What are You waiting for?

We each need to do something - now.

That was the message from Dr. Kathleen Dean Moore at last night's Moral Ground discussion at MCC. If you would like to leave a world to future generations as rich in possibilities as the world we were born into, then you need to take action.

Identify your passions - the things that bring you joy - and your gifts, and figure out where those intersect with the environment's needs.

For example, Dr. Moore is a philosopher and a writer - those are her gifts and passions. So she decided to write a book, and to use her skills as a philosopher to develop strong arguments that she could use to inspire others to act.

One of those arguments really hit home for me -- if you love the Earth (and all the known and unknown treasures it contains), and you believe that the Earth and those treasures are in trouble, you have an ethical obligation to act. It would be wrong to do nothing.

I do love the Earth and the abundance of life and mystery that it has. I love that there are many things that people will never know -- like what early humans thought when they looked at the night sky, what was the creature like that first breathed air into a lung, or did the first squirrel to find - and eat - an acorn think "Yum" (in whatever way a squirrel might articulate that thought!).

I do believe that the planet - the the way we live today - is going to be a thing of the past, sooner than we want to believe. When we consider that if everyone living in China today were to live in the same way that the average American lives -- two cars per family, television, computer, buying more stuff than they need at stores that don't even pay their workers a living wage, the world would not have the resources to support it!

Think about that. In America, we live in a way that will never be enjoyed by most of the rest of the world. And by continuing to live this way, we are in fact reducing the quality of life for others.We are contributing to the spread of more deadly diseases by insects that thrive in the hot environment that is expanding across much of the planet. We are contributing to rising sea levels and increased violent storms that are forcing people from their homes. We are contributing to a melting polar ice cap that is displacing Inuit peoples from the land (or ice) that has been their home for thousands of years.

As Dr. Moore commented: "If aliens came to our world and started treating it the way we treat it - dumping poisons into our water, ripping mountain tops off for the coal and tossing the rubble into the rivers, putting poisons into the products we give to our children... We would be outraged, and we would fight back at these invaders' treatment of our world." But for some reason, when we are doing it to ourselves, we just take it as the price of doing business, or perhaps it seems too big a problem to tackle, so we go back to the couch and click on the TV.

Well, whether you want your grandkids to inherit a world as full of possiblities as the world you enjoy, or think it's unjust to force other people from their homes because of the way we live, or just because you love the Earth and everything in it, act. Act now. Today.

Start small, start large, but make a change - and another and another. Do what you can, today and every day. If you care about the future, the time to act is now.

Moral Ground, June 20th - 7pm @ MCC

How do people of Conscience respond to the sometimes overwhelming environmental challenges that the planet faces today? Whether one is a member of a faith community, environmental organization, or someone who cares about the future, you should enjoy the discussion on Monday, June 20th at MCC (7pm).

The program will explore the issues of our ethical responsibility to the planet through the writings found in the book "Moral Ground," which will be available for sale through the MCC bookstore.

Dr. Kathleen Dean Moore, co-editor of the book, will read selections from several of the book's essays and then facilitate discussion about the issues raised.

How people respond to times of profound environmental change will make a difference in the future of our communities. Will individuals take responsibility for "doing what they can" to reduce human impacts on the planet? To minimize our "carbon footprints," and live sustainably as well as ethically?

Can Americans - the biggest consumers on the planet - change our patterns of consumption in ways that will ensure abundance for others on the planet in addition to the abundance our nation has enjoyed? Consider that the US has about 4% of the world's population, yet we consume about 25% of the energy, and generate at least 25% of the waste.

In other words, if everyone on the planet lived like Americans do today, essentially, we would need six planets to support us!

And as we face issues of a warming planet, with waters rising in low-lying, heavily populated areas like Bangladesh, we will face a challenge of relocating people physically and culturally, for in some cases entire homelands will be underwater.

So, what do we do? How do we respond? As people or Conscience - as people who do care - how will we be part of the solutions?

So, come and join the conversation. Monday, June 20th, 7pm, McHenry County College. Hope to see you there.

Wild Things! Oh, you make my heart sing!

Every other year the Wild Things conference is held in Chicago. It's a forum geared primarily towards individuals who are engaged in natural land restoration throughout this part of the Midwest.

The number and diversity of programs is amazing -- ranging from how to make toys with buckthorn wood, to advice on using Social Media (like facebook and blogs) to connect with the community and other volunteers, plus plenty of research updates related to bird diversity, woodland restoration and invasive plant control...

The program was held in early March this year at UIC, and organizers say there were at least 1,400 people in attendance! That's a lot of Wild Things in one place! Generally speaking, the crowds were pretty laid-back. (Except when they realized that the Crunchy Vegetable sandwich was just cream cheese with cucumber slices... things nearly got ugly...)

