Natural Enquirer: January/February 2012

Natural Enquirer N e w s l e t t e r f o r S p r i n g Va l l e y S u p p o r t e r s a n d Vo l u n t e e r s

vol.3 no.1 • Jan./Feb. ‘12

In this issue...

Secret worlds and hidden treasures beneath our feet are the focus of this issue of the Natural Enquirer. Spring Valley’s volunteers are recognized for the treasure of their time given, a vole’s hidden plunder lies under the winter snow, and the secrets of our historic connection to Native American sites are revealed. As we begin the new year of 2012, it’s the beginning of an electronic-only era for the Natural Enquirer. Remember the past, enjoy the present, and look forward to the future that awaits us all. Happy New Year, one and all!

Inside Secret Worlds.......................................................2 Burnt Bridges........................................................3 What’s Happenin’.............................................. 4-5 Spring Valley General Information....................10

Volunteer News Contents 2011 Volunteer Recognition..............................6 Volunteern Want Ads...........................................7 Volunteer Calendar........................................... 8-9

Visit www.parkfun.com and take our Spring Valley Program Survey.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

Secret Worlds

W

by Dave Brooks

hile crunching across the snow and ice covering a grassy meadow on a cold winter day, we may sense that all of nature is in a deep slumber.

Those hardy yet hardly numerous birds that eschew migration and tough out our winters are huddling around the bird feeders or sheltering in the deep woods. No other animal seems to be active and abroad on these short cold winter days; however, as our boots break through the icy crust on the snow’s surface and sink into the fluffy powder beneath, we enter a secret Lilliputian world bustling with activity. Although we cannot see this world and will likely plod on through the snow completely unaware of it, all of those wild creatures that hunt to stay alive know it well, for their survival during winter depends on it. It is a world inhabited by meadow voles—the most abundant mammal in almost any grassy field.

Meadow voles resemble mice, except they have smaller ears and shorter tails.

They are often referred to as field mice, although their close cousins and neighEastern Meadow Vole bors, whitefooted mice, more properly deserve that nickname. Voles live in almost every type of terrestrial environment on earth, and they are always abundant. They may even outnumber human beings, one of the earth’s other adaptable and populous creatures. The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is the most common species in the Midwest and eastern United States, although there are other less common species to be found here as well. In order to imagine the number of voles in any grassy field, visually divide the field into 25 x 25 foot squares, the average territory size for each female. Add in maybe half as many males, who wander amongst these loosely defended patches of grass, and you have a picture of how plentiful voles are.

Voles, and most rodents, do not hibernate during winter. Given their small size (3½–5 inches in length) and the fact that seeds and plant parts make up most of their diet, voles can easily remain active during all but the severest winter weather. Hidden and protected by the blanket of matted grasses and other vegetation, they maintain an extensive system of tunnels and runways. A snowfall of 3–4 inches or more adds an additional layer

of very effective insulation from the cold, as well as some protection from predators. Meadow voles travel these tunnels regularly, feeding on the plentiful seeds that have dropped to the ground and nibbling on the green tips of plants protruding from the soil.

In fact, voles do not follow the diurnal cycle of night and day the way we and other larger White Footed Mouse creatures do.

Their day (and night) is broken up into numerous periods of activity, each followed by a period of rest. They maintain a small ball-shaped grassy nest in which to rest and raise their young.

Vole Tunnels in Snow

from Mark Spreyer, a local naturalist, they are “nature’s popcorn,” since nearly everyone eats them. They comprise as much as 85% of the diet of many hawks and owls, and coyotes, foxes, snakes, and feral cats also eat them extensively.

When native prairie grasslands burn, as they historically did on a regular basis and still do when being managed, the secret world of voles is exposed and in some respects destroyed. Prairie burns at Spring Valley are usually conducted in such a way that one side is left unburned as an escape route for wildlife.

Voles, and the occasional cottontail rabbit, are often seen running across paths into unburned areas. After the fire passes, the network of tunnels can be easily seen randomly crisscrossing the blackened ground. While it is obvious that these areas have been made temporarily uninhabitable for meadow voles, the vigorous new growth that results from the fire pays dividends to voles and many other creatures in the long term.

The voles quickly re-inhabit these areas a few weeks after the burn.

