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Wednesday, August 10, 2022
FREP Noon Network Noon - 1:30 PM
Location: Urban Stream Research Center at Blackwell Forest Preserve,
(north side of Butterfield Rd.) Warrenville
Program: Tour of the Urban Stream Research Center
Presenters: Everett Krause & Andres Ortega
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The Urban Stream Research Center (USRC) serves as the Forest Preserve District’s facility for aquatic conservation programs and is the only facility of its kind in Illinois. Located where Springbrook Creek enters the West Branch DuPage River in Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, the building opened in 2012 and was funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is the result of a partnership between DuPage County Stormwater Management and the Forest Preserve District.
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FREP Executive Committee
will meet at 11 AM
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Wednesday, September 14, 2022
FREP Membership Meeting
and Program 1-2:30 PM
Location:
Belding Lodge, Brewster Creek Forest Preserve,
6N921 IL Route 25, St Charles, IL 60174
Program: Blanding’s Turtles Local Recovery Efforts
Presenters: Bill Graser, Forest Preserve Dist. of Kane County and Dan Thompson, Forest Preserve Dist. of DuPage County
The program will follow a short FREP business meeting
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President's Message from Jeff |
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For our August FREP Noon Network we will take a trip out of our watershed. I think it will be well worth the trip as we will visit the Urban Stream Research Center that is operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. This unique and local center’s main purpose is to augment populations of common freshwater mussels that were historically more abundant. We learned about these mussels at our July 2021 picnic with Jessi DeMartini and thought it would be a good follow-up to see the facility (though she is now retired from there). They have also been involved in captive rearing of other species such as the Blanding’s turtle that we will learn about at our September 2022 meeting. The Center is closed to the public, so this is your opportunity to get in and see what they do.
Then join us at the Belding Lodge in Brewster Creek Forest Preserve for a presentation on the region-wide work on the state-listed Blanding’s turtle in September. This forest preserve is a former YWCA camp that removed the dam on Brewster Creek as one of the first dam removals in our watershed some years ago. Some of us may take a walk down to the former dam location as a side-trip following the program.
I would like to hear your ideas for the monthly FREP programs in October and November this year, and for 2023. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, something you’d like to learn more about, a project you think should be shared with others, etc., please let me know.
Finally, thanks to all those that have sent or paid their membership dues for our FY 2023. FREP is funded almost entirely on membership dues and we greatly appreciate your support.
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Jeff Mengler
FREP President
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Thank you to all who attended our July 13 picnic at Carl Hansen Woods in Cook County Forest Preserve, part of the Arthur L. Janura Preserve, and the Poplar Creek Trail System. We had a great turnout. Thank you to Rick McAndless for arranging this, and to Rick and volunteer Diana, who gave us very informative tours of all the restoration work that has been done.
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FREP Membership - New FY 2022-23 began 7/1/22 |
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Thank you to all who have already responsed to the statements
for 2022-23 membership renewal.
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If you did not receive a statement, membership can be initiated or renewed online and dues paid via PayPal at: FREP Membership Form.
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Fox River Subwatershed News |
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Indian Creek
Watershed-based Planning
Update - July 28, 2022
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The public engagement webpage needs you! If you have not had a chance to visit https://engage.cmap.illinois.gov/indian-creek-watershed-based-plan yet, please take a look around… here you can share your insights and ideas for protecting and improving water and habitat quality in the Indian Creek watershed and adjacent Fox River via interactive maps, a quick poll, a short survey, and a comments forum.
Input is welcome from anyone with an interest – a stake – in the quality of the Indian Creek watershed and adjacent Fox River. You don’t have to live, work, go to school, or have a business there to be a stakeholder! Perhaps you visit the area to ride your bike on the Fox River Trail or Prairie Path, hike the trails in Fermilab, or paddle on the Fox River. Maybe you’ve shopped at the outlet mall or unique local shops, dined at one of the many restaurants, enjoyed a festival, or went to hear some live music… then you are a stakeholder too!
Please get submittals in by August 15!
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The input received will help shape water quality-related recommendations that will be incorporated into the Indian Creek Watershed-based Plan during August. Of the many benefits of developing a watershed-based plan, a key one is that projects and programs identified in such plans – collectively termed best management practices (BMPs) – become eligible for certain federal grants, including Clean Water Act “Section 319” Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program grants, and it helps improve consideration for other state and local grants and technical assistance, such as Illinois EPA’s Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities (GIGO) program and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation’s Natural Areas Grant Program.