I think my favorite session was by Joel Brown, a UIC faculty member known for creating "Project Squirrel" to monitor the distribution of grey & fox squirrel species around the US.

Dr. Brown is an evolutionary ecologist. That means he studies how natural selection serves to optimize natural community characteristics like feeding and reproduction. The data gathered through Project Squirrel help to understand the trends and characteristics of the two species. For instance, the study has found that fox squirrels tend to occur more frequently in areas with lots of stray cats than their grey cousins. Over time, the data will serve to track changes in the populations, perhaps yielding insights into the ways that evolution -- natural selection -- gives species the ability to adapt to environmental changes in just a few generations.

But, Dr. Brown didn't talk about Project Squirrel at Wild Things. Instead, he gave the room examples of how much & how fast species will evolve in the face of human disturbance.

Take Yellow Jackets for example. This bane of Labor Day parties in the Chicago region is now resistant to the poison in common pesticides like Black Flag. Dr. Brown suggested taking a can of Black Flag, and spraying a yellow jacket until it is so wet it cannot fly. Then watch the pest. It will spread its wing to dry off, and once dry, it will fly away. Now, spray the pesticide on some ants or a fly -- they will die. But the yellow jacket will not. That's because over many generatons, yellow jackets in the Chicago area have evolved to be resistant to that chemical.

How does this happen? Well, consider that in the early days of the pesticide, there were a few yellow jackets who survived - either they didn't get a strong enough dose, or they already had some natural resistance to the chemical. Those individuals passed their resistance on to the next generation. And so on and so on, until the vast majority of yellow jackets that emerge in the Chicago area have that same resistance. That is "natural selection," and it is happening right in front of us every day.

Plants adapt the same way to herbicides - they become resistant. And then the chemical companies create new poisons that the plants are not yet resistant to. BUT, it's only a matter of time before they develop resistance. It's a viscious circle, isn't it?

The same type of adaptation happens to animals - even to city-dwelling pests like raccoons. As Dr. Brown pointed out, one is not doing the neighborhood raccoon any favors by trapping it and taking it out to live in "nature" at a forest preserve or conservation area. City raccoons are adapted to live in town. Putting one out in nature is essentially signing its death warrant.

Better to learn to live with the raccoons than to relocate them.

Why we plant oaks

The facts can seem overwhelming:

- Nearly 90% of the oak woods that were here in 1837 are gone.

- At the rate things are going, the remaining oaks could be dead in 20 years.

- It takes twenty years for an oak tree planted today to produce its first acorns.

- The remaining oaks are not reproducing either due to:
* improper management of the understory (e.g. allowing species like buckthorn to grow un-checked, or keeping a manicured lawn under the trees),

* effects of animals (e.g. deer browsing young trees, field mice eating acorns), or

* the effects of invasive species on the soil chemistry and the unique web of life needed by an oak's root system.

Yep, it is tough being an oak tree in McHenry County today.

And that's why we plant oaks whenever we can. On 10/10/10, that meant planting 100 oaks around McHenry County with the help of nearly 100 local residents. Those 100 trees will not replace the woods that are at risk today, but by working with local residents to plant trees today, we are teaching a next generation to take ownership for the future of these trees.

Since 2007, TLC has worked with nearly 1,000 local residents of all ages to plant over 1,000 oak trees. Those people can visit the trees they planted, and know that they are part of something bigger - something hopeful - something positive for the future.

It is too easy to get lost in the facts, and to feel overwhelmed, wondering "what can I do? It's hopeless! I can't change things!" But the fact is that every one of us has the ability to do something. Even just one thing, and that WILL make a difference.

Plant an oak. Clear some buckthorn from underneath an oak. Gather acorns in the fall and deliver them to TLC. Support organizations like TLC who are working to save the remaining oak woods, and to help ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to experience the magic and wonder of these magnificent trees -- just as we do today!

The fact is that there is time. These trees are still with us today - they have lasted long enough for us to learn what they need, and to take action.

Happy Arbor Day!

Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past while Arbor Day proposes for the future. J. Sterling Morton

Arbor Day was started in Nebraska in 1872, when J. Sterling Morton, president of the State Agriculture Board, was successful in getting the state legislature to declare April 10th Arbor Day, a day where Nebraskans were encouraged to plant trees. It is estimated that one million trees were planted on that first Arbor Day!

Morton became passionate about planting trees after moving to Nebraska in 1854 -- a state that did not have a lot of trees! By 1885, the state made Arbor Day an official holiday to be held on April 22nd, J. Sterling Morton's birthday. Today, all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day, as do many countries around the world.

In Illinois, Arbor Day is held the last Friday in April every year, placing the holiday on April 30th this year. Illinois was the 8th state to make Arbor Day a state holiday in 1949.