Like all small rodents, meadow voles are quite prolific. With a gestation period of 20–23 days, and average litter sizes A new awareness of this secret world of 4–5 young, they are able to mainmay give you pause during your next tain large populations and can quickly snowshoe outing or tromp across the recover after any population decline. wild winter landscape. While your thunFemales as young as three weeks may dering footfalls may indeed be crashing even begin to breed and bear young. If down on the highways and byways of food is plentiful and snow cover provides meadow voles, they are quite adaptable sufficient insulation, they will continue little creatures and will simply make reto breed during the pairs or alter the route after winter, as well. This you have passed. It would fecundity not only be a sign of inter-species allows them to withrespect, though to consider stand intense presthat as the voles stick to sure from predators, established routes when but actually makes traversing their world, we them an ideal food should be considerate and source. To borrow a do the same. descriptive phrase Entrances to Vole Tunnels in Grass 2

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

Burnt Bridges

by Walter Plinske

For many of us, the story of this land begins at Jamestown or Plymouth. This is quite understandable, since we have historic old buildings, hoary cramped graveyards, and even venerated trees that all harken back to this seminal time.

Further supporting this mindset, whole communities such as Williamsburg have been recreated; events such as Thanksgiving revisited annually; and battles such as Yorktown re-enacted. This land, however, has been home to people for thousands of years going back to the time when the Ice Age gripped the planet. Where are their monuments, cemeteries, and homes? Since their land is now ours, their history is also ours. Sadly, the evidence of these people has been systematically erased in the past; lamentably, this continues to occur to this day.

Cahokia Mound

often serpentine earthworks dubbed effigy mounds. An eyewitness described them as “resembling enormous haystacks scattered through a meadow.”

Some, like Cahokia Mound in Illinois, were colossal in size—100 feet high and covering 16 acres. There were 10,000 in the Ohio valley alone. The mound area extended roughly from the Appalachians to the Mississippi and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Mayhem began when the pilgrims reached these shores. Arriving late with winter approaching and short on supplies, they soon resorted to The mounds were looting the stores of food that built by the ancesthe Indians had stashed away tors of the very for their own use. Going one Indians the setstep further, they opened Inditlers were pushan graves that often contained ing further and household goods, clothing, and further west. Most food offerings. As time went by, the looting was spurred by the Mound Destruction lure of monetary gain. Because of the scarcity of coinage at the time, mounds were Indian beads or Wampum were used as burial sites a substitute. It became the legal tender spanning in all the original 13 colonies. The Indian hundreds of custom of bedecking their departed in years. Others wampum proved to be an ill-fated impewere the sites tus for this nefarious activity. of temple mounds As the colonies grew, Indian lands were Pothunters surrounded picked off in piece-meal fashion, promptby ceremonial plazas. Unable to being one Shawnee to observe, “The white lieve the mounds were built by native man is a monster who is always hunlabor, they were ascribed by the thinkgry and what he eats is land.” Colonist ers of the day to be the work of Vikings, towns were often located on the same Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, or even sites as Indian villages because of their the lost tribes of Israel. To farmers, they choice location and because Indian were simply something to plow level. garden plots were adjacent and ready To treasure-hunters, they were irresistto usurp. With independence achieved, ible targets to be torn apart in search of new states were carved out of Indian imaginary riches. Known as “pothuntland, initially as land grants for veterers”, they found such a willing market for ans in lieu of pay. As settlers flooded purloined figurines, bowls, and broaches into the Ohio valley, they found a land that their “profession” became multidotted with earthen mounds and other 3

generational. To many, the bones that kept turning up presented a dilemma as to their proper handling. In 1847, the manager of a gravel pit in Northfield, Illinois, ordered the standard solution. The collected bones of countless Indians his workers had encountered were piled up and cremated.

As towns grew into cities, no mound was safe from destruction. They were regarded as convenient piles of dirt that, in the name of progress, provided landfill for expansion. St. Louis, once regarded as “mound city”, carted off its last tumulus in 1869. Railroads were particularly hard on these ancient structures, as they connected cities with arrow straight lines, never veering to avoid destruction.

Golf courses were the most benign, often incorporating the sinuous hills and knobby knolls into their design to compete with sand traps and bunkers in testing the ingenuity of golfers.

This destruction of our Indian heritage continues to this day as urban sprawl spills into the countryside.

