Hoop Dreams, Orchids, and Moths
Late last August, Adam Ralph was playing basketball with his sister at their Vernon Hills home. When the ball rolled toward a pile of leaves in the garage, Adam noticed one rolled-up leaf looked different. He decided it was a bug and captured it. "He's always capturing creatures and letting them go, hoping to make a Great Discovery," said his mother, Joy. After consulting bug books, teachers, and the college extension service, Adam and Joy were still unable to identify this curious moth. Finally, the College of Lake County's Dr. John Mathwig identified the insect as Tersa sphinx, a species of hawk moth, which are the only moths that can fly backwards like a hummingbird. Adam was thrilled.

Several weeks later Joy read an article in Horizons, a Lake County Forest Preserve publication, about the endangered prairie white-fringed orchid, which is rare in part because of a lack of hawk moths, the only insects that can pollinate it. To restore populations of this species, volunteers pollinate the orchids with toothpicks, thus mimicking the hawk moth's long tongue. Joy and Adam contacted the District about their find, and Frank Drummond, Lake County's wildlife biologist, paid them a visit. "I was very encouraged," said Drummond. "Not only does Adam's find offer promising news for our orchids, but it reminds us all of the wide-eyed wonder and beauty of our wilderness." — Alison Carney Brown

Midewin Dump Deal?
The Will County Board and Waste Management Corp. have proposed a landfill that would raise a 150-foot high wall of garbage next to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, home to 19 threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Hydrologist Charles Norris testified in public hearings that seepage from the planned dump would likely contaminate groundwater that feeds Prairie Creek. The mounds of garbage would also attract gulls and rats, two predators that might further damage Midewin's fragile ecology.

The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was created in 1996, after the Army closed the Joliet Arsenal. US Congressmen George Sangmeister and Jerry Weller and the Joliet Arsenal Citizen Planning Commission spearheaded the agreement that set aside the land for the Prairie. The agreement also contained provisions for two industrial parks on the developed portion of the Arsenal's property and 455 acres for Will County's use as a landfill. The landfill was to accept waste only from Will County and was to be closed after 20 years. However, the current proposal would create a landfill three times the size of the one in the original agreement and the County would accept waste from a nine-county area.

Opposition to the enlarged landfill has been led by the Sierra Club, the Midewin Alliance, and Congressman Jerry Weller. The Will County Board held public hearings last November, beginning a period of public comment that ended January 6. The Board will make a final decision by March 12. For more information, contact Jack Darin at the Sierra Club (312) 251-1680 or Dean Olson of Will County's Waste Services Division at (815) 727-8834. — Mark Sheehy

Good News for Woodland Birds
According to an ongoing study conducted at the Cook County Forest Preserve District's Swallow Cliff Woods and other sites in Illinois, native woodland birds such as redheaded woodpeckers, Baltimore orioles, indigo buntings, and summer tanagers are benefiting from habitat restoration efforts. "Our research indicates that as our woodlands are restored and maintained through the reintroduction of fire and removal of invasive plant species, our native woodland bird populations return and thrive," states Jeffrey Brawn, associate professional scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. "The majority of bird species do better in the restored areas," says Brawn, who indicates that the few that do not — closed-canopy forest birds — typically require larger intact forests than the fragmented tracts at Swallow Cliff for successful nesting and rearing of young. "Our results speak strongly in favor of woodland restoration as a way to conserve the diversity of our native bird populations," says Brawn. Brawn pointed out that only small areas have been restored and studied so far and that continued research is needed. Shrubland and prairie habitats were not considered in this study.

— Nicole Kamins

Canal Comes Clean
For more than 10 years the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal National Heritage Corridor Civic Center Authority has been working to improve the Canal in the Willow Springs area. Unlike the Continental Divide of the great Rocky Mountains, the I & M Canal crosses a subcontinental divide only six feet high, but its purpose was mighty, connecting waterways from the Atlantic (through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River) to the Gulf of Mexico (through the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers).

Since its heyday in the early 1800s, the canal has become filled with silt and clogged with brush. The potential 70 miles of open trail along its suburban banks motivated several meetings between the Civic Center Authority, the Army Corps of Engineers and Congressman Lipinski. The first real progress was made in Willow Springs in 1997, fittingly during the Canal's sesquicentennial celebration year. Volunteers removed more than 200 large deadfall trees and debris, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago jet-rodded several silted-in culverts to improve water flow. "This is only a tiny step in the right direction," said Stan Johnson, Director of the Civic Center Authority. "We need major funding for real improvement." — Becky Polivka

Citizens and Sandhills
This past summer, for the first time in living memory, sandhill cranes nested at Flint Creek Savanna Preserve near Barrington. Their restored habitat was courtesy of Citizens for Conservation (CFC). For more than 12 years, CFC has been buying land and rebuilding wetland, prairie, and savanna communities. This fall, CFC made an agreement in principle with Premier Homes to purchase an additional 47 acres of land adjacent to Flint Creek Savanna. The plan is to create a wetland within the addition to serve as a retention pond for drainage of the homes to be built nearby. Former CFC president Waid Vanderpoel said that CFC has planned a true wetland "rather than what I call a typical algae pit. We'll do the landscaping with native aquatic plants." This creative plan allows the developer to deal with runoff, the human residents to aquire attractive land nearby, and precious wetland habitat to be created for many other species. CFC has more than 400 members devoted to conservation in the Barrington area. Call (847) 382-7283 for more information.

