Events

Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society - Events

Protecting the Nation's First State Dedicated Nature Preserve

Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society

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Calendar

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Dunesland meetings are held four or five times a year on the third Saturday of the month at noon. They are held at the Illinois Beach State Park Resort. We have a luncheon meeting which features a speaker who focuses on an aspect of the environment or ecology.

The view of the lake from the resort is lovely! Please join us, you’ll be glad you did!

The 2007 Luncheon Meeting Schedule

February 17, 2007 - Noon Illinois Beach State Park Resort

Living in Harmony with Creation by Barbara Peter

If you were to make arrangements for collecting delicious fresh eggs every day, how might your life be changed? How can you live a lifestyle that is more in harmony with all of creation? Barbara Peter, our February speaker, will relate how her life has been influenced by "Permaculture," a 1978 Australian concept, defined as a sustainable design system that stresses the harmonious interrelationship of humans, plants, animals, and the Earth.

Observing the richness of the biodiversity of the park’s beach, she extended that benefit of interrelationship to her home on a smaller scale. After her new henhouse was built, she purchased four pullets and feed. Next, she ordered rain barrels to harvest rain for the hens and garden. The order for a worm ranch followed, to change shredded junk-mail into compost for the garden.

No growth hormones or antibiotics or chemical fertilizers are used. Paying attention to the ways that different species live best with each other has led to an extremely productive system. Bottom line: one gets more control over one's food supply, while becoming reconnected to the natural relationships of the landscape.

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April 21, 2007 - Noon Illinois Beach State Park Resort

Backyard Birding in Your Own Neighborhood by Betty Rotert

Our April speaker is Bette Rotert of Vernon Hills. She will share her expertise and insights about bird-watching, using her highly honed storytelling skills. Come share her delight in the natural world around us and sharpen your own skills and interests in birding.

Bette has an advanced art degree and is the religious education director of North Shore Unitarian Church. She has owned knit shops and started a knitting ministry that knits lap robes and shawls for cancer patients. The ministry also knits preemie sets for Lutheran General Hospital for preemies under two pounds. Bette has also owned an antique shop and is an avid antique hound.

Join us and be delighted by the tales and insights of this truly fascinating Renaissance woman!

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The Circle of Recycling, Reduce Reuse Recycle Recover by Libby Christianson Our June speaker is Libby Christianson of Libertyville. She has always had an interest in recycling and says she was a “Crunchy Granola” from way back when! More people are now reaching a new level of environmental awareness, but we often need easy ideas to help us do our part to help preserve our resources for future generations. Libby will help us develop an awareness of some great strategies to implement.

Join us for an enthusiastic and entertaining presentation. Libby has many great ideas that she will share with you:
What are the best ways to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover?
What can and can’t be recycled?
What plastic is safer? What types should be avoided?
How can the consumer drive the market by the kind of packaging we buy and the way it is recycled?

How can the consumer complete the circle from the consumable item to recycling and what are important things to be aware of in order to complete the cycle?

Be enriched by ways that you can make a contribution and reduce your ecological footprint on the Earth!

September 15, 2007 - Noon Illinois Beach State Park Resort

The Exotic Everglades by Len Messineo

Len Messineo is a dedicated nature and wildlife photographer whose expertise and knowledge developed after his retirement from his manufacturing business in 1992. He has won numerous awards and citations in the Chicago area and was awarded Photographer of the Year honors in the highly respected Riverwoods Nature Photographic Society, where he also

served as President. The Chicago Area Camera Clubs Association has recognized Len’s accomplishments with many awards, including First Place in Nature Photography competition several times and a special achievement citation TOPS. He received the 2003 Kohout Nature Award, one of the most prestigious awards of the Association. He has presented at Dunesland meetings several times and we’re delighted to have him return.

This program explores the unusual factors of a vast, complex system of water, climate, and geology unique to South Florida. It includes the mysterious plant life of a cypress swamp, and the effect of dramatic fires on the ecology. A study of the past and present, with expectations for the future, are offered in a visual presentation of facts, narrative and dramatic images, forming an uncomplicated yet informative overview of the world’s only Everglades.

