and dress for the weather. For information call John at (773) 991-0613 or Judy at (7737) 646-4773.
(Calumet Ecological Park Association)
October 15 · 10:00am – 3:00pm
Native Seed Collecting
Eleven Acre Prairie in Hobart, IN
Open to all
We will be collecting native prairie seed, which will be later grown in Save the Dunes greenhouse to be planted back at Eleven Acre Prairie next year as part of the restoration work that is currently occurring at the site. This is a great opportunity to learn about native prairie species and habitat restoration. Please RSVP and/or send questions on the event to Samantha Erdelac at sam@savedunes.org.
(Save the Dunes)
October 16 · 9:00am
Bike the Calumet
Start location: Harborside International Golf Course
(northwest corner of parking lot)
11100 S. Doty Ave. East (111th & I-94 Bishop Ford X-Way)
Discover the mysteries of the Calumet. See Chicago's "second lake" and other major river, marshes, migratory birds, legal and illegal landfills; featuring the nearly 600 acres Park District property, and a world class golf course built atop a garbage dump. Register online at: www.setaskforce.blogspot.com or between 9 a.m. and 9:30. Donation request: $10 adults / $5 under 16 (light lunch & beverages included).
(Southeast Environmental Task Force, Friends of the Parks & Lake Calumet Vision Committee)
October 22 · 8:30am – 5:00pm
Calumet Heritage Conference
Blue Island Education Center/Moraine Valley Community College
12940 Western Ave, Blue Island, IL
Open to all ($10 for conference; TBD for afternoon canoe trip)
The City of Blue Island hosts this year's annual Calumet Heritage conference. Robert Lewis, author of the recently published "Chicago Made: Factory Networks in the Industrial Metropolis," will be the keynote speaker and begin the morning's focus on the heritage of industrial satellite cities like Blue Island. After lunch (on your own in downtown Blue Island), participants have a choice of two field trips: a walking tour of historic uptown Blue Island, or a canoe trip on the Little Calumet River and Calumet-Sag Channel highlighting historical bridges, industrial archeology sites, current restoration efforts and future plans. Watch the Calumet Heritage Partnership's website at www.calumetheritage.org, or call Michael Siola at (773) 995 2964, for more information.
(Calumet Heritage Partnership)
October 22 · 9:00am – 12:00pm
Make a Difference Day – Invasive Plant Removal
Hegewisch Marsh, 13250 S. Torrence Ave., Chicago, IL
Open to all
Join us and learn how to identify and safely cut down and remove the non-native invasive plant and help keep the site clean from illegally dumped trash. Interested volunteers are urged to assist us in this important work effort. Please wear long sleeve shirts, jeans or old pants, and work shoes. Cutting materials, gloves and trash bags will be provided. Dress for the weather and bring a refillable water bottle. Call Jerry Attere at (312) 744-9136 to RSVP.
(Chicago Department of Environment)
October 29 · 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fall Colors Bike Tour
Eggers Grove Forest Preserve Parking Lot
112th St. & Ave. E, Chicago, IL
Enjoy a leisurely bike ride on the Burnham Greenway and the Wolf Lake area. Meet at the caretaker’s house. Please RSVP to John Pastirik at (773) 991-0613 or Judy at (773) 646-4773.
(Calumet Ecological Park Association)
November 2011
November 3 · 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Chicago Southland Green Drinks
Location TBA
Open to all
Join other volunteers, community members and environmental professionals for this evening of socializing, networking and education. The evening will begin with an optional networking activity followed by a special gust speaker and then open social time. For questions please contact ehasle@fieldmuseum.org.
(The Field Museum)
November 4 · Time TBD
Abbott Hall of Conservation Restoring Earth at The Field Museum
Opening to all
The Field Museum’s newest permanent exhibition immerses visitors in adventure, discovery, and beauty as it tells the story of what conservation is and why preserving biodiversity is important. Restoring Earth follows Museum scientists as they promote conservation from South America, to the Pacific coral reefs, and showcases conservation action right here in the Chicago region using large-scale photographs, videos, and fun, hands-on learning tools. For more information, visit: http://fieldmuseum.org/happening/exhibits/abbott-hall-conservation-restoring-earth
(The Field Museum)
November 5 · 10:00am – 3:00pm
Volunteer Workday-Fire Break Construction
Bur Oak Woods, Hobart, IN
Open to all
Over the past 3 years stewardship staff have restored 55 acres of remnant Bur Oak savanna at this site. Much of the herbaceous plant community once found here has disappeared due to past degradation. Now that the canopy structure has been restored and a diverse herbaceous plant community introduced, this site desperately needs fire to give it a kick in the right direction. On this day we will be constructing a firebreak around a large portion of the property to be used for a prescribed burn this fall. Lunch will be provided, please RSVP at volunteer@heinzetrust.org if you wish to attend and for directions to site.