The celebration has expanded from the planting of trees to include education about the need to care for trees throughout the year. The holiday has long appealed to educators who recognized the learning opportunity that the occassion provided for students of all ages.

As awareness of the impact of carbon dioxide levels on the global climate grows, the role of tree planting seems to become more vital. Why? Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Trees store carbon in their roots and their wood.

In addition to all the other wonderful things trees do for us - clean the air, increase property values, reduce stormwater runoff, provide natural beauty, give shade on a hot summer day, provide a strong branch for a child's swing, etc, etc - trees are also an important part of sequestering carbon. Sequestering carbon and reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change.

So plant a tree already!!

2030 Land Use Plan Vote Tuesday

Tuesday night at 7pm, the McHenry County Board will meet to vote on the proposed 2030 Land Use Plan that has been 3 years in the making.

In the last few days, several people have asked me my opinion on the plan. Let me sum it up this way:

I think the plan should show all undeveloped and unincorporated areas west of Route 47 as farmland or environmental resources. I have several reasons for favoring this approach:

1. It puts the County clearly in the position of supporting farmland and groundwater protection - resources that will benefit all county residents.

2. It sends a message to municipalities that the County is going to stop approving developments in the unincorporated areas of the County - this type of development is more expensive to all county residents (more expensive for the schools, more expensive for emergency responders, more expensive to maintain the extra roads, etc etc).

3. It puts the County in the best possible position to start working collaboratively with municipalities on Intergovernmental matters such as groundwater protection, fuding for road maintenance, and even future growth boundaries to ensure the land and water resources available are used in a sustainable way that benefits all residents -- today and in the future.

I believe recent news articles support this approach:

• Agritourism grows in County (without farmland, we have no agritourism, and it is big business!)


• Fire Destroys home in unincorporated area north of Crystal Lake (because the home was in an unincorporated area without fire hydrants, tankers full of water had to be brought in by departments from McHenry and Lake county communities to fight the fire)


• Industrial Solvent present in local water supplies (article is archived since it's from December 2009) - notices were sent out to residents in Crystal Lake and Fox River Grove letting them know that levels of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in the local water supplies are at half the legal limit.

Think about it, as currently drafted, the plan purports to encourage future development to occur in or adjacent to existing municipalities -- a style of development known as "compact and contiguous." Yet, the plan shows vast areas of unincorporated land as being developed for commercial, industrial or residential uses in the future, BUT it has NO requirement that the development occur only through municipal annexation.

What this means is that a developer can use the plan to gain approval of a project that is NOT compact or contiguous, but is consistent with the plan map. And there isn't much the county board can do to stop them if the project is consistent with the map.

Take a look at the map, especially the area by Marengo and Union. The purple areas are proposed Commercial/Office/Research/Industrial areas and the yellow parts are planned for rural residential development. Thousands of acres of each use on land that is currently farmed. Thousands of acres underlain with groundwater that is highly vulnerable to pollution.

I repeat: I think the plan should show all undeveloped and unincorporated areas west of Route 47 as farmland or environmental resources. Someone suggested to me that this would be the absence of a plan, but I strongly disagree with that notion.

To plan for farmland and enviornmental resources in the unincorporated areas does nothing to stop municipalities from annexing land for development.

The best way to make it clear that the County is serious about wanting future development to occur in municipalities, to protect precious groundwater resources and to ensure there is a thriving agricultural industry in the county in the future, is to have a County Land Use Plan (aka a plan for future development in unincorporated areas) that reflects what the County Board would actually approve in the unincorporated areas.

The next question is "What can we do?" The short answer is to call your county board members and tell them what you think before they vote Tuesday night.

County 2030 Plan Final Stretch

I try to be an optimist, but sometimes it's really hard to keep my spirits up...

Take the McHenry County 2030 Land Use Plan as an example. The County Board held a series of Public Open House meetings last month that were very well attended. They received over 300 comments in some written form - emails, letters, notes about the maps, even handwritten comments.

But then the Planning & Development Committee - with scant discussion of the comments - voted to send the plan to the full County Board for a vote at its April 20th meeting. They made some changes to the map to reduce the amount of residential sprawl shown (although they decided to maintain the plan for residential development on top of two of the largest remaining oak woodlands in the county, despite TLC's request to amend that portion of the map). However, they kept all of the thousands of acres of commercial/office/industrial land around Marengo, despite three important facts:

1. the areas planned for this type of use are some of the most sensitive groundwater recharge areas in the entire county -- and everyone in the county is dependent upon groundwater for their daily water use (even elected officials).

2. many of the areas so planned are prime agricultural lands - some of the best farmland in the US, and even the world.

