FEB 26 - 4.1 inches of greasy snow fell yesterday and this morning. This was accompanied by .60 inches of rain. The season total now stands at 66.4 inches. The record from 1961-1962 is 75.7 inches. With 22% of the seasons snow usually falling after this date, I think we have a shot at the record…
Prairie Works is the source for ecological and landscape services in Northwest Illinois. Prairie Works can assist on projects large and small ranging from prairie and woodland restoration, invasive species control, controlled burning, bio-engineered erosion control and landscaping through the use of native plants. Prairie Works offers an environmentally friendly and dynamic solution to traditional land use practices and strives to connect people to the natural history of the area.
Cory's Blog: A cyber bulletin containing information, inside dope, statements, news, reports, observations and ramblings. Please browse the archives at you leisure.
Monthly Archive for February, 2008
The Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) is an elusive mammal and the largest member of the cat family in North America. Other names for this animal include: Cougar, Puma, Panther, Catamount and many local variations including the Wisconsin Puma and Florida Panther. As of late, this creature has been receiving some attention locally.
Last month a sighting was confirmed near Janesville, WI. It was the first confirmed sighting in Wisconsin in a century, although there have been hundreds of ‘probable’ accounts. A mountain Lion was killed by a train in downstate Illinois in 2000 and ’possible’ and ’probable’ sightings have been common since. Most of the sightings have been along the Mississippi River corridor and in Shawnee National Forest.
Here in JoDaviess county, sightings have been occuring for several years now but no solid evidence yet. Last week I was called to investigate a possible sighting of a cougar in a tree. After an hour of tracking and searching for hair samples we declared the sighting as ‘possible’.
Recent Email Hoax - Coincidentally, two weeks ago an email started to circulate around the area. This email stated that a Cougar was seen near Elizabeth, IL on someone’s deck. Four very eerie pictures were attached and it provided some good shock value. However, the pictures originated from Montana in 2003 and the same email and pictures has started rumors in different parts of the country. Some people contacted me about it, Thank you. If you received this email, IDNR officials have told us that it is not true. A quick Google search will also confirm this.
What does all of this mean? Well, Cougar populations have been rising out west and some individuals have moved eastward. Cougars have the largest range of any mammal on the continent. Being able to cover 75 miles a day, cougars will expose themselves occasionally. The probability of sightings will increase during their high travel months. Hunting and bounty killings essentially eliminated the Cougar from existence in this area 100 years ago. With that pressure now removed, reproduction and survival rates can increase. We can expect this trend to continue and expect to have more ‘confirmed’ sightings in the Midwest in the future.
If you think you have seen a Cougar or its tracks please contact one of us as soon as possible:
Cory Ritterbusch, Prairie Works, 815.751.7400
Chris Kirkpatrick, JoDaviess Conservation Foundation, 815.541.3494
Emily Lubcke, The Galena Territory Association, 815.777.2000
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-cougar_22feb22,0,4931096.story Read the Chicago Tribune article
Today, February 25, marks the birthday of Rudolph Steiner, who was born 147 years ago (1861). Rudolph Steiner was a german philosopher, scholar, educator, playwright and social thinker. He is credited as the founder of Anthroposophy, the Waldorf education system, the School of Spiritual Science and anthroposophical medicine. He fought for ethical individualism, brought eurythmy to the masses, became the poster child for esotericism and Adolph Hitler declared war on him in 1921. His invention of Bio-Dynamic Agriculture began a slow movement into the organic farming movement that we have today. Bio-Dynamic Agriculture is what makes him notable here.
Biodynamic Agriculture (BD ag) - Due to the decrease of soil and food qualities brought on by fertilizers and improper farming methods, Steiner began a series of 8 lectures to farmers at Silesia, Germany in 1924. The basis of the lectures spoke of composting, utilizing ‘on farm’ manures as fertilizers, extensive crop rotations and working the farm as one large organism. Steiner prescribed nine different soil preparations to aid fertilization which became the cornerstone of biodynamic agriculture. Associating astrology and moon cycles with specific applications was also a major part of BD ag.
Steiner’s advise was put into practice almost immediatly and soon the term Biodynamic was trademarked and a certification process was implimented in order to retain its strict order. In 1938 the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association was founded in New York state. Today, BD ag is practiced in 50 countries. Its concepts have been widespread and it later spun into organic gardening and farming. Today, wines that are made using the Biodynamic process are a wine purists top choice and is a sector of the wine market that is gaining great popularity.