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November 17, 2007 - Noon Illinois Beach State Park Resort
"My Experiences in Africa” by Ellen Powell

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Volunteers

There are many opportunities for volunteers to help Dunesland. We need assistance with mailings, contacting legislators, desktop publishing, publicity, press releases, program coordination, archiving documents, fund raising, and web site sales. We can also benefit from your new ideas!

If you would like to work outdoors at the park, there are special opportunities such as wetland burns, adopting a section of the park for monitoring, such as local creeks, ravines, birds, park boundaries, bluebirds, butterflies, reed grass, purple loosestrife, and others. There is also training for identification of plants and animals and dunesland topography.

Please contact Dunesland by email or by phone if you would like to volunteer.

Share Your Time, Talent, and Treasure

There are many ways that you can help Dunesland and take action to help the environment. Please explore our web site to discover the topics that appeal to your quest to be of service. Contact us if you have new ideas. We’re always open to exploring new ways to share our message. Committed volunteers are our lifeblood.

If you are unable to share your talents at this time, perhaps you are able to make a donation to help facilitate the work of the volunteers in the trenches. Please go to our Gifting Page for ways to share your treasure.

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Take Action

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Late Summer Flowers

Wood Stork

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Ellen Powell is a nurse who has lived in Waukegan most of her life and is a life-long Dunesland member, thanks to her parents’ involvement as charter members of our organization! She has also lived in France and Texas. She has done missionary work in Jamaica, and Bolivia; in Africa for almost a year. She is preparing for another trip to Africa next winter.

Ellen’s slide presentation will focus on her African missionary experience and incorporate all aspects of her East African experience: safari, living with an African family, working with orphaned HIV+ children, assisting with medical missions in rural Africa, and a jaunt to the Indian Ocean (Mombassa).

As charter members, Ellen’s parents, June and George Holland, attended Dunesland meetings and went on the nature walks. They loved the Dunes—as Ellen still calls it. She remembers going there with her parents, and other relatives and friends as a young child before it was a state park. She has spent a lot of time at the Dunes and has taken many pictures throughout her life depicting her love for nature, as evidenced by the many photos she has shared on Dunesland’s web site.

Ellen is the mother of two adult sons. She retired early from her teaching career at the College of Lake County, then went to East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) on a safari as a way to best use her inheritance when her parents died; she fell in love with the continent! Then, Ellen went back to Tanzania, lived with a family and looked for work. When she didn’t find anything suitable, she returned home, but eventually in September, 2001, went to Kenya where she felt blessed to be able to care for orphaned HIV+ children. She spent about ten months in East Africa.

In addition to her work at the college, Ellen taught nursing at the College of Lake County for twenty years. She worked as a nurse at University of Illinois, Victory Memorial and the VA Hospital. She was also a nurse (Lt. Colonel) in the US Army Reserves for nine years. She is currently working at the Lake County Health Department part time (if such a thing is possible for nurses these days!) in the flu and immunization clinics.

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The 2008 Luncheon Meeting Schedule

April 19
• Important Lake Michigan Environmental Alert - Decommissioning the Zion Nuclear Power Station

Pat Daly from Energy Solutions and Bill Stoermer from Exelon will discuss the decommissioning of the Exelon nuclear power plant which is in the center of Illinois Beach State Park. The plant is on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, the drinking water source for millions of people in the Great Lakes basin. Learn how this large nuclear station will be demolished and what health and safety precautions will be taken for our precious drinking water, the shoreline, ecosystem, the environment, and our nature preserve. A recent exhibition was held for the public about the decommissioning process that will begin after approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Many people could not attend that event, so we also invite the community and elected officials to our luncheon.

Mr. Daly is the Senior Vice President of ZionSolutions has more than two decades of nuclear industry experience at major nuclear facilities within the commercial and federal arenas. He is the general manager for the Zion Station decommissioning and has prior experience in planning and executing other decommissioning projects.

Mr. Stoermer has more than two decades of nuclear plant experience with Exelon Nuclear in key Maintenance, Human Resources, and Communications positions. In December 2006, he was named the Regional Public Affairs Manager for Byron, LaSalle and Quad Cities nuclear-generating stations in western Illinois.