3. the agricultural industry is the second largest economic force in McHenry County. And consider that for every person who works on a farm, there are something like 20 people who have jobs because of those farms. Yep, think of the people who clean and process the seed, who manufacture and sell farm chemicals, who manufacture and sell farm equipment, who process the end products from the crops raised on the farms, etc, etc.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I for one like the idea of my food being raised in the USA, rather than imported from former South American grasslands or the Ukraine (two other prime agricultural regions based on climate & soils). And it kind of honks me off when our elected officials create a farmland preservation commission on the one hand, and then push a policy document aimed at further damaging an already threatened local industry.

That's two handful's of rich, black, humus-y soil in the picture on the left. And that is the reason for this area being such a primo spot for growing crops of all sort. The soil combined with a favorable climate where it rains regularly during the growing season. There may come a day on this planet when wars will be waged over resources like this.

Oh wait, that is already happening in Africa... But it would never come to that here, would it???

Parks employ more people than WalMart!

I'm pasting the entirety of an article that a friend just forwarded to me. The next time anyone hints that the environment must play second fiddle to the economy in these tough economic times, just whip this puppy out and show them some facts!

Text of article from The Daily Green follows:

Two New York Times articles published earlier this month illustrate the highs and lows of land protection right now. One, "Preservation Groups Find Bargains in Housing Bust," described how plummeting real estate prices have provided once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for land conservation organizations to protect irreplaceable natural treasures once destined for sprawling development. From Idaho to Florida and Virginia to Oregon, groups have preserved fields and forests, marshland and ocean waterfronts that as little as a year ago were slated for massive housing projects. Many of these scenic wonders now will be turned into parks.

That's the high. The low, "New Year but No Relief for Strapped States," noted the challenges many state governments face to rein in skyrocketing deficits. Actually, the earlier article hinted at this dilemma's environmental implications: dedicated funds for protecting land and creating new parks already have been a casualty of fiscal belt-tightening in statehouses from Olympia to Albany – just when they could do the most good. With red ink continuing to rise, even more drastic cuts are likely. There's a trickle-down effect, too. With less state support, county and municipal governments are being forced to slash their own budgets, so land preservation and parks often take another hit on the local level.

Why are these initiatives such easy deficit-reduction targets? Because there's a presumption they are luxuries. Sure, parks make us feel good and wildflower-filled meadows are pretty to look at, but they don't pay the bills. That's the all-too-common perception among legislators and even the public at large. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

For proof, take a look at Conservation: An Investment That Pays, a study released last year by The Trust for Public Land. It's one of the most comprehensive looks yet at the myriad benefits land protection offers our cash-strapped economies.

The report compiles a wealth of statistics offering incontrovertible evidence that:
- Parks increase surrounding property values and hence local revenues, while protected open space such as farms keep the costs of municipal services low. (Remember, cows don't go to school);

- New parks spur economic development and boost nearby businesses, often providing the catalyst for downtown revitalization. This point was driven home forcefully in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., (headquarters of Scenic Hudson, the organization I head) with the October opening of Walkway Over the Hudson, which transformed a rusting railroad
bridge into a dramatic park. In its first two months of operation, it attracted 400,000 visitors, while local restaurants have enjoyed a spike in business;

- Those of us who live near parks are more likely to exercise, which helps us ward off medical conditions responsible for out-of-control health care costs;

- Preserved forests and fields naturally purify our air and water while conserved floodplains prevent property loss from natural disaster – all reducing the need for costly manmade protections;

- By enhancing our quality of life, parks and open space attract new jobs and residents. (A healthy local environment is among business executives' top concerns when looking for a place to relocate or set up shop.)

Parks aren't freeloaders. Far from it, they provide communities with direct economic benefits. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has calculated that Americans who engage in hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching spend nearly $125 billion annually, supporting an industry responsible for 1.6 million jobs – more people than are employed by Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer. The National Parks Conservation Association reports that for each $1 invested in our national parks, there's a $4 return in local spending. In New York, figures are comparable for state parks; I bet the same holds for other states.

In many states, including New York, funds for land protection already have taken disproportionate cuts that fail to take into account these far-reaching economic and environmental benefits. It's imperative we let our legislators know they can't let the landscapes that enrich our lives – and, as it turns out, contribute so much to the bottom line – be the primary victims of future reductions. For in the end, it's us who wind up being the true victims.

Find this article at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/employment-parks-jobs-synd

This is also true in Illinois where funding for the environment, conservation, public parks and the like has been on a steady decline for most of the last decade.

Disc Golf versus a Wetland

I read - with a groan - another rant in the newspaper from someone about those "special interest" people in McHenry trying to stop progress because it would mean kids throwing frisbees in their backyards.

I thought: Can't we all learn to get along? Isn't this world big enough for the frisbee-golfers too?

After a call from one of the anti-disc golf neighbors, I realized it wasn't just a case of some folks wanting to keep other folks out of their backyards. The proposed disc golf site is located on a wetland listed on the County's natural area inventory.