A site in Nashville, Tennessee, was demolished to build a Walmart Supercenter on Charlotte Pike in the late 1990s. In Fenton Missouri, two mounds built between 600 and 1400 A.D. were leveled in 2001 for another Wal-Mart.

In 2009, the city of Oxford, Alabama, backed away from leveling a mound after an outpouring of protest. The mound material was to be used as landfill for the construction of a Sam’s Club. It is this kind of protest and awareness that must be present to preserve what we still have for the future.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

Click on program/icon for information and to register online.*

*To register online you must have a current SPD account with assigned PIN number. To create a new account, visit the registration desk at the CRC and verify residency. Non-residents may call Spring Valley to set up an account.

Teacher’s Workshop: Reading the Winter Landscape

Saturday, Jan. 21 & Feb. 4, 8:30A-4:30P Learn what makes winter so important to the plants and animals living in Chicago Wilderness. $140 (National-Louis or Aurora University graduate credit available. CPS Lane credit or 15 CPDUs available) Additional workshops are being developed. For up-to-date information, visit www.parkfun.com/Spring-Valley/programs.

Sweet Eats and Treats

ADULT

Sunday, Feb. 12 • 1:00-4:00P Want to make something sweet? You will learn the techniques of candy making.

Beer Brewing

Saturday, Feb. 11 • 12:00-3:00P Quench your thirst for knowledge and learn the age old art of beer brewing in the process.

Valentine Yoga and Chocolate

Friday, Feb. 10 • 7:00-8:30P Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a lovely session of yoga in the Merkle Cabin.

Bread Making

Sunday, Jan. 22 • 1:00-4:30P Come to the Heritage Farm, read historic recipes and bake in the old wood burning stove.

All Ages

Canning for Beginners

Free - Heaven’s Watch

Sunday, Feb. 19 • 1:00-4:00P Learn about canning from its early development in the 19th century to today.

Jan. 14 • 8-10P..................Pleiades There is no Heaven’s Watch in Feb. Join Chicago Astronomical Society as they set their telescopes for a peek at the night skies.

Cheese Making

Sunday, March 25 • 12:30-4:30P Learn the history of cheese while making both hard and soft varieties

Home School Naturalist Group Programs

Nature’s Night Life - ADULTS ONLY!

Spring Valley Nature Center and Heritage Farm is the perfect place for hands-on, exploration based science programs. Offerings change seasonally, so check the program guide regularly.

Friday, Jan. 6 • 7:00-9:00P Friday, March 30 • 7:00-9:00P Start your weekend with a relaxing and enlightening evening walk at Spring Valley.

Winter 2012 topics: • Geology – Travel through the rock cycle, identify rocks and minerals, and start your own rock collection.

• Winter Birds – Discover which birds stay for the winter and how they adapt to survive the cold.

• Snow and Ice – Take a closer look at the science behind snow and ice through experiments and observations.

Available every winter: Conservation in Action, Woodlands, Owls: Predators of the Night, Winter Ecology, Farms and Food, Nighttime Nature

Noodles, Dumplings and Spaetzle, Oh My!

Sunday, Feb. 26 • 12:30-4:00P Learn how to prepare and boil these popular ‘comfort foods’ in the historic farmhouse kitchen.

Perk Up! Coffee 101

Sunday, March 4 • 1:00-3:00P Bored with the cold, dull winter days? Perk up and come to Heritage Farm to learn about and taste different coffees!

For more information or to schedule a program, call 847-985-2100.

4

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

Snowshoe Rentals Available: Beginning Dec. 1

Experience the beauty of the winter landscape in a new way! The following rental policies apply: • There must be at least 4 inches of snow on the ground before rentals will be made available.

• First-time renters will be asked to view a short video on the proper way to use snowshoes prior to taking them out.

• A rental application and liability waiver must be filled out at the Nature Center Visitor Center.

• A driver’s license or some other form of ID is required as deposit.

• Rental rate is $4 for a maximum of 3 hours for use at Spring Valley.

• Rentals are available on a first-come, first-serve basis from 9AM until 3PM. All rentals must be returned by 4:30PM. • Special youth group rates are available after 3PM on weekdays. Call to inquire. No youth groups on weekends.

• To take snowshoes off site, a deposit of $50 is required. The cost is $10 per day.

Call 847/985-2100 for more information.

