West Central Region

Counties: Adams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Fulton, Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Logan, Macoupin, Madison, Mason, McDonough, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott

Upcoming Events:

March 3, 2012
Roots of Nature (RON) Early Childhood Educator Training including Growing Up WILD: Exploring Nature with Young Children
Adams Wildlife Sanctuary in Springfield, Illinois.
Time: 8:30 am–5:00 pm
Location: Illinois Audubon Society; Springfield, IL.
Cost: Contact for registration options
Registration: Contact Jo Fessett at (217) 544-2473 or jfessett@illinoisaudubon.org
Facilitator: Patti Brown, The Nature Institute
This one-day focus on providing nature education to budding naturalists is organized by Betsy Irwin (Lincoln Memorial Gardens) and Jo Fessett (Illinois Audubon Society). The 2012 event will offer a full day of nature education (from 8:30am to 5:00pm) with the option to attend a Growing Up WILD (GUW) educator training workshop in the morning. Topics covered during the sessions will support Growing Up WILD activities, and the day will conclude with a sampling of crafts, food, and songs from the Growing Up WILD curricula. The workshop is open to anyone who is interested in improving their ability to bring nature education to the future stewards of our lands and waters, but GUW workshop attendance is not mandatory. More details and workshop costs will be available soon. If you are interested and would like a registration form, please contact Jo at jfessett@illinoisaudubon.org.

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

IL Zero Waste Schools Grant Program
The IL Zero Waste Schools Grant Program provides Illinois public and nonpublic schools grant funds to be used to implement or expand recycling and waste reduction programs. The purpose of the program is to assist Illinois schools in achieving zero waste status, thus increasing the amount of solid waste diverted from Illinois landfills. A new grant cycle will begin later this year to fund recycling programs to begin in schools in the Fall 2009. Your name will be added to the 2009 IL Zero Waste Schools Grant program notification list. You will be contacted as soon as the application is available. To be placed on the notification list, please email Brett Ivers at Brett.Ivers@illinois.gov

In addition to the grant program, the Bureau of Energy and Recycling sponsors the IL Sustainable Education Project (ISTEP). ISTEP offers FREE educational resources, including hands-on inquiry kits (recycling/vermicomposting), bookmarks, and posters that focus on energy efficiency and recycling. ISTEP also offers pencils made from recycled material available in multiple quantities for classroom/school events. The website is being updated, but a description of some program offerings can be found at www.istep.org. Please contact Susan Nevitt at Susan.Nevitt@illinois.gov or 217-785-2863 to order material.

Reconnecting People to Our Region's Great Rivers
The network of conservation, heritage and recreation attractions developing in The Confluence provides countless opportunities to reconnect to the Great Rivers in the heart of our bi-state St. Louis region.
www.confluencegreenway.org

Regional Directors:

Patti Brown
The Nature Institute
tni3@piasanet.com

Paula Edgar
John Wood Community College
edgar@jwcc.edu