Although it is difficult to point to Steiners influence on ecology exactly. His holistic approach towards gardening is one shared by many environmentalists. It is safe to assume that he had a huge effect on todays “new” concepts of eating locally, reducing fertilizers and pesticides, growing organic foods and living an overall more sustainable lifestyle. If he were alive today he would be a great environmentalist and in great demand, as his 85 year old ideas now have a captive audience. Rudolph Steiner died shortly after his Biodymanic lectures in March of 1925.
http://www.biodynamics.com/ Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
http://www.angelicorganics.com/ CSA in Northern Illinois that practices BD Ag.
http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?tid=388 Article on Biodynamic Wines
http://www.amazon.com Search for Steiner Books
“Ruhen Sie in Frieden”
Last Thursday, my great uncle, Paul Schoenekaese of Liberty ILL, died at 82 years old. Not only was Paul my Grandfather’s brother, he was also a very close and special friend who is responsible for what I do today. The obituary from The Quincy Herald-Whig said that Paul was a lifelong farmer and hunter. Paul certainly was that, but much more.
Paul farmed the same farm where he was born in 1925. He used horses to do this until 1974, decades after most farmers began using tractors. Paul’s farm was very diverse with Pork, Beef, Poultry, Vegetables, Fruits and managed habitat areas for his fruitful hunting endeavours. Paul spoke very openly about the poor farming practices (as well as many other things) that area farmers were using and knew of the long-term destruction of chemicals on soils. His neighbors would apply nitrogen with tractors to fields while he applied manure with horses. Organic was not a word that he knew, but it was something that he had practiced for 60 years. Paul heated his home with wood, butchered his own meat, grew his food on site and utilized hunting seasons for sustenance, not for sport. The grocery store was simply for anything that could not be grown or processed on his own. He lived as sustainable a life as possible in today’s age.
A great botanist, Paul and I would contest each other in the identification of weeds on the property. I would tell him what the books call the weed and then he would tell me what they’re really called. He had a keen sense and observed an increase of invasive species on his ”ground” over his lifetime. He could tell you the exact year that a weed appeared for the first time. Paul became very interested in the restoration ecology that I spoke of and understood the principles behind it. He introduced me to Burton’s Cave nearby, because of the rare plants that he observed there.
In the 1980s Paul came close to death when he entered his burning home to retrieve his guns. He was treated for 3rd degree burns in Springfield, ILL. This marked the second time that he had left Adams county in his life. Paul took great pride in being a German Catholic. He served on the church board for decades and also attended mass daily. Paul was highly respected in Liberty Township.
Paul was buried next to my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather yesterday in Quincy Illinois. His wife survives.
FEB 19 - Sunday’s storm brought a mixture of rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow. Dubuque, IA set a daily rainfall record for the day (1.15 inches) and 6.1 inches of snow fell. The snow total is now at 60.6 inches for the year. 29% of the total snow amount usually falls after this date.
It has been officially announced that the University of Illinois Extension, with a coalition of other local organizations (including Prairie Works), will be hosting the first annual Green Fair. Green Fair 2008: Ideas and Products for Your Home and Business will be held this June in Elizabeth, IL. Below is the official press release:
Set aside Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28 for the first area Green Fair! The theme for this years event is Ideas and Products for Your Home and Business. The fair will be a chance to meet retailers of green products, renewable energy resources, recycled and sustainably produced items for your business, office and home. There will be children’s activities, informative presentations and local food vendors.
The fair will be held at Highland Community College West (previously River Ridge High School). Look for more details in future newspaper articles, newsletters and flyer’s.
The Green Fair planning committee member organizations are: Baranski Hammer Moretta & Sheehy Architecture, Blackhawk Hills RC&D, Carroll County Economic Development Corp., Conservation Guardians of Northwest Illinois, Galena Territory Association, JoDaviess Conservation Foundation, Jo-Carroll Energy, Jo-Carroll Solid Waste Agency, JoDaviess County Office of Economic Development, Prairie Works Inc., The Prairie Enthusiasts and The University of Illinois Extension.
If you have questions about the Green Fair, please contact Maggie Friedenbach, Recycling and Conservation Projects Coordinator, at University of Illinois Extension, 815.244.9444. You can also contact me at cory@prairieworksinc.com
Hope to see you there!
Last Saturday, February 2nd, former Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz died at 98. Earl Butz was well known by environmentalists and not positively. He became a household name in the mid-1970s for reasons that were also not positive.