There are only about 170 such natural features remaining in the entire county. These natural areas took millenia to evolve, yet the only take hours to destroy through thoughtlessness -- or malice. There are lady slipper orchids growing out there. These flowers are typically only found in natural areas that have survived the onslaught of human beings.

The soil at the park is wet, mucky, not suitable for building anything, and certainly not appropriate for a bunch of people to be running around in, tossing hard discs into metal cages.

When most parks develop amenities in wet areas, things like boardwalks are built to allow people to move across the wetlands without damaging them. Think of Volo Bog or the Bog at Glacial Park near Ringwood. The wetland isn't usually planned for intensive use best suited to a mowed lawn.

Now I will rephrase my early question: "Can't we learn to get along with nature?"

People have destroyed or dramatically altered at least 99% of the landscape somoehow to the detriment of the natural communities that were once here. There are so few remnants of these unique combinations of plants, animals, soils and insects remaining, and yet we still find ways to trample on what little is left.

Call me a savage, but I think nature deserves some places to play too.

Rainbarrels (and Composters) R Us!

Thursday May 14th was the day for unloading rainbarrels & composters from trucks (over 200), and now Friday the 15th & Saturday the 16th are rainbarrel pick up!

So, we are pretty much all rainbarrels right now! 55-60 gallon barrels don't weigh a lot, but they are large, and stacked three high in the back of the building, they probably take up 500 square feet!

I asked one of the drivers where they get the barrels, and he said that all sorts of things are shipped in them from all over the world: pickles, banana peppers, olives, chocolate-covered cherries (??!!), etc. The barrels are made of really sturdy, food-grade plastic, but are not reused for shipping, so are a potentially huge waste stream. But, with a few simple additions, they make a great rainbarrel or composter.

The rainbarrels are fitted with a lid that has a screen covering one or more holes. This allows water to flow from a downspout into the barrel, but keeps mosquitoes from laying their eggs in the water. There is a spigot near the bottom, and a couple of small openings higher up where one can use a hose to connect multiple barrels together -- that way, when one barrel fills up, water starts to fill the next barrel.

The barrels used for composters have a solid lid, and a wooden stand with a bar through the middle of the barrel. This allows one to spin the barrel and mix the compost. The barrels also have a vent tube that allows air to get into the center of the barrel. (Air is one of the keys to making good compost.)

I bought one of the composters this year, and will be sure to let you know how it works. I can aleady vouch for the rainbarrels - I've had two for two years, and they are wonderful!

We plan to sell these every year - it is a fun way to raise awareness of the need for people to conserve water, and to recycle their food and yard waste.

Lots of good news for local oaks

Project Quercus is all about preserving and regenerating the oak woods of the county. And, as we have been saying for a couple of years, the only way we are going to have oaks as a significant part of the local landscape 100 years from now is if individuals, local governments and local businesses all step up to do what they can.

Just this week, we had two perfect examples of how the community can step up -- and, frankly, how some in the community want to step up and help.

On Earth Day, April 22nd, Infinity Day Spa in Crystal Lake, and Ohana Farms near Marengo teamed up with TLC to plant 20 white oak saplings at Ryders Woods Conservation Area in Woodstock. That's Robin Tessmann from Infinity - the awesome spa owner who closed her business for a few hours so her staff could come out to plant the trees. They did it as a promotion for their customers, so each tree was dedicated to someone. Ohana donated the 2-year old, bare-root trees, TLC brought the shovels, buckets and flags, and the City of Woodstock supplied the mulch. There are a lot of big, old white oaks in the park, but no young trees, so it will be nice to see some young 'uns growing there too! The NW Herald did an article about it but forgot to mention TLC...

The second example also happened on Earth Day, when OWC (Other World Computing) made a donation to TLC to support the planting of 20 oaks at Westwood Conservation Area on Saturday May 16th! Thanks to OWC employee Kayleen Ivers for asking TLC about this, and for working with us to make it happen.

There is a nice story about it on OWC's blog which is read by their customers across the country: http://blog.macsales.com/. OWC built a new office and warehouse last year, meeting all of the environmental and energy efficiency standards necessary to achieve LEED Platinum certification through the US Green Building Council. That's a really big deal in the construction world.

Their heating and cooling is geothermal, they are planning to install a wind turbine system to generate electricity, the building is super insulated, the grounds include native plantings, AND they are making investments in the community where they are located to support sustainability here too.

TLC is happy to be a part of these local businesses' efforts to "green" the community!!

Have you Hugged Your Salamander Today?

Meet the Tiger Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum, one of the few salamader species found in McHenry County. Our local Tigers can be as large as 14 inches, but are more likely to be 6-8 inches long. You are most likely to find one of these guys in a moist woodland under leaf litter - they tend to be very private, probably to avoid predators!

