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| 2010
EEAI Annual Meeting “Southern Illinois Eco-Excursions” April
16-17, 2010
EEAI’s Southern Illinois Eco-Excursions! Even though we are in the throes of winter and almost all of Illinois is currently covered in a layer of snow, let’s get excited for springtime and the 2010 EEAI Annual Meeting and Conference! EEAI is eager to invite everyone to the Touch of Nature Environmental Center, Makanda, Illinois on April 16-17, 2010 for an outdoor learning experience like no other. The "Southern Illinois Eco-Excursions" event will combine field experiences and environmental education components that are sure to refresh and rejuvenate any and all teaching methods. Southern Illinois is well-known for rich and diverse natural areas and this conference will give you an up-close and in-depth educational tour of these special and unique areas. Joe McFarland, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and author of Mushrooms of Illinois, will lead an Eco-Excursion into the forests hunting for fungi of all shapes and sizes, including the prized spring morel mushroom. Joe will also showcase his famous mushroom photography during an evening presentation. An Eco-Excursion into Rich’s Cave, located in the Shawnee National Forest and designated an Illinois Natural Heritage Landmark, will allow participants to discover and learn about cave habitats and our only mammalian flier, the bat. This Eco-Excursion, however, may have to be cancelled if white-nose syndrome becomes an issue. Like rock climbing? A Geology Eco-Excursion while rock climbing some of the magnificent rock formations in Southern Illinois will be offered. Mid-April is perfect time for an Eco-Excursion Wildflower Hike and an early morning voyage to listen to the spring migration of Birds. Survival Skills for food, water, shelter and fire-building will remind participants how to live off the land. A Twilight Paddle will be held on Little Grassy Lake, a 1,200 acre reservoir managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. And, no trip to Southern Illinois would be complete without a Canoe Trip along the Cache River with the Land for Learning Institute. An Eco-Excursion to LaRue Pine Hills is also intended. LaRue Pine Hills is where many threatened and endangered species live and is one of only two sites in the state where the native shortleaf pine grows naturally. LaRue Pine Hills, however, is most famous for the biannual "Snake Migration" across the LaRue Road. The road is closed to vehicular traffic every spring and fall to help protect thousands of reptiles and amphibians during their migration between their summer and winter habitats. A visit to Southern Illinois University’s Vermiculture Center is also planned. Here, all scraps from the University’s dining halls are recycled through a vermicompost pile, then used in the organic gardens to grow fruits and vegetables, which are then fed to the University students in the dining halls. These exciting Eco-Excursions and much more will be offered at this ‘Back to Nature’ conference! Be sure to mark April 16-17, 2010 on your calendar now so you can be a part of the Southern Illinois Eco-Excursions! Updates on the conference will be posted at www.EEAI.net, through the EEAI e-mail list serve, and through the postal mail service.
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