An Indiana native and person that Purdue University claims with great pride, Earl Butz was appointed secretary of agriclture in 1971 and carried that role until he was forced to resigned in 1976. During his five-year tenure as Ag Secretary he was responsible for many long-term effects on America.
Destruction of Natural Areas - Butz incensed naturalists by urging farmers to “plant from fencerow to fencerow.” With this implimented, some of our last remnant prairies were plowed, high quality wetlands were drained and thick treelines that served as habitat were bulldozed. This was the last crucial wave in natural area destruction and is still in many people’s memories. Locally, there became a sharp decline in wildlife numbers, mainly among birds.
Agri-business - Butz proclaimed that farming “is now big business” and that family farms must “adapt or die.” These policy shifts coincided with the rise of major agribusiness corporations, and the decline in financial stability of the small family farm. Agri-business was a term coined in the 1980s when the change had taken full effect.
Obesity - With larger quantities of corn being produced, Butz suggested that corn syrup should replace sugar cane. High-fructose corn syrup became the standard and very unhealthy sweetener. In Greg Critser’s 2003 book Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, Critser points to Butz as the reason for obesity in America. Critser says,”In short, Butz had delivered everything the modern American consumer had wanted. Cheap, abundant and tasty calories had arrived. It was time to eat.”
Outside of the environmental and nutrition circles Butz will be remembered for his controversy. In 1974 he disturbed catholics by making fun of the Pope and in October of 1976 he was forced to resign after making racist comments while on a plane flight. Some say that it prevented Gerald Ford from being elected one month later.
Quite a testement to the power of agriculture in America and probably the only Secretary of Agriclture to ever become a household name…
FEB 7 - Yesterday’s snowstorm dropped around 14″ of snow in JoDaviess County. Nearby Winslow, IL received 18″. We are now experiencing the snowiest winter since the late 1970s.
During the 1800s the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) was one of the most widespread and useful tree species east of the Mississippi River. Its name counjours up images of roasting fires around Christmas time and is a word used loosely in America today. The folklore around this tree is legendary in Appalachia and the tree had an immence effect on the culture there. Chesnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) was discovered in America in 1904 and by 1950 it had wiped out almost the entire population of Chestnut trees.
The Chestnut was a major tree species in the eastern Unites States when settlers arrived in America. It is what ecologists consider a ‘keystone species’ as its presence contributes to natures diversity. It is estimated that 25% of the trees on the eastern seaboard were Chestnuts before blight took over. During its bloom time in spring, the Appalachian Mountains would appear snow covered with its small white flowers. A prolific nut producer, it was the primary winter food for Turkey, Deer, Bear, birds, livestock and even humans. It was extremley important in harboring wildlife.
Its wood was highly valuable commercially as it grew straight, had tight grain, resisted decay, was rich in tannins and grew faster than Oaks. The wood was used extensively for just about everything. On the wood and tannin markets Chestnut had a utilitarian versitility that no other tree could match. Today, Chestnut wood reclaimed from old homes and barns is highly sought after.
The Chestnut Blight was accidentally introduced and disovered at the Bronx Zoo in New York city in 1904 after importing the Asian Chestnut for ornamental purposes in the 1890’s. The asian varieties evolved with the fungus and therefore were minimally effected. By 1940 an estimated 4 billion trees were killed by the blight. The failing of this tree species had a negative impact on the economy of rural appalachia.
In Illinois, the Chestnut has been recorded in the wild in only seven counties, including JoDaviess, the only county in the northern half. Wisconsin reports 6 counties. It is likely that the trees here were in isolated populations and could have been intentionally planted by pioneers from the east.
Today, scientists are working on developing blight resistant strains on the American Chestnut with thier goal to be 98% of the original. These new varieties must contain genetic strains found in the Asian Chestnut (Castanea mollissima) due to its resiliancy to the blight. Some areas of the country are being found to be untouched but experts feel it is only a matter of time before their demise. Its hybridized return will never be appreciated by purists, but it may add an important element to our landscape that we are losing due to declining Oak and Ash populations.
http://www.acf.org/ The American Chestnut Foundation
http://ipm.ppws.vt.edu/griffin/lore.html Chestnut Folklore
http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF2202/Freinkel/Freinkel.html The Loss of the American Chestnut Tree by Susan Freinkel
FEB 1 - The winter of 2007-2008 has dropped 36 inches of snow on Dubuque, IA already. No one storm has produced more than 5.2 inches. Along with extreme cold spells, near record high temps and a record rainfall amount in December, the winter of 2007-2008 has been memorable, among other things.