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June 21 , 2008 at noon, Illinois Beach State Park Resort

“Eco Consumerism: Mindful Simplicity in the Era of Climate Change” by Deb Singleton

Even as we work to heal our favorite places on the Earth, we are becoming increasingly aware that our own modern, consumptive lifestyle is unsustainable. But at the same time, we are bombarded with thousands of advertisements every day and are told it is patriotic to go out and buy! Is anyone feeling overwhelmed, depressed or confused?? Fortunately, Deb Singleton brings us a message that is both action-oriented and optimistic. She believes it may look like the worst of times, but this can also be the best of times. We will learn what has her so optimistic (really!) about the political and corporate response to climate change, plus simple things we each can do as consumers that collectively can have tremendous positive impact on both the environment and the quality of our own lives. She reminds us of Ghandi’s encouragement that, “Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”

Deb has degrees in biology and ecology and has been an active suburban environmentalist, ecologist and educator for over 25 years. In that time, she has taught high-school science, chaired the Deerfield environmental commission through the initiation of a progressive curbside recycling program, volunteered 5 years as a naturalist at Ryerson Woods, been active in environmental and social justice causes at her Unitarian church, home schooled her own children for 11 years, and sought to find simplicity in an all consuming world. She is very excited to be alive at this time of tremendous opportunity for humans and all our fellow beings on the planet.

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Len is a dedicated nature and wildlife photographer whose expertise and knowledge developed after his retirement from his manufacturing business in 1992. He has won numerous awards and citations in the Chicago area and was awarded Photographer of the Year honors in the highly respected Riverwoods Nature Photographic Society, where he has also served as President. The Chicago Area Camera Clubs Association has recognized Len’s accomplishments with many awards, including First Place in the Nature Photography competition several times and a special achievement citation TOPS. He received the 2003 Kohout Nature Award, one of the most prestigious awards of the Association.

September 20, 2008 at noon, Illinois Beach State Park Resort
“Creating Clarity Out of Chaos” by Len Messineo

Combining stunning images of nature with the art and technique of photography, Len explores the natural relationship between the eye and lens. What we see is not what the camera records…nature’s offerings are often cluttered and disorganized. Len seeks to “Create Clarity Out of Chaos” with examples and explanations of nuances and skills required to capture impressive images. Intriguing facts and stories of wildflowers, scenery, and wildlife complement the program.

Len’s goal is to convey an understanding and appreciation of the techniques and art of the nature and wildlife photographer. He also aspires to instill in each audience a desire to respect and protect our dwindling natural resources. He has skillfully blended nature stories, photographic imagery, and the environment in an entertaining, yet subtle educational experience. You will enjoy the beautiful images of plants, birds and animals. His work exudes a deep reverence for nature.

Dunesland is very pleased to welcome Len back for another exciting presentation which will take your breath away with the beautiful photographic images he so intricately weaves together.

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Worried about asbestos on our beaches? Find out the real truth and dangers from Dunesland's asbestos health and safety expert, Jeffery C. Camplin, who testified on March 12 before the House Science & Technology Committee's Investigations and Oversight subcommittee about ATSDR/CDC's scientific fraud in the way tests have been conducted to determine the level of asbestos contamination on the Illinois shoreline. Jeff has fought for proper scientific testing for the Lake Michigan shoreline asbestos problem since 2003.

You will find Jeff’s testimony (which was limited to 5 minutes) and Dunesland’s written statement at http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/file/Commdocs/hearings/2009/Oversight/12mar/Camplin_Testimony.pdf and testimony photo at http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2376. You may also read the press release from the American Society of Safety Engineers about the importance of this event at http://www.asse.org/newsroom/release.php?pressRelease=1190.

April 25, 2009 at noon, Illinois Beach State Park Resort
Mr. Camplin Goes to Washington

The 2009 Luncheon Meeting Schedule

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"I tell them there are no backwaters.
There is only one river, and we are all in it.
Wave your arms and the ripples will eventually reach me."
—Scott Russell Sanders

June 20, 2009

Nancy Irons was raised in a house set back in the woods and learned to love nature from her mother. She studied Botany at the University of Wisconsin in Madison with an emphasis on ecology and the environment. She has been a life-long nature enthusiast and educator.

