East Central Region

Counties: Champaign, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Livingston, Macon, McClean, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby, Vemillion

Upcoming Events:

McLean County Museum of History
200 N. Main
Bloomington, IL.
Come & Get It! The Way We Ate 1830 -2008
Opening March 28, 2009 through August 6, 2010
Explore the eating habits, cooking equipment, methods and diverse food traditions of McLean residents since the early 1800s. Discover how dramatically our habits have changed over time. Investigate four kitchens, each representing a different era and illuminating how the kitchen has changed in the last 180 years. Use hands-on interactives to better understand where food has come from and how dramatically food sources have changed. Delve into the interpretive panels between kitchens to see social and economic changes that have shaped the way we
ate from 1830 to 2008.

Illinois Butterflies - ENTICE Workshop
July 19
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sugar Grove Nature Center
McLean County
Flutter in and join other educators of grades kindergarten through six as we are introduced to the butterflies of Illinois! Butterfly life history, identification, conservation and adaptations will be discussed. Information on developing butterfly habitat will also be included. Learn about Monarch Watch and other butterfly conservation programs. We’ll go outside to observe and identify butterflies in native habitats. Continuing Professional Development Units are available. Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, this workshop is part of the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program.
Fee: $10, Register at https://www.enticeworkshops.com.

Landscaping with Prairie Plants
July 24
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve
10-11am
Find out what prairie plants might go well in your yard. $5 per person. To register contact Ralph at rbonati@ccfpd.org or 217-586-2612.

A Flying WILD Workshop will be offered in the East Central Region on August 4, 2010 - Location TBD - Stay tuned for more information!

Living with Wildlife
Aug 7
Anita Purves Nature Center, Urbana IL
1-3pm All ages (under 15 with adult)
Learn how to prevent problems with wildlife, the best ways to deal with nuisance animals, and rules for dealing with injured or orphan wildlife. Let the nature center help you connect with wildlife in a safe way. Get advice from professionals of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Animal Control and other local resources for dealing with wildlife situations.
Call 367-1544 to register.
Cost: $5R/$10NR register by July 23
$6R/$12NR register by July 30
R/NR-Champaign-Urbana Resident/Non-resident

Water Lilies & Water Features
August 21
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve
10-12pm
Jim Wuersch from Prairie Gardens Nursery will present information on water lilies and water features that you can enjoy in your own yard. FREE. To register contact Ralph at rbonati@ccfpd.org or 217-586-2612.

Pages from the Prairie Workshop - "Nature's Seasons and Cycles to the Standards"
October 1, 2010
Kennekuk County Park
Danville, IL.
Educators will experience literature and activities relating to the yearly emergence of life in a pond; explore the science behind the nocturnal/diurnal lifestyles of our Illinois wildlife and study monarch butterfly migration through hands-on tagging activities that can be duplicated immediately back in the classroom! Program is being offered through Pages from the Prairie, facilitated by Sarah Livesay.
This work­shop brings lessons on the cycles and seasons of our natural world into your classroom/programs by using scientifically-ac­curate children’s literature (fictional) as the tool used to intro­duce these concepts in connection with specifically designed activities divided among classroom investigations, outdoor explorations and fine arts extensions.
Cost: $50.00 which includes a collection of fictional Children’s Literature Nature Books, Teacher's Resource Kit, In­structional Binder correlated to Illinois Learning Goals and Standards, lunch and more!
CPDU’s are available.
Space is Limited - Register today for this brand new workshop! Contact Lara Darling, ldarling@vccd.org, 217-442-1691, for more details.
Workshop is sponsored by the Vermilion County Conservation District Foundation, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Environmental Education Association of Illinois.


October 5-7
Illinois Water 2010: Quality, Quantity and Sustainability Conference
Hilton Garden Inn, Champaign, Illinois
The Illinois Water Conference brings together government employees, educators, corporate representatives, citizens groups and NGO members, and scientists to learn about the latest issues affecting Illinois' waters.
Who Should Attend?
· Federal, state, and local government employees
· Educators
· Corporate representatives
· Citizens groups and NGO members
· Anyone interested in Illinois Water issues
Why Attend?
· Learn more about the latest issues affecting Illinois' waters
· Network and exchange new ideas
· View exhibits and posters related to water resource in Illinois

Learn more about Illinois Water 2010 and the Illinois Water Resources Center by visiting
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/iwrc/.

Resources:

The Sangamon River: A Sense of Place DVD
For social science teachers of grades six through eight in Cass, Champaign, Ford, Mason, Menard, Logan, McLean, De Witt, Piatt, Macon, Sangamon, Christian, Montgomery, Macoupin, Tazewell and Shelby counties, The Sangamon River: A Sense of Place is a DVD that can help you teach about a local resource, its culture and history. This DVD (56 minutes, closed captioned) was produced by the University of Illinois at Springfield and has been shown on local PBS stations. If you teach in one of these counties and would like a free copy of this DVD, please send your request on school letterhead to Valerie Keener at the address listed below.
Valerie Keener
Administrator, Division of Education
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702-1271
217-785-0973
Cell 217-725-9620
FAX 217-782-9552
valerie.keener@illinois.gov

Illinois' Insects and Spiders Resources Trunks Available for Loan
Students are fascinated by insects and spiders. Help them learn more about these creatures by borrowing one of the new Illinois' Insects and Spiders resources trunks produced by the IDNR Division of Education. Each trunk contains books, field guides, equipment, posters, CD-ROMs, life cycle models, observation containers and much more. There's also an Illinois-specific “Crime-Solving Insects” forensic activity. Targeted to grades K-6.

These trunks are available for loan in our area at the following sites:
Champaign County
Anita Purves Nature Center
1505 N. Broadway
Urbana, IL. 61801
217-384-4062

Coles County
Fox Ridge State Park
Charleston, IL.
217-345-6416

Macon County
Rock Springs Nature Center
Decatur, IL.
217-423-7708

Regional Directors:

Stacey Clementz
Champaign County Forest Preserve District
sclementz@ccfpd.org

Erica Schneider
Urbana Park District
emschneider@urbanaparks.org