First, thank you to all who were able to join us online for the 2021 Fox River Summit as part of Wisconsin Water Week. For the overall week-long event, over 1,200 people connected with the event to learn about lakes, rivers, wetlands, groundwater, climate, wildlife, ecology.
For our Fox River Summit on Thursday, March 13, we had 136 registrations and for their one-day events, we were second only to the Red Cedar Watershed Conference in number of registrations.
Wisconsin Lakes Extension has posted the recordings of our sessions at this LINK. And great appreciation to them for providing all of the organization and tech support for the entire week – they did a fantastic job and made it all run very smoothly.
As a part of the Fox River Summit session, $1,940 was raised in donations that will be given to the Southeast Fox River Partnership, who indicated a desire to split those proceeds with FREP since we worked so closely in planning the Summit. This is a pleasant windfall from a successful event!
If you did not get a chance to see Scott Johnson’s presentation “100 Years Later: Fox River Photo Canoe Trip” you should check it out HERE. It has been suggested that we turn his presentation into a mini-documentary film, an idea we’re exploring and could use the proceeds mentioned above as seed money. Let me know your thoughts.
And thanks to all who were able to join us for the One Earth Film Festival screening of Kiss the Ground. This film explored regenerative agriculture, among other things, and follows a continuing theme for FREP with our last few films. Regenerative agriculture is going to be one of the main tools we have to combat climate change.
You can also check out the recording of our November 11, 2020 program on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture HERE. There are also helpful links on our film page HERE.
I can report that to help advance that cause, 14th Congressional Representative Lauren Underwood plans to introduce the Farmers Fighting Climate Change Act in the coming weeks, which directs the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to establish climate change bundles within the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). This will help support farmers implementing practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Both Lyn Campbell (FREP Secretary) and I are now on Rep. Underwood’s Advisory Council for Science, Technology, and Environment and thereby will have opportunity to provide input to Rep. Underwood and her staff on this and related issues.
Happy spring! Stay safe, vigilant, and get outdoors. We have some great events planned for the remainder of the year, transitioning to outdoors and in-person starting in June.
Jeff Mengler
FREP President
Photo by Becky Hoag
Blue Scilla at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva is always one of the first signs of spring.
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Our next activity - April 14, 2021: |
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Wednesday, 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.
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Thursday, April 22, 2021 Earth Day
The theme of Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth™
for information about events around the country
Image from earthdayinitiative.org
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.
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Indian Creek Watershed-based Planning
March 30, 2021 Update
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A second, interim draft of the watershed resource inventory (WRI) was submitted by CMAP to Illinois EPA at the end of January. This draft addressed comments received from Illinois EPA and Advisory Team members on the first draft of the WRI and includes soils maps revisions, identification of additional local plans, and mapping of potential future land uses based on local municipal and county land use plans. A third draft of the WRI is expected to be completed by late April/early May and will incorporate land use-based pollutant loading estimates for total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total suspended solids, fecal coliform, and chloride being modeled by Geosyntec Consultants. The third draft of the WRI will be posted on the Indian Creek project page on the FREP website, replacing the first draft currently posted.
After a year of being unable to be out and about the watershed due to staff restrictions associated with COVID-19, CMAP staff are looking forward to beginning field data collection this spring for the stream physical conditions and stormwater detention basin inventory and assessment portions of the WRI. Staff are finalizing an online map and associated data collection forms utilizing ESRI’s ArcGIS Collector and Survey 123 mobile data collection apps to use for the stream data collection work. For the detention basin data, 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. This information will be incorporated into a fourth and final WRI by the end of this summer.
Finally, CMAP staff are developing an online public input platform that will be rolled out in the next couple months. Keep your eyes on this space for that announcement!
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: hhudson@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8700.
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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 Membership can be initiated or renewed online and dues paid via PayPal at: FREP Membership Form.
Our 2021-22 annual membership statements will be sent out in June.
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The Core Development Team has contracted with Map Hero (Matt Kania) to update the downloadable maps and web portal for the FF!WT. Map Hero developed the maps, web portal, logo and brochure for the Fabulous Fox Water Trail.
If you would like more information or learn how to get involved, please contact
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IDNR's CICADA website was created to engage the public and private sectors in habitat protection, restoration, and biodiversity conservation through voluntary actions and to encourage regular visits to find information on how you can incorporate wildlife habitat into your property or development projects or how to better manage the habitats you have already. Staff at IDNR, along with their partners, will provide regular updates to CICADA, and they are happy to answer questions you may have about building or managing wildlife habitats. Visit it today!
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The Fox River Study Group's 2020 Annual IEPA Progress Report is now available at this LINK. The report is used to fulfill NPDES permits for the wastewater agencies located in the Fox River Watershed. The annual report was emailed to the FRSG email list recipients.
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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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