Teens

Sundays at the Cabin

Mammal Study Merit Badge Workshop

Who Goes There?

Saturday, Jan. 28 • 10:00A-3:00P Calling all Boy Scouts! Join certified badge counselors and spend the day searching for and learning about Illinois mammals.

Sunday, Jan. 8 • 12:00-4:00P Tracks have an interesting tale to tell. Dive into the language of tracks through games and activities.

Science & Nature Explorers

Lincoln, Logs and Lore

Wed., Jan. 11 & Feb. 8 • 2:15-4:15P Middle school students will explore our planet through this program.

Sunday, Feb. 12 • 12:00-4:00P Learn Lincoln and Lincoln Log lore, and have fun exploring the life of Lincoln on his birthday.

Youth FAMILY

Dolls, Dolls, Dolls

Sunday, March 11 • 1:00-3:30P Experience how girls in former years used their imagination to make dolls out of things around them.

The following programs have a special family rate. By registering ONE child, it is assumed that a minimum of two people (one adult and child) or a maximum of four people are attending. Do NOT register additional people, they may pay on the day of the program.

Cooking Like a Settler

Saturday, Feb. 25 • 10:00A-12:00P Bring your family to the Merkle Cabin to make cornbread, butter and applesauce the way the settlers in Illinois may have.

Farmer Boot Camp

Family Rock Hounds

Hot Cocoa and Cookies at the Farmhouse

Mon.-Fri., March 26-30 • 2:30-4:30P Get down and dirty as you help feed and care for the Heritage Farm animals!

Sunday, Jan. 22 • 1:00-3:00P Come to the Nature Center to explore rocks, rock games, rock songs and the rock cycle.

Sunday, Jan. 29 • 12:30-3:00P Learn how to make this delightful treat from scratch with all natural ingredients!

Night Time Family Hike

Friday, Jan. 27 • 7:00-9:00P Explore Spring Valley on a cold winter night looking for signs of animals.

Ice Cold Experiments

Saturday, Feb. 11 • 10:00A-12:00P You’ll have a fun time on a cold winter day with a thermometer, frozen plants, a block of ice, burrows, trees, snow and tracks.

Snowshoe Ramble

Saturday, Feb. 18 • 1:00-2:30P Participants will strap on snowshoes and explore Spring Valley off the trail.

Spring Valley Spring Break Camp

Mon.-Fri., March 26-30 • 10:00A-2:00P Campers will make crafts, play games and learn about the animals at Spring Valley.

Sundown Supper in the Sugar Bush

Saturday, March 3 • 4:00-6:00P Help tap some maple trees, gather sap and tend the boil down. Then enjoy a pancake ‘supper’ at the cabin with real maple syrup.

5

Volunteer News S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

Spring Valley Volunteer Recognition for 2011

Saturday, December 10 was the date of our Volunteer Holiday Celebration and Recognition event. We were delighted that so many volunteers could join us for the evening’s festivities. Activities included the chance to socialize with fellow volunteers, the toasting of wassail, the pleasure of delectable food, and of course, the recognition of our fantastic volunteers. Spring Valley volunteers, along with the help of local church, corporate, school, and scout groups, contributed 14,786 hours in 2011. It’s wonderful to see such strong community support. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time and talent to Spring Valley. We simply could not get everything done without you!

As is traditionally done this time of year, we would like to specifically recognize people for their accomplishments over the past year.

First 25 hours of service: Carol Anagnostopoulos Kaitlyn Ball Dan Greco Dan Gryzik Judy Leon Mary Matz Kiyomi Mino Claire Short Elizabeth Tatom Tammy Terwelp Austin Tipper Amanda Vanderzee Joe Vito Tom Walsh 50 to 99 Hours: Bill Bailey George Bailey Kaitlyn Ball Evan Barr Joy Bertone Bill Bidlo Leon Blum Jerry Brandes Deanna Bruckner Pat Campbell Tony Coonrod Christine Curin Hilary Ellis Venus Gintowt Rich Gross Rick Jeske Arlene Krizka Karen Kusek Charlie Loh Melina Lynch Mike Lynch Nancy Lyons Nancy Mamsen

