Here we are entering autumn and having experienced our first snowfall already at the time of this writing. Bright fall colors still lingering, but with a dusting of white on Monday. I hope you are all finding opportunities to get outside – it’s the tonic we all need as we find ourselves still in the middle of a deadly pandemic. And I hope you are all well and staying safe.
While we await the day when we can go back to gathering in person, I hope you are taking advantage of all the online/virtual learning opportunities. I realize that many people are having “zoom-fatigue” but FREP is continuing to offer relevant, interesting, timely, and impactful programming online. One advantage of the virtual world is that all of our zoom meetings are recorded so that you can access them anytime you want from the FREP web page. So, if you missed it, or want to go back to something that was shared, please take advantage of this aspect of our virtual world.
We are working on putting together our next Fox River Summit for March 11, 2021 as a part of the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention. It will be a full day event as in the past in-person versions, but virtual and embedded as a part of this week-long convention hosted by others with more online capacity. So please plan to attend and watch for details.
FREP’s November 11th meeting at 1 pm will bring a presentation and discussion about regenerative or sustainable agriculture. If you were there for our discussions about this in past Summits, or were there for our past One Earth Film Festival screenings where the films addressed this topic, you’ll want to join us to learn more about what is happening locally. If you’re wonder what regenerative ag is, please join us. This is going to be one of our critical paths forward to address climate change and still be able to grow food for ourselves.
Jeff Mengler
FREP President
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FREP is now posting program videos to our own YouTube page.
The latest post is our October 14, 2020 program on
Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.
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FREP Membership Meeting & Program
Wednesday, November 11, 2020 1 PM
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Following a brief business meeting, we are pleased to present a program on
Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture
Presented by:
Brad Woodson (McHenry County Conservation District)
Joe Bybee (Illinois Department of Agriculture)
Olga Lyandres (Delta Institute)
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As we learned from our One Earth Film Festival screening of the film Need to Grow back in March, soil scientists estimate that at the rate we are depleting farmland, we could have fewer than 60 years of farmable soil left on Earth. So how do we rebuild our soil, while combating climate change? The solution is usually called regenerative agriculture and we heard a little about it and soil health at the 2019 Fox River Summit. At this program we will learn more about what’s going on with regenerative or sustainable agricultural in our Fox River watershed and in Illinois. We especially encourage any landowners or managers who may have any agricultural lands under their control to attend to get an idea of what’s possible.
FREP Executive Committee will meet via Microsoft Meetings at 11 AM
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FREP Membership & Annual Dues
Current members should have received their annual dues statements by mail.
We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to all who have sent in their dues.
We are listing our latest
2020-21 paid members here, and also have them all posted
on the:
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2020-21 Dues Paid for these members
(Since those posted in our Oct. 1st Downstream):
Applied Ecological Services
Campton Historic Agricultural Lands/Garfield Farm & Museum
United City of Yorkville
Friends:
Rob Linke
Membership can be initiated or renewed online and dues paid via PayPal at:
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Indian Creek Watershed-based Planning |
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October 29, 2020 Update
Watershed resource inventory development (WRI) continues. CMAP staff are addressing comments received from Illinois EPA on the first draft of the WRI submitted at the end of August. The WRI overviews existing conditions in the Indian Creek watershed planning area including local governments and districts, population and demographics, physical and natural resources, land use and land cover, water quality, pollutant sources, and land and water management practices. The draft is posted on the Indian Creek watershed project page on the FREP website. Sections that have yet to be rounded out include nonpoint source pollutant load estimates as well as stream physical conditions and stormwater detention basin assessments.
CMAP staff are continuing to develop an online map and associated data collection forms utilizing ESRI’s ArcGIS Collector and Survey 123 mobile data collection apps to use for stream conditions field data collection. For the detention basin inventory and assessment, CMAP will utilize the ArcGIS Collector apps previously developed by Kane County and DuPage County to collect information on the stormwater basins in their respective counties. It is hoped that field data collection can start this fall, with the majority to be conducted in the spring.
