January 4, 2021
President's Message
As we bid farewell to 2020, here’s hoping that 2021 is a better year for all of us, and for the environment we live in. Environmental champions have been elected at the local, state, and federal level.

FREP had the privilege of having the newly elected president of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, Chris Kious, join us for our virtual holiday celebration where we all talked about conservation practices we’re doing in our own yards. It was a fun, learning experience that turned out much better over Zoom than I expected!

We don’t know what 2021 will bring, but we know that climate change and other environmental challenges did not wait for us to conquer COVID. FREP is planning for many programs and presentations in 2021 working collaboratively with our many partners in the watershed to help you as a citizen of our watershed.
 
In January we will learn about the current status of wetland regulations at the state, federal and county level and what it means for wetland protection in our watershed. Then in February we will learn about the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee and other native pollinators and how we all can help. March will bring a remote, virtual version of the Fox River Summit and One Earth Film Festival. Watch for details and plan to join us.

FREP is also working in collaboration with Friends of the Fox River on a new watershed-based science-fair for local high school and middle school students. We see this as a way to expose them to environmental careers, offer a hands-on STEM based program teachers can use, and get the students thinking about what a watershed is. We have a great steering committee working on this and will likely offer a pilot in spring 2021 for school district U46 and Oswego East students, and then roll it out to the broader watershed in the fall of 2021. Planning is still a work in progress, but if you know of any educators in public or private schools, or home schoolers that would be interested please let me know.

Stay safe, keep warm, and get outside!

Jeff Mengler
FREP President
Our next activity:
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
FREP Membership Meeting and Annual Elections
1 PM Via Zoom - please email Becky at foxriverinfo@comcast.net for the link

FREP Executive Committee will meet at 11 AM

FREP SLATE OF OFFICERS:
President: Jeffrey Mengler
Vice President: Nancy Williamson
Secretary: Carolyn Campbell
Treasurer: Elizabeth Hagen-Moeller

Program: Waters of the U.S. Rule Changes – what are the changes
and what does it mean for wetlands in our watershed?

Presented by: 
Jeffrey Mengler, PWS, Senior Project Scientist with Hey and Associates, Inc. 
Rob Linke, P.E., CFM, Sr. Water Resources Engineer & Wetland Specialist, Kane County Division of Environmental & Water Resources
Spring Duffey, Executive Director/McHenry County Wetland Specialist, McHenry-Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District
Joanna Colletti, P.E., CFM, Water Resources Manager/Chief Stormwater Engineer, McHenry County Dept. of Planning & Development
There have been recent changes made to the definitions of what constitutes a Water of the United States. These changes made under the Trump administration are just the most recent in a series of changes over the years since the federal Clean Water Act was enacted. The first part of the presentation will review these changes and what they mean as a practical matter in our watershed. We will also learn about the Illinois Wetland Policy Act and what protections it does and does not offer for wetlands in Illinois. Then for wetlands not protected by federal or state laws, county regulations apply to what have become known as “isolated wetlands.” We will hear specifically about the wetland protection programs in Kane and McHenry Counties. 
FREP Membership News
FREP Membership & Annual Dues

We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to all who have sent in their dues. Check for your name on our FREP Membership Roll If it isn't there yet this year --

Membership can be initiated or renewed online and dues paid via PayPal at:
2021 FREP Activity Dates:
Plans are being made for our 2021 Meeting Programs and Noon Networks, and we will be announcing these soon. Save these dates:

Wed., February 10, 2021   FREP Noon Network  Noon - 1:30 PM   Via Zoom
The rusty-patched bumble bee and other native bees – what’s all the buzz about?
Speaker: Dr. Jason Robinson, Illinois Natural History Survey (confirmed)
LOCATION: Virtually via Zoom
The rusty-patched bumble bee was recently listed as federally endangered. It has been recently discovered on various conservation lands in our region. There are many citizen efforts underway to search for and identify this species of native bumble bee. Why is it endangered, is it known from any habitats within our watershed, what does it look like, and how can we help? 

March 2021 Date to be announced -- We will once again be co-sponsoring a film for the One Earth Film Festival. This year it will be a virtual event. Watch for details soon.

Thurs., March 11. 2021     Annual Fox River Summit - Virtual - watch for details
Our 8th annual Fox River Summit in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. This 2021 event will be done all online as a one-day event within the week-long Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention. We are currently working on our speakers and some breakout discussion topics for the Fox River Summit Day within this larger week-long conference. You will be able to sign up for just this day, or the whole week.

Wed., April 14, 2021  FREP Noon Network  Noon - 1:30 PM  Via Zoom 
Illinois Conservation Update
Speaker: Jack Darin, Executive Director of Sierra Club, Illinois
For many years Jack Darin participated in FREP's annual Conversations About Conservation with our Legislators. It is time to connect with Jack again and have him speak on current issues and environmental legislation in Illinois. Jack is always tuned in to what is happening in Springfield and across the State. We welcome his insight and advice on the latest happenings in our state capitol.

Thursday, April 22, 2021   Earth Day -- working on joint partner events.

Wed., May 12, 2021        FREP Membership Meeting & Program  1 PM  Via Zoom  
The 4th Conservation Movement
Speaker: Ed Collins, McHenry County Conservation District 
How often have we wished over the many conservation battles we have fought across the years that we could find the key to dissolving the pieces of culture we are part of that see nature only as a resource to exploit? Yet we have struggled to find something deep enough, transformative enough, to rewrite the chapter of human experience that supports such a perspective. I believe that has now happened, not in a way we would have expected or chosen, but it has happened nonetheless. The world is in metamorphosis and we are discovering that the change we wish for the future begins within and not without. Now we must have the courage to weather the storms that bring the gift hidden within its winds. 
   
Wed., June 9, 2021         FREP Noon Network Noon - 1:30 PM  Program TBA
Other News in the Watershed:
Friends of the Fox River offers a beautiful 2021 Calendar
full of beautiful photos from submissions of "My Favorite Fox River Place".
Order at this link. $23.95, includes shipping.

The Conservation Foundation shares a video to make us smile about kids enjoying nature. The video was created for a previous Earth Day celebration. JOY. Enjoy
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.