There are about 500 species of salamader worldwide, with the largest type found in China, and weighing in at 140 pounds and nearly 6 feet long!

In Illinois, the largest salamander is called a Hellbender, and can be two and a half feet long. They are found in fast moving streams in the southern part of the state, so don't expect to see one in McHenry County!

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina is considered the salamander capital of the World, boasting 30 different species ranging from the inch and a half long pygmy salamander to the 30 inch hellbender!

Salamanders are amphibians, meaning they spend part of their life on the land and part in the water. They are most closely related to frogs and toads, although they may visually resemble lizards (or snakes with little feet). Their skin must be kept moist or they dry up and die.

Many, but not all, salamanders breathe through their skin, making them highly susceptible to pollutants like pesticides or other chemicals, as these things are absorbed directly through the skin and into the organs.

Salamanders fill an important niche in the overall food chain. They are carnivores, meaning they eat other animals like insects, eggs, small fish, and even small rodents or young frogs. In turn, they are eaten by raccoons, possums, large birds like herons and hawks, snakes, turtles and other medium-sized carnivores.

Following the first big rain in the spring, when temporary pools of water flood, salamanders emerge from hibernation, and head out in search of something to eat and a place where they can meet salamanders of the opposite gender! This drive to reproduce often results in so-called "breeding events" in the temporary pools, where several salamanders gather to lay and fertilize eggs. (Kind of a salamander orgy.)

However, because the salamander is a small, reclusive critter, any given salamander is unlikely to have the opportunity to breed more than once in its lifeime! So, if you happen to chance upon a salamander breeding event in your local vernal pool one spring, just look away, and let them enjoy the party -- it might be the only party any of them ever attend!

You can help track climate change!

This is the year of change, isn't it? The whole presidential campaign was about change -- President Obama's Campaign theme was "Change We Can Believe In." The theme for his election is "Restoring America's Promise," which implies that we have lost our promise, and need to make some changes to earn it back...

While there are still a few folks debating the causes of climate change, it is pretty clear that our weather patterns are changing.

Here's an example that any gardener can relate to: Portions of the Chicago region have edged up from Hardiness Zone 5b to Zone 6 according to the Arbor Day Foundation.

“The USDA map just doesn’t seem right anymore,” said Woody Nelson, vice president of communications for the foundation. [Yes, that is his actual name - Woody - and he works for the Arbor Day Foundation!] “So we took it upon ourselvesto do our own map.” For an updated take on which plants are hardy in your region, look at the foundation’s map online.

The map puts the Chicago area in Zone 6 with an average low of 0 to -10 degrees. The area is in Zone 5 on the USDA map. The foundation used data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the same source the USDA map uses, but the data are more recent, collected from 1990 to 2004. The foundation’s map, like the USDA’s, is a compilation of average low temperatures because the lack of cold hardiness is the most profound barrier to plant success. Plants simply can’t adapt to regions where they are unable to survive the winter.The changes were startling. Many areas jumped one or two zones higher. “The climate has changed,” Nelson said. “It has warmed.”

It turns out that we can all help contribute real world information that will help scientists understand the implications of any changes that may be happening. The citizen tracking effort is called Project Budburst, and it is sponsored by organizations ranging from the US Forest Service to the Chicago Botanic Garden. You can join with thousands of gardeners across the country in tracking when the plants in your yard leaf and flower each year.

If you are at all like me, you delight in noticing those early blooms and sprouts - whether they are chives, crocuses or dandelions! Now, you can sign up to share that information with a national network, and be part of a pretty cool "citizen scientist" project that has practical applications for folks everywhere!

Cold ... ccccold

This morning, I had a call from someone who told me that his car's thermometer said it was 32 degrees BELOW ZERO while he was driving through a rural area in McHenry County.

Okay, I grew up in the Chicago area, and remember the big snow in 1978, and the deep freeze the winter 1981-2, but this is ridiculous.

First we have snow, snow and more snow, then this brrrr cold stuff! What's up? It's almost enough to make someone a global warming doubter...

I actually saw a cartoon earlier in the week that said: "Yea, long-term I'm worried about global warming, but today I'm worried about freezing my *ss off!"

Call me Savage

In a previous post, we read the wonderful quote from Chief Seattle. One of the parts that struck me as particularly poetic was his use of the phrase "I am savage and I do not understand..." in reference to the nonsensical things that he observed the white man do.

Well, call me savage, because I don't understand some of those things either.

Like how some people can choose machines at the expense of the natural world.

Or how some people can think that clean air, clean water or safe & abundant food are "special interests." Last I checked, we all had to breathe air, drink water and eat to live. In fact, people can only live without air for a couple of minutes, without water for a few days, and without food for a few weeks (depending on how much ballast they are carrying, I suppose).

