I just returned from attending the 21st North American Prairie Conference in Winona, MN. The NAPC is the Super Bowl™ for prairie ecologists. I had a great time visiting with fellow colleagues, attending many presentations on restoration techniques, learning about Winona and studying some high quality prairies and supper clubs around the Mississippi River. I also had the great opportunity to listen to Wes Jackson speak and Immortal River author, Dr. Calvin Fremling signed my book.
My take home points from the conference are as follows:
- Jevons Parodox is something I need to learn more about
- Parasitic plants such as Pedicularis canadensis will be an increasingly useful tool in restorations
- ‘Sumac’ received its name from ‘Shoemack’ as its tannins were used for tanning shoe leather
- Climate change is a very secret topic within high government ranks
- Diverse prairies offer the highest biomass yields of any alternative energy form
- Amorpha canescens will stay in one place for many decades
Wes Jackson’s keynote address on Friday was very inspiring. He talked of a future agriculture based on perennial plants of native origin. He dubbed this ”Perennial PrairieCulture.” He maintains a vision that by 2050 the current agricultural processes will be replaced by ones of sustainability. For that reason he stated, “Prairie restoration is one of the most important endeavours that a man can be engaged in.” Preaching to the choir certainly, preaching to humanity hopefully…
The 22nd North American Prairie Conference is to be held in 2010 at Cedar Falls, IA.
This is a reminder that Northwest Illinois’ first annual Green Fair will be occurring two weeks from today. We have organized a long list of knowledgeable speakers and exhibitors on sustainable living. I will be giving two presentations on Saturday. One titled “Saving Money with Sustainable Landscapes” and another titled, “What is Ecological Restoration?”
Hope to see you there!
Green Fair 2008: Ideas & Products for Your Home & Business
June 27-28
Location: Highland Community College West, U.S. Highway 20, Elizabeth, Illinois.
Dinner and Keynote Speaker: Roy Buol, Mayor of Dubuque, Iowa
Friday, June 27, 7:00 PM. (reservation required)
The Green Fair is for home owners, business owners, families, kids, contractors, teachers — and you! It’s all about the tools for living lighter on the earth:
• Energy conservation.
• Green building techniques.
• Local and organic foods.
• Sustainable living.
• Natural lawn care.
Green Fair 2008 will include special sessions on various topics:
• Childrens’ activities, including worm composting.
• Backyard wildlife.
• Energy bicycle.
• Local food.
greenfair2008_brochure.pdf file with speaker schedule, reception info and exhibitor list.
The logo we are required to include…
An interesting exhibit has opened in Chicago this week. It explores the American obsession with lawns. The Notebaert Nature Museum is featuring “Lawn Nation: The Art & Science of the American Lawn” through September 7th. This exhibit dives deep into the lawn’s history in America and why alternatives should be utilized.
The exhibit is the first of its kind and uses a mix of videos, interactive displays, 30 commissioned pieces of artwork and 4 alternative lawns in front of the museum. Curators of the display have dubbed the grass, clover, dandelion mix out front the ‘Freedom Lawn” because of its low maintenance requirements. The press release states that homeowners pour three times more pesticides per acre than industrial farmers and that all lawns put together could carpet the state of Kentucky. I bet this is just a snippet of the wealth of information made available there.
If any of you city dwellers are able to view this exhibit, I would be interested to hear your comments.
If You Go:
Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Dr., Chicago
When: Through September 7th.
Cost: $9 for Adults and $7 for Seniors
Details: 773-755-5100 or www.chias.org
Today is Earth Day in the Northern hemisphere. The one day of the year where environmentalists can bask in environmental awareness. Earth Day has been held each year since 1970. It was the brainchild of Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson. Today, it is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a half billion people participate in Earth Day events annually. Each year many events are planned locally to promote sustainability and the cleaning of our land, air and water.
This year, Time magazine printed a special environmental issue to coincide with Earth Day. Its cover article, Why Green is the new Red, White and Blue digs deep into the current political status of the environment including some important information on the Lieberman-Warner Bill. Of course buying this issue at the newstand would be at the detriment of trees and would just help the logging industry. So, I suggest reading the article online here: http://www.time.com/time/
Today for some Green fun, I compiled a list of great Green websites for you to visit and a link to test your ecological footprint:
http://grist.org/ The Colbert Report of climate change
http://www.treehugger.com/ The go-to guide for sustainable living
http://www.realclimate.org/ Climate science from climate scientists (says it all)
http://www.ecorazzi.com/ What celebrities are doing to help the environment
Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz here:
http://www.earthday.net/footprint/info.asp
Happy Earth Day everyone.
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!
It has been announced that the 21st North American Prairie Conference will be held in Winona, MN on August 4-8, 2008. The NAPC is held every other year and its locations have varied from Ontario, Canada to Texas but is usually held somewhere in the Midwest. Next year will be the first time that it will be held in the Driftless Area. The NAPC is a great resource for everyone from the hobbyist to the professional. There are a wide variety of topics to learn about and some great field trips to attend.
The first NAPC was originally called The Symposium on Prairies and Prairie Restoration and was held on September 14 and 15, 1968 at Knox College in Galesburg, IL, organized by prairie pioneer Peter Schramm. This symposium morphed into the Midwest Prairie Conference and became the North American Prairie Conference in 1978. A lot has changed since its humble begginings in 1968.
I attended the 2004 NAPC in Madison, WI and found it very rewarding. Mark your calenders to head to Winona State University next August.
Cory Ritterbusch will be speaking at the Prairie Restoration Workshop on July 30 in Elizabeth, IL. The workshop is scheduled between 9-3 at the Elizabeth community building on route 20. Participants can view two local prairie restorations during the afternoon sessions. Advance registration is $25.00 and $35.00 after July 19. To learn more contact Mark Maidak at 815.858.2273. The workshop is co-sponsored by the Northwestern Illinois Land and Farm Preservation Coalition, The Prairie Enthusiasts and the University of Illinois Extension.
I just returned from attending the 21st North American Prairie Conference in Winona, MN. The NAPC is the Super Bowl™ for prairie ecologists. I had a great time visiting with fellow colleagues, attending many presentations on restoration techniques, learning about Winona and studying some high quality prairies and supper clubs around the Mississippi River. I also had the great opportunity to listen to Wes Jackson speak and Immortal River author, Dr. Calvin Fremling signed my book.