For pollutant load modeling, Geosyntec has updated the Fox River Study Group’s Fox River Watershed HSPF (Hydrological Simulation Program – Fortran) model for the Indian Creek watershed with the latest land use, topography, soils, and storm water drainage data, and has delineated over 200 subwatersheds, or catchments, in the 16 square mile planning area. The HSPF model is continuous simulation model which provides far greater insight into anticipated pollutant loading and load reductions than simplistic models (such as spreadsheet models). The HSPF model will be calibrated to stream gauge flow data collected by Deuchler Engineering for the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District (FMWRD) near the mouth of Indian Creek and by Fermilab in the headwaters of Indian Creek. The model will then be calibrated for several water quality parameters – total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total suspended solids, fecal coliform, and chloride – utilizing water chemistry data collected in Indian Creek by Illinois EPA and by Deuchler for the FMWRD.
In future steps, the model will be used to assess the effectiveness of potential BMPs (best management practices) toward reducing pollutant loads to Indian Creek and the Fox River. The use of this calibrated model for the quantification of pollutant loads and BMP load reduction estimates will enable the stakeholders in the Indian Creek watershed to better allocate resources to achieve target water quality objectives.
For project updates, documents, maps, photos, and announcements, please visit https://foxriverecosystem.org/fox/indian-creek. If you would like to be added to the contact list for Indian Creek Watershed-based Planning news and events, or have any questions about the project, please contact Holly Hudson at CMAP:
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Other Subwatersheds News:
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Fox River Corridor Plan Open Houses
November 10 & 12, 2020
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McHenry County and the City of McHenry, in partnership with Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, will host two virtual public open houses via Zoom for the Fox River Corridor Plan on Tuesday, November 10 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM and Thursday, November 12 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM.
Each open house will give members of the Fox River community an opportunity to discuss the strengths and challenges of the Fox River study area (spanning from Burtons Bridge at Route 176 to Johnsburg at North Chapel Hill Road). After a brief overview of the project, participants will break out into small groups to discuss two of the following topics:
-- Economic Development
-- Environmental Quality
-- Parks and Recreation
Transportation
All input received will help craft a comprehensive plan that includes strategies and actions for communities in the Fox River study area to realize their long-term vision for the corridor.
Residents, business owners, river users, community leaders, and other stakeholders from the area are encouraged to participate! Two open houses are being offered to accommodate different schedules and give everyone a chance to contribute.
Register for an open house using one of the following links:
Tuesday, November 10, 2:00 – 3:00 PM:
Please share the attached meeting flyer with your network to help spread the word about these public meetings. If you have any questions, please contact Kelsey Pudlock at kpudlock@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8631.
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Enjoying the natural resources in the Fox River Watershed has proven to be a popular activity during COVID-19. As studies have shown, being outside can improve self-esteem and concentration; encourage more physical and recreational activities; create opportunities for safe socialization in public spaces and improve relaxation and mood. The Core Development Team continues to educate about the opportunities the FF!WT offers. In addition, Karen Miller taught a Learn from the Experts class for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County on the FF!WT.
This summer Tom Slawski and Karen Miller contributed data and input to the development of a Fox River Corridor Plan for the area between Burtons Bridge & North Chapel Hill Bridge led by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Lastly, itineraries for the Illinois side of the Fox River is anticipated to be added to fabulousfoxwatertrail.org soon, thanks to work done by Karen Miller, Sigrid Pilgrim and Art Malm.
The Coronavirus pandemic has slowed activities and planning of the water trail. If you would like more information or learn how to get involved, please contact Karen Miller at: millerkaren@co.kane.il.us.
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Other Watershed News & Activities |
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Seven Generations Ahead program:
Community Solar with Trajectory Energy Partners
Thursday, November 5, 2020 7-8 pm
If you can't put solar panels on your own home, but still want to support renewable energy, you can now subscribe to a community solar project. There's no upfront investment, and you can save money while also supporting local, renewable energy right here in Illinois.
Join Trajectory Energy Partners and Seven Generations Ahead for an online webinar via Zoom of the program details, savings benefits, contract terms, how to sign up, and more.
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Salt Smart Collaborative Winter Technical Briefs webinars:
November 10: The Benefits of Segmented Blades
November 17: The Fine Art of Brine Making
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Illinois Environmental Council's Virtual Lobbying Day
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Join in their campaign to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) by participating
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Becky Hoag, Communications Manager
Fox River Ecosystem Partnership
Please email Becky if you have an email to add to our mailing list or content to add to the next monthly Downstream.
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