Chapter Events

Dayton Bluffs Preserve is a 253-acre natural area owned by The Conservation Foundation and leased to the city of Ottawa.  Approximately 154-acres are wooded, the remainder a restored prairie. There are four different hiking trails totaling 7.1 miles. Almost one mile of the trail is on the Fox River shoreline. 

This Preserve is the subject of our May program so this is a great opportunity to see it two weeks after we hear about it.

Members will be able to find more information about this field trip in the May 1 newsletter including how to register for it. If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].

Board meeting

Note:  The program on Vegetation Management on IDOT roadways previously scheduled for this date has been cancelled.  We hope to reschedule it for another time.

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This program will also be livestreamed.  Join the livestream HERE.   At the request of the presenter this program will not be recorded.

Hear how bison have helped shape tallgrass prairies and learn how they are being restored to Illinois natural areas.  Listen to their stories of connection to us; both historical and contemporary.  Celebrate their inspiration for art, music, and literature as you enjoy viewing beautiful images of our local bison.

Presenter Bio:

Cindy Crosby graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2014 with her master's degree in natural resources, with a focus on environmental interpretation. For more than a decade as a prairie steward and volunteer, Cindy helped manage and coordinate the work of other volunteers on the fourth oldest restored prairie in North America.  Cindy also trains dragonfly monitors and coordinates dragonfly programs at two sites in Illinois. She served as interpretation coordinator for The Morton Arboretum, where she developed print and digital communications, interpretive panels, and interpretive exhibits seen by more than one million visitors each year. Her past educational background includes former certifications as a Master Gardener, Interpretive Guide and Interpretive Trainer. Today, Cindy teaches natural history classes, writing classes, and coaches writers and naturalists to improve their skills. Cindy serves on the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands Science Grants committee, which helps fund research to support the tallgrass prairie. She was Artist-in-Residence for a wilderness national park, and later served as a juror for a national park artist-in-residence program for three years.

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Note:  This program will also be livestreamed and recorded.  A link to join the livestream will be provided here closer to the program date.

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Don Gardner was always curious about the prairie plants he found along the railroad and at remnant sites around his childhood home at a small dairy farm in Kempton, IL.  In 1974 he began to the reconstruction of a prairie in the former cow pasture, and it has flourished over the last 50 years to now host around 140 species of native plants, all from within 100 miles. Don's careful approach to prairie reconstruction and intensive management of the site have resulted in a remarkably high quality and colorful prairie.  Join us as we explore methods of establishing and maintaining a rich local prairie and look at some of the current projects and challenges at the site.

Speaker Bio:

Scott Saffer fights invasive plants and helps manage Don Gardner's prairie in Kempton, IL.  He grew up wandering the woods around Moraine View State Park, fishing local creeks and lakes, and exploring Weston Prairie Cemetery.  After years of teaching science on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, he returned to teach in Central Illinois, retiring this year.  Along the way he worked on various research projects for the U.S. Forest Service, Centers for Disease Control, University of New Mexico Museum of Southwestern Biology, and Illinois Natural History Survey.  He's done field work on topics including rodents, Hantavirus, prairies, amphibians and reptiles, birds, and insects.  Currently he's learning the intricacies of tending the prairie from Don Gardner, and working with his students on a muti-year research project reintroducing prairie cicadas to the site.

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Chapter members will meet at a local park to tour native plantings, share food and vistit.  More details will be provided in the August 1 chapter newsletter sent to members.

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Board meeting

Note: This program will be presented both in-person and via livestream.  A link to join the livestream will be available here closer to the presentation date.

After twenty years, The Meadows at Lurie Garden had changed beyond recognition — the once-diverse planting had been overtaken by a few dominant species, and invasive weeds were gaining ground. It became clear that to restore the spirit of the garden, we had to begin again. In this talk, I’ll share the story of that renewal — from the moment we decided to start fresh, through the challenges of excavation and rebuilding the soil, to working alongside Piet Oudolf as he envisioned a new design for the space. Along the way, I’ll reflect on what this process taught us about resilience in the landscape — how even beloved gardens need renewal, how healthy soil and plant diversity form the true foundation of beauty, and how collaboration and patience are as essential to gardening as sunlight and rain.

Presenter Bio:

Kristian Brooks is the Horticulturist for Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park, where she helps steward one of the most influential contemporary perennial plantings in the world. She works closely with designer Piet Oudolf and the Lurie Garden team to maintain and reimagine complex plant communities that balance artistry with ecology. Her work focuses on the long-term care and renewal of perennial landscapes that serve as inspiration for visitors from all over the world. Kristian has previously held positions with Chicago Botanic Garden and her family’s farm and nursery, Farmer’s Garden Greenhouse in Michigan. She feels most at home surrounded by plants and is proud to continue a generations-long legacy of caring for them.

Details coming soon! 

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Board meeting

This participatory presentation will explore ways to restore our yards, focusing on the relationships between native plants, birds, bees and butterflies, going beyond the typical pollinator garden to first research and then replant the larger native ecosystem. Then using our yards as a beacon for broader change the audience will map successful strategies for restoring your neighborhood, and the broader community, working with partners who share our passion, such as Wild Ones, the Illinois Native Plant Society, Master Gardeners, and Bird City advocates. 

Presenter Bio:

Brian “Fox” Ellis is an author, storyteller and naturalist, who is currently Director of Outreach and Education for the Illinois Audubon Society, where he is also editor of Illinois Audubon magazine. Because of recent moves, he has transformed three communities, planted 12,000 trees, landscaped several schools, businesses, and a hospital grounds, creating wildlife corridors and an eBird Hotspot from scratch. Fox is currently managing Illinois Audubon Society’s Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary Certification program with the goal of restoring communities across the state.

Details coming soon! 

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Details coming soon!