Kiyomi Mino Barb Muehlhausen Patty Ochs Sharon Ogorzalek Kristi Overgaard Tom Popek Mert Rutledge Diane Shore Elizabeth Tatom John Tatom Laurie Tatom Carol Thomas Bill Tucknott Jean Tucknott Amanda Vanderzee Amy Vito Joan Vodraska Ellie Vogel

200 to 299 Hours: Victor Franks, Jr. Roger Nelson Ken Ogorzalek Dick Ruffolo John Witkowski

100 to 199 Hours: Gail Ameer Carol Anagnostopoulos Duane Bolin Dean Bruckner Eve Carter Ray Deibert Barb Dochterman Amanda Greco Arthur Jeczala Donna Johnson Susan LaDore Jay Laski Mary Matz Sandy Meo Janet Neally Donna Turner Angela Waidanz Carolyn White

Two Years: Gail Ameer Evan Barr Bill Bidlo Audrey Billhymer Robin Clark Dan Greco Jennifer Greco Ron Haskell Pat Heiberger Cindy Holmberg Dave Krein Judy Leon Kristi Overgaard Tom Popek Diane Shore Laurie Tatom Joe Vito Angela Waidanz

300 to 399 Hours: Chuck Henry Barb Mitchell 400 to 499 Hours: Tony Meo 500 to 599 Hours: Lynn Eikenbary 800+ Hours: Pete Gigous

6

John Witkowski Bob Wodka Five Years: Jean Havlir Sandee Lovisa Nancy Mamsen James McGee Patty Ochs Tom Poklen Leo Salais Jim Sears Matt Skiba Ten Years: Carol Cellini Arlene Krizka Nancy Lyons Elsie Magnussen Amy Vito Fifteen Years: Bill Bailey George Bailey Sue Champaign Nancy Filo Arthur Jeczala Ted Knutsen Twenty Years: Dean Bruckner Deanna Bruckner Note: If you are due an award and haven’t yet received it, please stop by the Nature Center by February 1 so we can personally present it to you.

Thank you.

Volunteer News S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2

Dates to Remember

Volunteer Want Ads

If you are interested in helping with any of the following activities, please call Judy at 847/985-2100 or e-mail her at juvito@parkfun.com.

New Interpretive Volunteer Training at Volkening Heritage Farm

Feb. 25 and March 3 • 8am-Noon Training for all NEW farm interpreters will take place on TWO Saturdays.

The first Saturday will cover the house interpretation and the functions of domestic life in the 1880s. New trainees will learn domestic skills by creating a simple dinner on the wood burning stove. The second Saturday will consist of general rules of interpretation and learning about the Heritage Farm, how it functions, and the role of the animals on the farm. Please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and wear clothing you don’t mind getting dirty. Please plan to attend both training. If there are any conflicts with these dates please contact Patricia Kennedy, Heritage Farm Program Coordinator, or Judy Vito, Volunteer Coordinator as soon as possible.

Please RSVP for the training by Friday, February 17.

Prescribed Burn Training

Saturday, Feb. 18 Learn the philosophy behind controlled burns and why we use this important management tool at Spring Valley.

Volunteers who attend the training will then be eligible to assist with the prescribed burns we do in spring and fall. Training is scheduled from 9am-2pm in the Nature Center classroom.

Conservation Workday

Jan. 28, Feb. 10 and Feb. 25 Put on your grubby clothes, dress for the weather, and help us at our upcoming workdays. The two Saturday workdays run from 9am to 1pm and the Friday workday runs from 9am-Noon.

Pats on the back to the following volunteers...

• Gail Ameer, Leon Blum, Eve Carter, Lynn Eikenbary, Leo Salais, and Eileen Skiba for representing Spring Valley at the Green Economy Action Roadshow Northwest held at Roosevelt University.

• Gail Ameer, Deanna Bruckner, Dennis and Rosemary Colbert, Barb Dochterman, Lynn Eikenbary, Barb Mitchell, and Eileen Skiba for decorating the Farm, the Cabin, and the Nature Center in preparation for Christmas in the Valley and the holidays.

• Joy Bertone, Audrey Billhymer, Leon Blum, Ray Deibert, Amanda Greco, Ron Haskell, Chuck Henry, Rick Jeske, Janet and Al Kraus, Susan LaDore, Jay Laski, Mary Matz, Janet Neally, Roger Nelson, Donna Nicolaisen, Patty Ochs, Kristi Overgaard, Tina Rokoszewski, Barb and Bob Royce, Dick Ruffolo, Mert Rutledge, Donna Turner, Amy Vito and John Witkowski for their continuing weekly animal care assistance at Volkening Heritage Farm.