— Michael Graff

Green Development!
There's an exciting development underway in Chesterton, Indiana. Coffee Creek Center is a 640-acre community that will include 1,200 new homes and 2-3 million square feet of commercial and retail space. So what's exciting? The developer, the Lake Erie Land Company, sees this project as an example of sustainable development and, in keeping with this approach, has already spent approximately $1.6 million on ecological restoration there.

Last December the developer turned over 185 acres to the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy, a non-profit organization assembled to preserve and manage the development's natural land. The 185 acres border a creek which runs through the property on its way to Lake Michigan. The Conservancy is comprised of representatives from environmental organizations such as Save the Dunes Council, Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund, and the Northwest Indiana Steelheaders (who work to conserve fish habitat).

The Conservancy has been working on developing strict guidelines for the protection of the site's native plant communities, including wetland, riparian, prairie and oak savanna. The Conservancy's land will be open to the public, protected from development, and restored and maintained as native habitat. The preservation of this land also serves an important storm water management role: rain water will be distributed into the land, allowing it to filter into the creek — there will be no retention ponds. Mike Ryan, vice president of the Northwest Indiana Steelheaders commented, "Lake Erie has done a tremendous job. Eventually, hopefully this will be a model that will expand throughout the watershed." Conservation Design Forum of Elmhurst, IL prepared the restoration plan along with J.F. New & Associates of Walkerton, Indiana. — Andrea Friederici Ross

Disappearing Dams
The Des Plaines River near Riverside may undergo major changes soon. As part of its Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program, the Army Corps of Engineers is working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) on a preliminary restoration plan that involves alteration of the Hofmann Dam between Lyons and Riverside and removal of two nearby smaller dams. The Hoffman Dam River Rats Fishing Club has championed the project, which may help clean up the river, improve fish populations, open up fish migration routes, and alleviate some flooding problems. Steve Pescitelli, an IDNR streams biologist, points to recent studies showing 25 species of fish below Hofmann Dam and just nine species above, indicating how drastically the dam affects the habitat. If the preliminary plan is approved, an in-depth feasibility study would follow. If the plan is approved, construction could begin within two years. This could be a model for future dam removals in Illinois. — Andrea Friederici Ross

To Vote and Preserve
On April 13, voters in Kane, Lake and Will counties have the opportunity to approve land acquisition, preservation, and District improvements through forest preserve bond referenda. These three counties are growing rapidly, and timely forest preserve acquisitions can help balance urban development with open space. In Lake County, the referendum would provide $55 million in general obligation bonds, $35 million of which would be for land preservation and $20 million for habitat restoration, trails and other improvements. In Kane County, the $70 million referendum would further the goal of acquiring an additional 5,000 acres of open space and improve existing forest preserve properties. Will County Forest Preserve District's $70 million bond referendum includes plans to designate 72 percent for land acquisition, with the rest for development and habitat restoration projects at existing preserves. — Alison Carney Brown

Rookeries Get Help From Will and Cook Counties
Last fall, developers built dozens of homes in the heart of Lake Renwick Nature Preserve near Plainfield in Will County. But these were no typical developers — or residents. Volunteers, most from the Will County chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society, prepared nesting platforms for the site's many breeding herons, egrets and cormorants. Lake Renwick has been a waterbird mecca, providing 44 percent of the state's nesting areas for the double-crested cormorant, and nearly 100 percent for the cattle egret, according to 1995 data. "The new nest sites are a great start, but there is still more to be done to help maintain this important rookery," says Audubon's Rita Renwick (no relation to the lake). The Forest Preserve District of Will County also hopes to do more for the birds. One plan includes removing fingers of land extending to some of the nesting islands — avenues that allow raccoons and other predators to threaten nests.

On February 4, officials and land managers reviewed the preliminary management plan for another Chicago Wilderness rookery, along with the lake and lands surrounding it. Like Lake Renwick, Baker's Lake is struggling with overcrowding, loss of vegetation from excessive guano, and erosion. Owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, this island rookery has been a popular destination for black-crowned night herons, great blue herons, great egrets and, more recently, double-crested cormorants. At one time, the preserve held 220 black-crowned night heron nests, and in 1984, the site was dedicated as a Nature Preserve primarily to protect this state-endangered bird. But in the past several years, their breeding success has decreased dramatically. According to Ken Wilz, naturalist at Crabtree Nature Center, none successfully bred at the preserve for the past two years. Hopefully this management plan will offer black-crowned night herons a second chance at Baker's Lake, and a better chance at survival in Illinois. — Sheryl De Vore

Respect for the Native
In September 1998, Highland Park joined the ranks of such municipalities as Bloomingdale, Naperville, and Long Grove by officially endorsing the use of native plant species in landscaping. Weed ordinances in many towns still prohibit or limit natural landscaping. The new Highland Park ordinance cites improved wildlife habitat, aesthetic benefits, and erosion prevention as advantages of native landscaping. The city also distributed booklets to all residents, with suggestions for starting a natural garden and ideas for how to integrate natural plantings in the neighborhood. For copies of Highland Park's guide, contact Rebecca Grill at (847) 831-1709 or hagrfg@aol.com. — Kathy Kowal

For their help with the news, thanks to: Tom Anderson, Conrad Drust, Stan Johnson, David Kircher, Kathy Kowal, Kim McFarland, Gary Mechanic, Judy Pollock, Douglas Stotz, and Gerald D. Tang.