But how long could a person live without a car? Without a television? Without a cell phone? You get my point. Billions of people have and will live long and happy lives without any of those things.

Is it so awful to consider the needs, rights and integrity of the natural world when we make decisions about our daily lives? Is that really such a savage idea?

Ask yourself: will my actions enrich the web of life or degrade it?

Thanksgiving Message

This from Chief Seattle (Seatlh), c. 1860

We are a part of the Earth and it is a part of us.

The perfumed flowers are our sisters;

The deer, the horse, the great eagle,

These are our brothers.

The rocky crests, the juices of the meadows,

The body heat of the pony, and man -

all belongs to the same family.

So when the Great Chief in Washington sends words

That he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us.

If we decide to accept, I will make one condition:

The white man must treat the beast of this land as his brother.

I am savage and I do not understand any other way.

I have seen a thousand rotting buffalos on the prairie,

left by the white man who sot them from a passing train.

I am savage and I do not understand how the smoking

iron horse can be more important than the buffalo

that we kill only to stay alive.

Where is man without the beasts?

If the beasts were gone, men would die

from a loneliness of spirit.

For whatever happens to the beasts

Soon happens to man.

All things are connected. This we know.

The Earth does not belong to man;

Man belongs to the Earth. This we know.

All things are connected.

Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth.

Man did not weave the web of life,

He is merely a strand in it.

Whatever he does to the web,

He does to himself.

Thank you to retired TLC board member Dale Galloway for sending this lovely statement to me.

Think about this: Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it. If we all think of this simple idea when we are making decisions in our daily lives, just imagine the profound effect it could have on the planet? "Will this action strengthen the web or make it weaker?" Keeping in mind that while some actions may strengthen one's personal strand, they will weaken others...

Wow. That whole notion kind of blows me away!

Have a happy, sustainable, nourishing, and web-strengthening holiday!!

Now Coming to a Town Near You

I heard/saw the most wonderful presentation earlier today by author Gina Olszowski who spoke about her first book: Now Coming to a Town Near You: Voices of Urban Sprawl.

Gina is a Geneva native, alumna of Drake University with a background in advertising, and a passion for photography.

Growing up, Gina watched as the Geneva area turned from "the country" to the suburbs, and she wondered why - even though all of the adults she knew were sad every time a farm was developed - farms continued to be developed, one after another.

She started taking pictures and talking to people - farmers, residents, elected officials, urban planners, etc. She started to connect the dots. This wasn't really the landscape that people wanted, but they felt helpless to do anything, and that made them sad - sad for the things lost, sad for the memories of their time on the land that others would never share - and sometimes, sad that they just stood by and let it happen.

What is this "it"? Many call it sprawl, but after looking at just a few pages of the book, and reading a few of the personal stories, I think I want to start calling it "urban creep." Lots of folks seemed to be saying that the growth and change just kind of crept up on them, and before they knew it, everything they once knew was gone.

(I like "urban creep" too because of the word creep - it is so definitely a negative word, isn't it? A person can sprawl out on a bed or a couch, and that isn't bad, but when traffic creeps along, or insects are creepy, or a person is a creep, it isn't good.)

We have a copy of the book in the office, and I gave one to Arlene at Read Between the Lynes bookstore on the Woodstock Square, and hope that she will even have a "meet the author" type event and start carrying Gina's books.

You can also order them through Gina's website: http://www.atownnearyou.com/ - $19.95 plus tax & shipping. And being a community-minded person, she is donating two-thirds of the profit to The Conservation Foundation - a land conservation group in Naperville (kind of like TLC but larger, and covering several counties).

Oh, and did I mention that Gina is 24 years old, and she just did this because she thought that there was a story to tell - a story that people needed to hear - a story told by their friends and neighbors - a story being repeated over and over and over again.

"Now Coming to a Town Near You" !! If everyone chose to speak up about the change they are seeing, and to make different choices in their lives, we could stop the creep from coming to the towns near us!

We love Chad!

Chad Pregrake, President & Founder of Living Lands & Waters is our new hero!

As personable as he is enthusiastic, this young man and his "take no prisoners" style of hands-on conservation charmed about 200 people at TLC's Annual Meeting Sunday January 27th.

Technical glitches with the audio visual equipment didn't phase him, and in some ways, probably made the program that much more charming!

Chad shared his story of how he started Living Lands & Waters, a non-profit organization that has been working for 10 years to clean up the Mississippi River and other major rivers in the United States.

As a teenager, Chad helped his brother, a commercial fisherman, with claming, spending hours in the dark, on the bottom of the Mississippi River blindly searching for clams. In the process, he learned how filthy the river was - decades-old piles of tires, barrels, cars, broken boats, refrigerators - you name it, he saw it.