• Bill Bailey, George Bailey, Pat Campbell, Christine Curin, Victor Franks, Pete Gigous, Arthur Jeczala, and Ken Ogorzalek who help with a variety of support activities on a regular basis.

7

• Mon., Jan. 9.....................1-4pm Handy Crafters Meeting • Wed., Jan. 25...................9:30am-Noon Mighty Acorns Meeting • Sat., Jan. 28....................9am-1pm Conservation Workday • Wed., Feb. 1....................6:30-9pm Volunteer Meeting • Fri., Feb. 10.....................9am-Noon Conservation Workday • Mon., Feb. 13..................1-4pm Handy Crafters Meeting • Sat., Feb. 18....................9am-2pm Burn Training • Sat., Feb. 25....................8-10am Animal Care Meeting • Sat., Feb. 25....................8am-Noon New Farm Interpreter Training • Sat., Feb. 25....................9am-1pm Conservation Workday • Tue., Feb. 28...................6-8pm Animal Care Meeting • Sat., March 3...................8am-Noon New Farm Interpreter Training

Welcome New Volunteers…

• Andrew Awdziejczyk • Kathy DeGeus • Jim Peterson

Happy Birthday to…

January 5 9 11 12 21 23

Jim Sears Claire Short Barb Dochterman Marilyn Dvoratchek Arlene Krizka Eileen Skiba

February

2 5 8 9

10 11

14

Donna Nicolaisen Dan Brunelli Ray Deibert Arthur Jeczala Steve Larson Sandy Meo Tom Popek Scott Walsh Leo Salais Audrey Billhymer

24

27 28 30

16

17 23 24 25 27

Norina Waugh Pat Floreani Kaitlyn Ball Dan Greco Ann Scacco

Mike Gear Bob Winter Dave Krein Roger Nelson Carolyn Bowden Dean Bruckner Janet Neally Rich Gross

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • Vo l u n t e e r C a l e n d a r

Sunday

1

Monday

2

8

Tuesday

3

9

Handy Crafters Meeting 1pm

10

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

15

16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day

22

•Family Rock Hounds 1pm •Bread Making 1pm

Wednesday

4

23

17

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

11

•Science and Nature Explorers 2:15pm

Schaumburg Community Garden Club 7pm

18

29

30

Friday

6

Saturday

7

•Nature’s Night Life 7pm

13

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

14

Heaven’s Watch 8pm

20

21

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

25

Mighty Acorns Meeting 9:30am

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

•Hot Cocoa and Cookies at the Farmhouse 12:30pm

12

19

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

24

Thursday

5

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

New Year’s Day Who Goes There? Noon

January 2012

26

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

31

27

28

Conservation Workday 9am •Mammal Study Merit Badge 10am

•Night Time Family Hike 7pm

Farm Closed Cabin Closed Bold indicates volunteer activities Italics indicates programs which may be taken as complimentary by volunteers See “What’s Happening” for program descriptions

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

8

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • Vo l u n t e e r C a l e n d a r

Sunday

February 2012

Monday

Tuesday

Farm Closed

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

1

2

3

Volunteer Meeting 6:30pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

8

9

Schaumburg Community Garden Club 7pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

•Valentine Yoga and Chocolate 7pm

15

16

17

Saturday

4

Cabin Closed Bold indicates volunteer activities Italics indicates programs which may be taken as complimentary by volunteers See “What’s Happening” for program descriptions

5

6

7

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

12

Lincoln Logs and Lore Noon •Sweet Eats and Treats 1pm

13

Handy Crafters Meeting 1pm

14

•Science and Nature Explorers 2:15pm

10

Conservation Workday 9am

11

•Ice Cold Experiments 10am •Beer Brewing Noon

18

Prescribed Burn Training 9am •Snowshoe Ramble 1pm

Valentine’s Day •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

19

•Canning for Beginners 1pm

20

Presidents’ Day

26

•Noodles, Dumplings and Spaetzle, Oh My! 12:30pm

27

21

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

22

23

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

28

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

29

Animal Care Meeting 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

9

24

25

Animal Care Meeting 8am New Farm Interpreter Training 8am Conservation Workday 9am •Cooking Like a Settler 10am

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2 Spring Valley • Schaumburg Park District • 1111 East Schaumburg Road • Schaumburg, Illinois 60194 • 847/985-2100

Vera Meineke Nature Center

Schaumburg Rd.