(Shirley Heinze Land Trust)
November 13 · 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Burnham Greenway Tree Mulch
108th St. & Ave. D, Chicago, IL
Volunteers are needed to help mulch the trees in Bean’s Park area along the Burnham Greenway. Wear sturdy shoes and bring gloves. Please RSVP by calling John Pastirik at (773) 991-0613 or Judy at (773) 646-4773.
(Calumet Ecological Park Association and Trees R Beautiful)
November 19 · 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Lake Powderhorn Clean-up
Lake Powderhorn Forest Preserve
East Brainard Ave., Burnham, IL
Volunteers are needed to help clean up the shoreline of Lake. Meet in the parking lot. Wear sturdy shoes, long pants and gloves. For more information call John at (773) 991-0613 or Judy at (773) 646-4773.
(Calumet Ecological Park Association)
November 20 · 10:00am – 3:00pm
39th Annual Settlers’ Day Celebration
Sand Ridge Nature Center
15891 Paxton Ave. South Holland, IL
Open to all
Celebrate our heritage by visiting with costumed living history demonstrators, representing the French fur trading days, pioneer times, and the revolutionary and Civil War time periods. There will be guided hikes, a craft, and a chance to try your hand at a two-person buck saw.
(Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
December 2011
December 3
Making Christmas Ornaments from Nature's Plenty and Potluck
Gibson Woods Nature Preserve's Nature Center
6201 Parrish Ave, Hammond, IN
Open to all
Participants will make Christmas ornaments made from natural materials of native plants for the Gibson Woods Nature Center Christmas tree. Bring your native plant materials if you have any. Bring a dish to share for our potluck. RSVP is appreciated for this free program (219) 844-3188
(Gibson Woods Wild Ones)
December 10 · 10:00am – 3:00pm
Volunteer Workday- Invasive Shrub Removal
Hidden Prairie – Hobart Marsh, Hobart, IN
Open to all
Hidden Prairie is a small remnant prairie and part of the larger Hobart marsh natural area complex. This highly diverse prairie is surrounded by residential development. Because of this, it is difficult to implement prescribed fire with any frequency. Exotic shrubs have now begun to invade the prairie. We will be using brush cutters and loppers to remove the shrubs. We will then treat the cut stumps with herbicide and sew seed gathered from the prairie to give native forbs a chance to recolonize the area. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP volunteer@heinzetrust.org if you wish to attend and for directions to the site.
(Shirley Heinze Land Trust.)
December 17 ·10:00am – 3:00pm
Burning Brush Piles
Eleven Acre Prairie in Hobart, IN
This event is open to ages 14+
We will be burning brush piles to remove roughly 4 acres of woody thicket that was cleared last winter. Come out to learn about all the work Save the Dunes has been doing on the site. Please RSVP and/or send questions on the event to Samantha Erdelac at sam@savedunes.org.
(Save the Dunes)
December 3
Making Christmas Ornaments from Nature's Plenty and Potluck
Gibson Woods Nature Preserve's Nature Center
6201 Parrish Ave, Hammond, IN
Open to all
Participants will make Christmas ornaments made from natural materials of native plants for the Gibson Woods Nature Center Christmas tree. Bring your native plant materials if you have any. Bring a dish to share for our potluck. RSVP is appreciated for this free program (219) 844-3188
(Gibson Woods Wild Ones)
December 10 · 10:00am – 3:00pm
Volunteer Workday- Invasive Shrub Removal
Hidden Prairie – Hobart Marsh, Hobart, IN
Open to all
Hidden Prairie is a small remnant prairie and part of the larger Hobart marsh natural area complex. This highly diverse prairie is surrounded by residential development. Because of this, it is difficult to implement prescribed fire with any frequency. Exotic shrubs have now begun to invade the prairie. We will be using brush cutters and loppers to remove the shrubs. We will then treat the cut stumps with herbicide and sew seed gathered from the prairie to give native forbs a chance to recolonize the area. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP volunteer@heinzetrust.org if you wish to attend and for directions to the site.
(Shirley Heinze Land Trust.)
December 17 ·10:00am – 3:00pm
Burning Brush Piles
Eleven Acre Prairie in Hobart, IN
This event is open to ages 14+
We will be burning brush piles to remove roughly 4 acres of woody thicket that was cleared last winter. Come out to learn about all the work Save the Dunes has been doing on the site. Please RSVP and/or send questions on the event to Samantha Erdelac at sam@savedunes.org.
(Save the Dunes)