For nearly 20 years, Nancy and her mother have been leading spring wildflower walks. Her presentation, “The Charm of Woodland Wildflowers,” will explore what makes these spring ephemerals such treasures. The slide show will include a visual tour of these wildflowers with discussions on their adaptations and unique characteristics.

Join us for a Who’s Who tour of these delicate beauties!

Bring your walking shoes for an optional nature walk after the presentation!

Nancy Irons, Northbrook, IL, Life-long Nature Enthusiast

B.S. - University of Wisconsin, Madison, double major Botany & Zoology

18 Years of Experience Leading Spring Wildflower Walks in the Chicago area

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“Favorite Birds of North America”
James Benton Speaks at Dunesland's September 12
12 PM Luncheon at Illinois Beach State Park Resort

James Benton is a retired high school teacher of biology and chemistry from Lake Forest High School where he taught from 1957 until his retirement in 1994. Born in Chicago, he lived in Glencoe, then on to a farm in Woodstock in 1940. He has been a member of both the Sierra Club and the National Audubon Society for over 30 years. He also belongs to the IOS (Illinois Ornithological Society) and is also a member of the ABA (American Birding Association) and has attended the latter's conferences and conventions. These have taken him to most of North America's birding "hot spots." Other hobbies include model building (WWII aircraft, sailing ships, and skyscrapers). He also collects apple "art objects." He and his wife Betty have entertained the residents of Lake and Cook County nursing homes with their music (Jim: baritone and Betty: piano). His interest in birds goes back to his farm life and the inspiration received from his maternal grandmother, a top-notch birder in her own right. He has two grown children (Bradley and Lauren) and two grandchildren: Christopher and Matthew.

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"The Negative Effects of Public Utility Policies on the Environment & the Consumer"
Chris Thomas, Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Senior Policy Analyst
Illinois Dunesland's November 21, 2009 Luncheon Speaker
Noon, Illinois Beach State Park Resort on the Lakefront

Electricity production has a largely negative impact on the environment, yet this has long been tolerated in the name of economic development. Join us as Chris Thomas, the Policy Director for the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), Illinois's leading non-profit utility consumer advocacy group, explains how emerging technologies can help bring substantial reform to Illinois's utility system. He will also discuss the work being done by CUB and other consumer and environmental advocates to facilitate positive changes.

Improved efficiency, simplified interconnection of distributed renewable resources, and the introduction of new energy storage systems are all now possible with emerging improvements in technology. Taken together, these improvements will provide a platform that can foster more awareness of the correlation between energy usage and its impact on environmental quality. Mr. Thomas will discuss efforts underway to promote a conscious approach to consumption that can reduce both cost and minimize the negative environmental impacts that are inherent in the current system.

Chris Thomas joined CUB’s staff as a Senior Policy Analyst in September 2004. He spends his days combing through and analyzing industry information, so he can provide easy-to-understand explanations of complicated utility issues for CUB staff and the public. Chris also files expert testimony defending consumers in utility cases before the ICC.

The world of utilities is not new to Chris. After receiving his master’s degree in economics and finance, he worked for four years as a regulatory economist, providing analysis and testimony on telecommunications issues for the Missouri Public Service Commission. Chris said it’s fulfilling to be working for an organization that promotes the public interest, especially in the changing realm of utility deregulation.

“CUB is taking a vital and active role in trying to get consumers the information they need, in a format they can easily understand, to make truly informed decisions based upon the merits of the utility services being offered,” he said.

Sarah Moskowitz, CUB’s Outreach Director, will accompany Chris to this presentation.

The 2010 Luncheon Meeting Schedule

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You Can't “Nuke” Global Warming: Why the “Nuclear Renaissance” is a Fraud
Zion Nuclear Plant’s Potential Safety Problems Affect the Region
Dave Kraft, Director of NEIS, Nuclear Energy Information Service
Nuclear Power Watchdog for Illinois since 1981

May 15, 2010

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