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 or the public engagement webpage, please contact Holly Hudson at CMAP: hhudson@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8700.
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A lot going on with the Fabulous Fox! Water Trail (FF!WT) as we approach the November 1st deadline to submit our application to the National Park Service (NPS) for designation into their National Water Trail System! Thanks to the Kane County Development Department 10,000 updated FF!WT brochures were printed and are being distributed.
Anyone or an organization interested in brochures please contact Karen Miller. Kane County has hired Gilmore Marketing Concepts, Inc. (GMCI) to develop a marketing plan for the FF!WT in Kane County. Hopefully this plan can be a model for the other counties along the Fox River. Within the past couple of weeks GMCI has sent out surveys to a small sample of those who interact with the Fox River. If you received the survey we would greatly appreciate it if you would complete it.
Signage for the access sites has been completed! Our graphic artist, Matt Kania from Map Hero, designed two signs for each access site that complies with NPS criteria. One sign includes a map of the area, safety tips and the link to the FF!WT website and will be installed facing the land side. A second sign includes the name of the access site and the river mile. Two copies will be installed, one facing the land side and another facing the river side of the access site. Each landowner is being asked to produce and install the signs at each of their access sites.
If you have contacts with any of the landowners please encourage them to respond to our request to produce and install the signs at each of their access sites. We are also looking for individuals, organizations and businesses willing to help pay for the production and installation of signs. Our Team has also sent letters to all landowners of the 80 sites along the Fox River asking for their consent to be included in the FF!WT. This is a new requirement of designation. Please encourage any landowners you know to do so by Sept. 1st.
We will also be sending additional requests for letters of support to stakeholders and officeholders along the River. Over the years we have received over two dozen but are looking for more to bolster our application. Our latest letter of support was from Fox Metro. Thank you! If you are interested in providing a letter of support please contact Karen.
Our next virtual Core Development Team meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, August 2nd at 1:00. If you are interested in participating please contact Karen for the link.
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If you would like more information or learn how to get involved, please contact
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Video of June 8, 2022 FREP Noon Network
Program: Kane County’s Countywide Drainage Mapping Initiative –
Where Does Your Water Go?
Presenter: Rob Linke P.E., CFM Sr. Water Resources Engineer & Wetland
Specialist, Kane County Dept of Environmental & Water Resources
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Video of April 13, 2022 FREP Noon Network
Program: COP26 - What was accomplished? A local perspective
Presenter: Gary Cuneen of Seven Generations Ahead
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Video of our February 9, 2022 program
Legislative Update with Jack Darin, Chapter Director, Sierra Club of Illinois
Eliot Clay, State Programs Director, Illinois Environmental Council
Thank you Jack & Eliot!
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Video of our January 12, 2022 program
Local Government’s Approach to Meeting the Evolving Stormwater Requirements in the State’s NPDES / MS4 Program
Panelists:
Rob Linke, P.E., Kane County Dept of Environmental & Water Resources;
Scott Kuykendall,LEED AP BD+C, McHenry County Water Resources,
Mark Phipps, P.E. City of Aurora Public Works Department
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November 10, 2021 FREP Presentation by Art Malm:
Freeing Our Fox! - a discussion of dams on the Fox River in Illinois
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It’s Our Fox River Day
Join Friends of the Fox River on September 17, 2022, for the largest watershed-wide celebration of the year, It’s Our Fox River Day. This year we are anticipating over 100 events along 200 river miles involving over 1000 participants.
Make sure your community is part of this unique experience. Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) is here to assist you in your event’s development, promotion, recruiting, implementation and recognition.
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Campton Historic Agricultural Lands/Garfield Farm Museum
What: 29th Antique Tool Show & Sale
When Sunday August 7th from 9am to 1pm
Who: Garfield Farm Museum
Cost $8 adult/$2 children under 12.
Where: for GPS only: 3N016 Garfield Road Campton Hills, IL 60175
Contact: 630 584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org
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Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) July Newsletter
Includes new CRTI Urban Forest Data
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The Conservation Foundation has a new outreach materials resource page on their website:
Please feel free to use any of these materials if they will be useful to you. There are draft blog posts, graphics for social media, and some short video clips, all available to share.
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Community Recycling Information |
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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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