As Chad researched how to tackle the problem, he found out that no one was working on it, and all the government agencies said there was no money to do anything about it.

So he decided to go the NASCAR route and seek corporate sponsors. As Chad quipped "I can wear patches!" (like the NASCAR drivers do). He picked up the phone and called Alcoa - one of the largest corporations in his hometown of East Moline (the Quad Cities of Illinois & Iowa). And he kept calling, and calling, and calling, until one day he got the President on the phone who agreed to give him 10 minutes.

Well, 10 years, and 24 million pounds of garbage later, Chad has had a huge impact! A houseboat and fleet of barges comprise the "World Headquarters" of Living Lands & Waters - a mobile operation that inspires hundreds of young people to volunteer as crew members to do the hard, filthy, and often dangerous work of cleaning up our nation's rivers!

The core message that Chad brought to our audience is that everyone can make a difference - you just have to make up your mind that that is what you want to do, and then go for it!

McHenry County Environmental Alliance

On August 29th, the newly formed (or perhaps I should say "forming") McHenry County Environmental Alliance met for the third time.

The group includes representatives from 23 environmental organizations that are working in McHenry County on a wide diversity of issues.

The Mission Statement is:
Within 10 years, McHenry County will be recognized nationally among counties its size for implementing successfully a sustinable environmental strategy for enhancing quality of life.

The initial projects that the group chose to focus on are:

1. Develop a Communication Strategy for getting more and better environmental news into the local media and develop a website for the public.

2. Develop and implement a "Scorecard"rating program for local municipalities to help publicize those who are doing things well (from a green standpoint), and those who are not.

3. Compile ordinance examples and have them available on the website for local officials and citizens to access for ideas for updating local ordinances to be stronger from an environmental standpoint.

Food & the Environment

I am reading a Barbara Kingsolver book "Animal Vegetable Miracle" - her first non-fiction book. It's about her family's year of living as close to the land as they could - raising their own food, and making the decision to buy only local food (with a few exceptions like coffee, flour & chocolate).

I'm not far into the book yet, but I like what I have read.

The family decided to move from Arizona to the family farm in Virginia (in the Appalachians) - they had grown increasingly concerned that living in Tucson was unsustainable. Not only was their food imported from who knows where, but their water was brought in from the Colorado River - a River that supplies water to millions of people before reaching Mexico where it is little more than a brackish trickle. One alarming thing was when they were told by the local government not to use their tap water in fish tanks because it would kill the fish. Presumably, the problem was high mineral content not chemical pollution, but even so, I know that would give me pause. Another stunning fact was that the average product item in the grocery store has travelled 1500 miles. How else do you think we get tomatoes in January?

While reading along, a recent conversation with one of our board members came to mind. While talking with Haje Black, owner of Saulte! Farm & Vineyard in rural Woodstock, I said something about the price of organic produce being a deterrent for some folks. She quickly replied that the cost of one chemotherapy treatment is $25,000 - in other words, it's all about priorities.

Another recent news story also came to mind: the high rate of human food imports from China that are rejected by the FDA -- even though the FDA only inspects about 1% of shipments. Some of the items rejected in April included apple juice, apple concentrate and frozen fish (which was deemed "filthy").

To me, the lesson learned from the story was that other nations do not have to meet our standards for food products that they ship here. They can use chemicals that are banned in the US because they are known to cause cancer. We have no control over their production processes, so for instance, fish often contain high levels of antibiotics that are illegal here. Why? Because the fish are raised in such polluted waters that they are sick, and need the antibiotics (and anti-fungal) medication to live long enough to get to market.

Think about the recent tragedy where many family pets died after eating pet food that was manufactured with a contaminated ingredient shipped from China. They were deliberately adding an industrial chemical to a pet food ingredient to increase the protein content of the product to boost the sale price. We only found out because dogs and cats became ill and died.

So, where is this story leading? It leads me to one simple conclusion: buy local food. Know where your food comes from - not just the country of origin, but the actual farmer.

We do that with beef, buying what little beef we eat at the Woodstock Farmer's Market from Michele Aavang of Willow Lea Farm. Sure, it costs more, but I know that it doesn't have steroids or pesticides or hormones in it. I also know the cows are treated humanely. How do I know this? Because I know the farmer.

It's the same idea with the CSA farm share from Salute! (which should start in a couple of weeks). I know Haje. I have been to her farm and met Michelle the full-time farmer. I have toured the fields. There is no doubt in my mind that the produce we receive each week for 20 weeks (June-October) is fresh & organically raised.

There was a great statistic in Kingsolver's book: if everyone in America ate one meal a week that was comprised of all local ingredients, our nation would save millions of barrels of oil EACH WEEK! That's just from the reduced transportation of our food.

One meal a week. Any one meal. It could be breakfast on Wednesday!