N Plum Grove Rd.

The earth-sheltered visitor center provides an introduction to Spring Valley’s 135 acres of restored prairies, woodlands and wetlands and three miles of trails. The center contains natural history exhibits that change seasonally, a demonstration Backyard for Wildlife, an observation tower, classrooms, an extensive library, gift sales area and restrooms.

Vera Meineke Nature Center

Volkening Heritage Farm

Step back into the past for a look at Schaumburg as it was in the 1880s – a rural German farm community. Help with seasonal farm chores, participate in family activities and games of the 1880s, or simply visit the livestock and soak in the quiet. Authentically dressed interpreters will welcome and share activities with visitors throughout the site.

Volkening Heritage Farm 135 acres

HOURS Nature Center Grounds & Trails...............Open Daily...............8AM-5PM Volkening Heritage Farm Grounds..........Closed......................Dec.1-March 1 Nature Center/Museum Hours: Year Round.............Daily*.......... 9AM-5PM Farm Interpretive Program Hours: Nov. - March............Open for Special Events April 1 - Oct. 31.......Sat/Sun....... 10AM-4PM

Tue-Fri........ 9AM-2PM Mon............ Buildings Closed

Spring Valley is a refuge of 135 acres of fields, forests, marshes and streams with over three miles of handicappedaccessible trails, a museum featuring natural history displays and information, and an 1880s living-history farm. Spring Valley is open to the general public. Admission is free.

Unless otherwise noted, all programs are held rain or shine.

Participants should dress appropriately for weather conditions.

*All facilities closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day

Environmental Outreach Program

Spring Valley Birthday Parties

We’ll bring our outreach program to your site. Topics include forests, worms, spiders, mammals, owls, food chains, food webs, wetlands, and the water cycle. Students will participate in hands-on activities, songs, and games. Topics may be adapted to students in grades one through six, and are correlated with Illinois State Standards.

Looking for a unique, fun, and educational venue for your child’s birthday? Spring Valley is the answer! Two party themes are available. A hayride can be added for an extra fee. Call Spring Valley for more information.

Spring Valley Firepit and Shelter Rentals

Make your next scout group, business or family gathering something special! Spring Valley offers the use of a picnic shelter and fire pit in a wooded setting near the Merkle Log Cabin. Use of the site includes firewood, trash/recycling receptacles and benches, as well as picnic tables. No alcohol or amplified music permitted. Restrooms are available at the Heritage Farm or Nature Center, a 5–10 minute walk. The adjacent Merkle Log Cabin contains a restroom and may be rented for additional fees.

Programs at Spring Valley

School, Scout and adult groups are encouraged to take advantage of Spring Valley’s Environmental Education Program.

Programs change seasonally and are geared for specific age groups. Correlations to the state standards and activity sheets are available on the SPD website, www.parkfun.com.

Learn local history with a visit to the Heritage Farm. Elementary and high school students recreate farm life in the 1880s with Hands on History; second graders experience it through Heritage Quest.

Children from the age of four through second grade will learn about food, farmers, and farm animals in Farms and Foods.

Hourly use fees: Residents:.............. $25

Civic groups:...............................$25

Non-residents:....... $40 Corporate/business groups:.......$55

Scout Badges

We offer many opportunities for scouts. Our programs will help with your badge, pin or patch requirements. Call for more information or stop in for a brochure.

Spring Valley Mission Statement:

Spring Valley’s mission is to educate area residents regarding the natural and cultural history of the Schaumburg area and how people have and continue to interact with and upon the landscape.

Schaumburg Park District BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS:

Natural Enquirer STAFF: Mary Rice Editor

Mike Daniels Sharon DiMaria David Johnson George Longmeyer Bob Schmidt

Judy Vito Volunteer Coordinator Luetta Coonrod “In this Issue...”

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

Scott Stompor Graphic Artist

Jean Schlinkmann

10

Schaumburg Park District Website: www.parkfun.com

E-mail:

springvalley@parkfun.com

Member: