Natural Enquirer January/February

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.9 no.1 • Jan.-Feb. 2018

In this issue...

In many traditional Native American cultures, winter is a time for sharing stories. These were not casual accounts of daily life, but the long-standing tales that were the heart of a people’s culture and traditions. In many societies, this may have been the closest thing to a formal education many of the children received. Nevertheless, it was an honored and respected tradition. While we don’t honor such traditions in our modern culture (and no, binge watching a drama series on Netflix does not count), we can all appreciate the pleasure of sitting by a fire indoors on a cold winter night with a good book or movie. The Natural Enquirer is published bi-monthly – throughout the year – and we consider it our duty to bring you ‘stories’ that convey valuable information about our Midwestern natural landscape, wild creatures, as well as tales from our local historical records. Hopefully, we convey this information in a way that is worthy of the best storytellers, which is what the craft of interpretation endeavors to do. A mere summary or recitation of facts would be no more interesting sitting inside by the fire as it was for us sitting in a classroom during our formal education. We shall try to do better! Please let us know if there are tales you have always wanted to hear or if our storytelling needs a fix.

Inside A Long Winter’s Nap........................................ 2-3

Volunteer News Contents

Where Have All the Pheasants Gone?............ 4-5

Volunteer Information...................................... 8-9

A Taste of the Tropics..........................................5

Volunteer Calendar........................................10-11

What’s Happenin’.............................................. 6-7 Spring Valley General Information....................12

Schaumburg Park District

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 8

A Long Winter’s Nap

by Dave Brooks

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here are many people who care little for winter weather and its challenges and would find the idea of settling in for a long winter’s nap quite appealing. While some of us do indeed become indoors dwellers, and venture out only when necessary, this was not an option available to our forebears. Before we had heated automobiles, heated garages in which to store them, and warm and brightly lit homes, most people had to spend almost as much time outdoors in winter as they did in other seasons, simply because they had to in order to procure food, water, and firewood.

Technology has allowed most of us to distance ourselves from the need to deal with and tolerate winter weather. Not so, our native wildlife, all of which have time-tested strategies for dealing with cold, snow, and the difficulty in finding water and food during winter. Among the most intriguing of these strategies is hibernation.

The word hibernation comes from the Latin word hibernatus, which means, “to spend the winter.” While many of us use the word hibernate to refer to any animal, including people, Woodchuck or Ground Hog who hide themselves away in some sheltered location for much of the winter, true hibernation is more like a state of suspended animation. What this means is that a hibernating animal slows its metabolism and halts certain body functions for a prolonged period of time, often for several months. While in this state, the animal’s respiration and heartbeat slows to a fraction of its normal rate, and the body temperature drops several degrees below normal, sometimes as low as a few degrees above freezing. In this way, the animal both reduces its metabolic rate (the body’s expenditure of energy) and eliminates the need to eat or drink. Some deep hibernators, such as ground squirrels, can be picked up and handled, and even warmed up, and will not awaken.

Hibernation baffled people for many years. Hibernating animals appeared dead during the winter and then seemed to miraculously come to life in spring. Even science could not immediately explain how the animals achieved such a low metabolic rate and how it could be revved up again several months later. We now have a better understanding of how this apparent miracle occurs.

Animals that remain active all winter long are able to maintain a constant body temperature by possessing thick insulating coats and by eating stored or hunted food. Any animal which is unable to maintain a constant body temperature during winter, either because they are cold-blooded (reptiles and amphibians), have insufficient insulation (many smaller mammals), and/or are unable to find food during winter (any animal that relies solely on green plants or insects) must either slow down their metabolism or die.

The ability to lower one’s metabolism is what distinguishes the hibernators. Since humans evolved in more tropical climates, we have never developed this ability.

Reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded and so have little ability to regulate their body temperature to begin with. They become slow and sluggish on a cold night in June. During winter, they must seek shelter in a location where they will not be subjected to below freezing temperatures, places known as hibernacula. These may be caves, deep crevices in rock piles, burrows of other animals, or in the case of frogs and turtles, the soft mud at the bottom of a pond. In these protected places, they are able to “sleep” away the winter in a nearly comatose state, expending minimal amounts of energy and rarely even moving. They will not “awake” until the light and warmth of spring seeps into their hiding place.

With some animals, the metabolic slow-down is short-term, referred to as torpor. Many birds and mammals do this during winter, including resident songbirds like chickadees and sparrows and Wood Frog in Vernal Pond Ice mammals such as skunks and chipmunks. These animals can find food during the day or when winter weather is moderate. Songbirds enter torpor at night while perched, their body temperature, heart rate, and respiration dropping into a hypothermic state. Chipmunks lay in their burrows, in a torpor that lowers their respiration and heart rates, and awake occasionally to eat some of the food they have stored away. Skunks wait out the coldest weather in burrows, sleeping deeply, and emerge to forage for food during thaws. Each of these creatures is able to lower their metabolic rate for short periods of time and then rouse when necessary.

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True hibernators are often referred to as those animals that lower their metabolic rates for long periods of time and exist solely off of the fat reserves they have stored up in their bodies. The woodchuck, or ground hog is the classic true hibernator in our area, although the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, meadow jumping mouse, and most bats also hibernate. Since they eat only green plants during the spring and summer, foods that do not store well for any length of time, woodchucks have no choice but to lower their body’s energy requirements for several months until green plants start growing again. During late summer and early autumn, they gorge on grass, herbs, and berries, building up fat reserves, including a special layer of fat on their back known as brown fat.

In early autumn, the woodchucks dig a deep burrow, where the temperature will remain relatively constant all winter long and do not emerge until March (unless someone hauls them out for a silly photo-op on February 2).

Hibernating 13 Lined Ground Squirrel

Once safely protected from weather extremes and predators, their brain produces hormones that gradually lower their respiration to just a few breaths per minute, their heart rate to just several beats per minute, and their body temperature to just a few degrees above the surrounding air temperature. They remain in this state for weeks at a time, occasionally rousing slightly but never waking up. They do not eat, drink, or excrete wastes. As fat is slowly metabolized to maintain their much-reduced bodily functions, enough water is produced as a by-product to supply the body’s needs.

Urea produced by the liver is excreted in saliva, where it is swallowed, broken down by bacteria in the intestines, and converted into water and protein.

How this deeply hibernating creature is able to increase its metabolism and rouse itself was for many years one of the greatest mysteries. The mystery was solved once biologists starting looking more closely at the brown fat stored near their shoulders. This special high-energy fat has the ability to warm up very quickly, and since it is criss-crossed with a network of tiny arteries, the animal’s blood can quickly carry this warmth to the rest of the body.

Bears, though no longer found in northern Illinois, also hibernate but in a unique way. Since bears are much larger animals than most other hibernators, they go into winter with greater amounts of fat and their large bodies are naturally better at retaining heat.

When bears hibernate, they also lower their metabolic rate, but not to the degree that smaller animals do. They are fairly easily roused in their winter dens, as some surprised biologists discovered when they originally studied hibernating bears and crawled into their dens to record their rectal temperatures. Nonetheless, bears do not eat or drink during the winter months while hibernating, exist solely on their fat reserves, and have no need to excrete wastes during this period and so are considered true hibernators. Females will also give birth while in their winter dens, another aspect of bear hibernation that makes it unique.

Some day, scientists may figure out a way to safely lower and re-start the metabolic rate of humans, allowing a form of hibernation to be used to facilitate long-distance space travel.

For now though, we can only admire nature’s cleverness in endowing many of our fellow creatures with this amazing ability to slow down and dream away the winter.

Sources: Winter: An Ecological Handbook, James C. Halfpenny and Roy Douglas Ozanne, 1989, Johnson Books Life in the Cold, Peter J. Marchand, 1987, University Press of New England Mammals of the Great Lakes Region, Allen Kurta, 1995, University of Michigan Press

Hibernating Black Bear with Cub

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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 8

Where Have All the Pheasants Gone?

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by Walter Plinske

he male pheasant possesses a singular mating call that borders between a squawk and a shriek. This roosterlike call can be heard from a mile away. Though it is America’s most popular game bird, it is a bird that no puritan pilgrim ever noshed on; that is not to be found among the animals cataloged by Lewis and Clark; and never graced the locks of the likes of Squanto, Tecumseh, or Sitting Bull. Today the sound of its raucous call goes more and more unheard as their numbers continue to decline. Where have all the pheasants gone?

The ring-necked pheasant, was introduced into America from China in 1881. Males have shimmering gold and green plumage on the back, an iridescent dark green neck above a white collar ring, red eye wattles, ear-like feather tufts, and a long sword-like tail. Females are a more subdued brown and Male Pheasant black that camouflage perfectly in their habitat―agricultural land and abandoned fields, especially where they are interspaced with grassy ditches, hedges, marshes, woodland borders, and brushy groves. In fall and winter, pheasants eat seeds, especially from farm fields, plus leaves, nuts, roots, fruits, and insects. In spring and summer their emphasis is on insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, and ants.

Following their introduction in 1881, game stocking farms across the nation crossed the original Chinese birds with pheasants from England, Japan, and Mongolia so that today’s bird is a hybrid. Qualities such as egg fertility, flight capability, size, and color, were all deciding factors.

The quest was for a bird that “held its ground.” That is, a pheasant well adapted for life on the ground and that will take flight only when there is no other means of escape. Powerful leg muscles enable the bird to swiftly retreat to cover. When threatened, a pheasant will burst into flight with a rapid flurry of wing beats, rise a short distance, and glide to safety.

Hunters once bagged over a million of these birds annually. Now, however, fewer than 100,000 are taken. In some states, the pheasant population is down 64%. Some people have pointed at the rising coyote population for this decline, but these predators actually aid birds like the pheasant and their cousins the quail because they lower the numbers of feral cats, foxes, and raccoons that prey upon them.

Coyote

In fact, the crash in pheasant population is due more to the result of bad weather and too much intensive farming. In addition, automobiles kill large Prairie Chicken numbers of them, while farm machinery can destroy nests and flightless chicks. The bad weather involved strings of hard winters where the snowfall snuffed out 20 to 50 % of the adult population. Cold, rainy springs and floods ruined the following nesting seasons. When the Federal government decided to subsidize ethanol, the price for corn was boosted. This encouraged farmers Quail to withdraw from a program that kept thousands of acres of erodible land in grassy cover. Fencerows were bulldozed and marginal land that was never farmed before was dedicated to corn and the ethanol that flows from it.

So what is to be done? On one hand it could be pointed out that the pheasant is an exotic introduction and that it should be allowed to disappear. Supporting this would be the fact

The First Thanksgiving

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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 8

that pheasants are in direct competition for the same habitat as natives such as quail, grouse, and the prairie chicken. On the other hand, the pheasant has the support of organizations such as Pheasants Forever and others that are in touch with the political strings of the country.

The answer is to provide help to all these animals. How?

Unlimited Corn

The following was provided by the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Program: • Establish cereal plantings of oats, buckwheat, millet, or sorghum.

• Leave a portion of existing crops (corn, etc.) standing near field edges • Plant native fruiting shrubs • Provide travel lanes, brushy fence rows, windbreak, or other uncultivated areas • Delay mowing operations until after nesting season.

• Plant evergreens in small groups to provide winter cover.

• Establish buffer zones around drainage ditches, farm ponds, and wetland areas, and fence them to prevent grazing.

• Leave roadsides or brushy fence row unburned or ungrazed.

Today however, proposed changes to federal budgets would likely slash resources needed to support wildlife management and enact conservation across the country. A key program is the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to do many of the steps listed above. And so, the future of the pheasant remains uncertain.

A Taste of the Tropics

by Derek Gronlund

It was an overcast Sunday in December, when a bright flash of green caught my eye. Grabbing my binoculars, I focused on the utility pole in the corner of the yard. As I brought the field of view into focus, I came eye to eye with a strange bird, one whose tropical colors seemed more suited to a rainforest than the Fox River Valley. After spending several minutes preening, the colorful bird swooped down to the feeder, enjoyed some sunflower seeds, and took off across the Fox River.

The monk parakeet is a native of South America, with its range typically covering parts of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. In the 1960s, these small parrots became popular in the pet trade, and escaped (sometimes intentionally released) birds were able to establish feral colonies throughout the U.S. and Europe. They settled mainly in urban areas, which provided plenty of nesting sites (they prefer utility poles and lamp posts, where electronic components provide supplemental warmth) and ample food.

In Chicago, large colonies of monk parakeets can be seen throughout the city, with the largest numbers in Hyde Park.

Over the past decade or so, monk parakeets have been spreading their wings A Monk Parakeet Near the Fox Valley River and leaving the city. Data submitted to eBird.org, a bird observation database run by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, shows monk parakeets have been spotted throughout the Chicagoland area, including several sightings in Elk Grove Village and Roselle. eBird Observations of the Species Expanding Outward from the City

So while you are out on these short winter days, keep watch for some early green. If you are lucky, you too may get a taste of the tropics!

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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 8

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

*To create a new account, visit the registration desk at the CRC or download an internet registration form at parkfun.com under the registration tab.

Programs will be cancelled three days in advance if minimum is not reached, so register early!

Spring Valley offers an early bird discount on programs. Prices in the current brochure reflect that discount and will be in effect until one week before the date of the program. At that time, fees will increase 15%. Programs with insufficient registration will be cancelled at noon three days before the program. Please take advantage of this opportunity. It is our attempt to serve you better!

Early Childhood Educators’ Combo | Saturday, Feb. 3 • 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Receive two nationally acclaimed curricula, Project Learning Tree Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood and Growing Up Wild.

Project Learning Tree | Saturday, Feb. 10 • 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Join us for a fun filled day in which you’ll learn about and participate in many of the 96 interdisciplinary activities.

Additional workshops are being developed. For information, visit ParkFun.com/Spring-Valley/programs

ADULT or TEEN

Spring Valley Winter Fest

Farm to Table Cooking Series

Learn ways to use simple farm fresh ingredients to create wholesome, delicious dishes at home.

Saturday & Sunday, Jan 13 & 14 • Noon - 3 p.m.

Nature Center

NEW • Better with Bacon

Saturday, Feb. 10 • 10 a.m.-Noon Learn the how to make bacon! Try recipes, taste some country cured meat and take some home.

Get bundled up and join in some winter fun. Enjoy snowshoe walks

NEW • Biscuits and Honey

Saturday, Feb. 24 • 10 a.m.-Noon Learn to make a basic biscuit and see all the other treats one can create out of one recipe.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Saturday, March 24 • 10 a.m.-Noon Make two egg dishes and enjoy them with fresh baked bread and country sausage.

Weekly Yoga at the Cabin

Tuesday, Jan. 2 - March 6 • 6-7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 2 - March 6 • 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 4 - March 8 • 6-7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 4 - March 8 • 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Enjoy a weekly yoga class at Merkle Cabin in the woods. Bring a yoga mat and small blanket.

through the prairie, horse-drawn wagon rides, winter snacks, crafts and activities inside the Nature Center and marshmallows roasted on a winter bonfire! Co-sponsored by Spring Valley Nature Club.

Admission: $3/person or $12/family, children 3 and under free.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

NEW • Family Woodworking

Pot o’ Gold Hunt

Sunday, March 4 • 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Construct and decorate a birdhouse to spruce up your yard. All materials are provided.

Saturday, March 10 • 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Follow the leprechaun’s trail through the prairie and forest to find his hidden treasure!

Sundown Supper in the Sugar Bush

FAMILY

Saturday, March 3 • 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Help tap maple trees, gather sap, tend the boil down and enjoy pancakes at the cabin.

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.

NEW • End of the Year Night Hike

Winter Campfire in the Cabin

Family Winter Tree Hunt

NEW • Winter Moon Hike

Fday, Dec. 29 • 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Bring in the New Year with a nighttime snowshoe hike around Spring Valley.

Friday, March 2 • 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Brave the winter chill for an evening of fun around the fireplace at Merkle Log Cabin.

Sunday, Feb. 18 • 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Learn all about local trees and their unique features while following the clues on the map.

Saturday, Jan. 27 • 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Explore Spring Valley after hours. Play in the snow, hunt for animals and enjoy the moonlight.

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YOUTH

SugarBush Fair Schaumburg Park District's

Cub Scout Saturdays

Select Saturdays Throughout the Winter CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS Scouts will complete the requirements for their Cub Scout Adventures through these hands-on programs offered by an experienced naturalist.

Register for one or all!

FREE ADMISSION!

Girl Scout Saturdays

Select Saturdays Throughout the Winter CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS Girls will complete the requirements for their Girl Scout Badges through these hands-on programs offered by an experienced naturalist.

Register for one or all!

MAPLE SUGARING-Originally published by Currier & Ives

Saturday & Sunday, March 17 & 18

Frozen Scientists

Enjoy a pancake breakfast with real maple syrup, sausage, juice and coffee. See authentic demonstrations of maple syrup production, a pioneer sugar camp, children’s puppet show, hayride and sales of syrup and other goodies. Breakfast tickets will be available for purchase mid-February. Click here for more information.

Saturday, Jan. 27 • 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Join us for snow and ice related experiments and crafts. Come prepared to go outside.

Painting with Nature

Sponsored by

Saturday, Jan. 20 • 10:30 a.m.-Noon Gather with fellow artists and create a winter masterpiece to brighten up your walls.

Winter S.O.S.

Pioneer Pancakes

Saturday, Feb. 24 • 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Learn to survive in winter. Build shelters, start fires, track animals and learn compass skills.

Saturday, March 10 • 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Collect sap from Spring Valley’s maple trees, add it to the boildown and enjoy making pancakes with syrup!

Winter Wanderers

NEW • Scout Sugar Bush

Saturday, Feb. 24 • 11:00 a.m.-Noon Take a walk through the winter woods, explore animal tracks and solve winter mysteries.

Saturday, March 10 • 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Join us for this new scout venture into the world of maple trees, sap and syrup.

Home School Naturalist Group Programs

WINTER

Spring Valley Nature Center and Heritage Farm are the perfect places for hands-on, exploration based science programs.

HOURS

While Spring Valley’s grounds and trails are open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. throughout the winter, certain areas of Spring Valley close for the winter due to hazardous conditions resulting from snow and ice.

This winter the following topics are offered: • Fossils – Dig deeper into the world of geology. Study real fossils up close, go on a simulated fossil dig and make a replica fossil to take home.

• Kitchen Chemistry – Transform an everyday kitchen into a chemistry lab. Conduct experiments on pH, acids and bases, density and more.

• Energy Sources – Discover basic physics concepts with hands-on demonstrations of wind, solar and geothermal energy. Participants will also make a simple car to take home.

• Available every winter: Conservation in Action, Owls: Predators of the Night, Winter Ecology, Nighttime Nature

Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground will be CLOSED any time there is snow or ice on the ground.

If you see these signs posted at the entrances to the play area, for your safety, please do not enter the nature playground.

For information about programs and pricing, or to schedule a program, call 847/985-2100.

Thanks!

the beauty of the winter landscape in a new way!

The following rental policies apply: Snowshoe Rentals Experience

• There must be at least four inches of snow on the ground before rentals will be made available.

• First-time renters will be asked to view a short videotape 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 $5 for a maximum of three hours for use at Spring Valley.

• Rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. All rentals must be returned by 4:30 p.m.

• Special youth group rates are available after 3 p.m. 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.

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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 8

Spring Valley Volunteer Recognition for 2017

Spring Valley held its Volunteer Holiday Celebration and Recognition event on Friday, December 8. It was wonderful 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 12,511 hours in 2017. 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 accomplish as much as we do 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 Jeanne Banducci Betty Bei Cathy Blecker Peg Dorgan Dave Farnsworth Maile Fidale Sue Gallios Patty Gucciardi Sophia Holmes Mireya Martinez Jennifer Mayginnes Gloria Moritz Judy Wood 50 to 99 Hours Gail Ameer Caroline Bezik Bill Bidlo Dennis Colbert Rosemary Colbert Gretchen Coleman Christine Curin Peg Dorgan Daryle Drew Dave Farnsworth Sophia Holmes Barb Kuhn Karen Kusek Nancy Lyons Nancy Mamsen Mary Matz Jennifer Mayginnes Sandy Meo

Gloria Moritz Patty Ochs Penny Perles Walter Plinske Renata Riccobon Mert Rutledge Leo Salais Kayley Stoner Lydia Tarasiuk Rich Wysocki

200 to 299 Hours Andrea Farnham Andy Farnham Jay Laski Don Olszewski

Five Years Kathy DeGeus Daryle Drew Amanda Krause Julie Nilson

300 to 399 Hours Lynn Eikenbary Roy Svenson

Ten Years Leon Blum Venus Gintowt Dave Margolis Judy Velan

400 to 499 Hours Barb Mitchell

100 to 199 Hours Carol Anagnostopoulos Jeanne Banducci Barb Dochterman Sue Gallios Pete Gigous Nancy Griffin Louis Handke-Roth Arthur Jeczala Donna Johnson Bruce Kuhnhofer Mireya Martinez James McGee Roger Nelson Tom Perles Dick Ruffolo Tony Satoh Tessa Sheeks Eileen Skiba Laurie Tatom Angela Waidanz Carolyn White

500+ Hours Duane Bolin Tony Meo Ken Ogorzalek 600+ Al Vogel Two Years: Gary Glatzhofer Mary Harlos Emma Rogers Janeen Ross Luke Schmidt Denise Suender Lydia Tarasiuk Margie Vollkommer Judy Wood

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Fifteen Years Karen Kusek Barb Mitchell Ken Ogorzalek Twenty Years Alan Kraus Janet Kraus Jan Neally Dick Ruffolo Eileen Skiba Twenty-Five Years Julie Margolis

Note: if you are due an award and have not yet received it, please stop by the Nature Center by Feb. 1 so we can personally present it to you.

Thank you!

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Volunteer News 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.

Conservation Workday

January 27 Put on your grubby clothes, dress for the weather, and help us cut buckthorn.

The workday run from 9am to 1pm.

Winterfest

January 13 & 14 Get bundled up and join in some winter fun. Volunteers are needed to assist with various winter-related activities, both inside and out. Shift time is 11:30am-3:30pm.

eligible to assist with the prescribed burns we do in spring and fall. Training is scheduled from 9am-2pm in the Nature Center classroom.

Sugar Bush Set-Up

March 16 Can’t help at the Sugar Bush Fair, but still want to be part of it? Join us the Thursday before the event to help set-up. We have a variety of activities which need to be done. Come at 9:30am and stay for all or part of the day!

• Monday, Jan. 8............................. 1-4pm Handy Crafters Meeting • Saturday, Jan. 13................... Noon-3pm Winterfest • Sunday, Jan. 14..................... Noon-3pm Winterfest • Saturday, Jan. 27.....................9am-1pm Conservation Workday • Wednesday, Feb. 7.................6:30-9pm Volunteer Meeting • Monday, Feb. 12........................... 1-4pm Handy Crafters Meeting • Saturday, Feb. 17....................9am-2pm Burn Training

Welcome New Volunteers…

• Mary Barry

Prescribed Burn Training

Saturday, February 17 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

Dates to Remember

• Tina Van Hoose

Sugar Bush

March 17 & 18 It’s not too early to start thinking about the Sugar Bush Fair. If you think you’ll be available to help, please give me a call. Shift time is 8am-12:30pm.

Remember – there’s a free pancake breakfast for all volunteers!

Pats on the back to the following volunteers...

• Mary Barry, Caroline Bezik, Leon Blum, Daryle Drew, Dave Farnsworth, Amanda Greco, Jen Harkin, Sofia Holmes, Amanda, Janet and Al Kraus, Bruce Kuhnhofer, Jay Laski, Mary Matz, Janet Neally, Kristi Overgaard, Barb and Bob Royce, Dick Ruffolo, Mert Rutledge, Roy Svenson and Laurie Tatom for their continuing weekly animal care assistance at Volkening Heritage Farm.

• Arthur Jeczala for helping with a variety of administrative support activities on a regular basis.

• Duane Bolin, Tony Meo, Ken Ogorzalek, Roy Svenson and Al Vogel for their ongoing assistance with grounds maintenance at the Nature Center and the Farm.

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Happy Birthday to…

January 2 4

6 11

12 17

Gary Glatzhofer Andrea Farnham Jackson Kalmar Eric Nilson Barb Dochterman Jennifer O’Reilly Marilyn Dvoratchek Matthew Botello Louis Handke-Roth

February 1 5 7 8 9

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Dave Farnsworth Nina Rogers Mary Harlos Ray Deibert Jeff Huebner Arthur Jeczala Tina Van Hoose Sandy Meo

21 22 23 24

27 28 30

Arlene Krizka Maile Fidale Eileen Skiba Andy Farnham Norina Waugh Kaitlyn Ball Dan Greco Ann Scacco

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16 23 24 25 27

Bill Flesch Leo Salais Mike Gear Roger Nelson Jeanne Banducci Dean Bruckner Janet Neally

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

JANUARY 2018

Monday

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Tuesday

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New Year’s Day

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Handy Crafters Meeting 1pm

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15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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

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Spring Valley Nature Club 6:30pm

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Friday

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Schaumburg Community Garden Club 7pm

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•Cub Scout Saturday 9am •Girl Scout Saturday 11am

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Spring Valley Winter Fest Noon

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

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

Saturday

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

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•Painting with Nature 10:30am

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

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25

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

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Thursday

•Spring Valley Winter Break Camp 9:30am

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

Spring Valley Winter Fest Noon

Wednesday

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•Cub Scout Saturday 5pm •Winter Moon Hike 7pm

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

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27

Conservation Workday 9am •Frozen Scientists 3pm

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

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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 2018

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

1

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

4

5

12

Handy Crafters Meeting 1pm

6

13

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

18

•Family Winter Tree Hunt 10am

19

Presidents’ Day

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26

Saturday

Friday

2

3

•Meet Your Neighbors 2pm

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

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

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Thursday

20

7

8

Volunteer Meeting 6:30pm

14

Valentine’s Day

21

27

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

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

11

16

17

•Cub Scout Saturday 9am •Girl Scout Saturday 11am

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

22

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

10

Prescribed Burn Training 9am •Better with Butter 10am

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

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Schaumburg Community Garden Club 7pm

9

23

24

•Biscuits and Honey 10am •Winter Wanderers 11am •Winter S.O.S. 1pm

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 8 Spring Valley • Schaumburg Park District • 1111 East Schaumburg Road • Schaumburg, Illinois 60194 Schaumburg Rd.

N Plum Grove Rd.

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.

Vera Meineke Nature Center

Volkening Heritage Farm

PHONE VERA MEINEKE NATURE CENTER...............................................847/985-2100 VOLKENING HERITAGE FARM......................................................847-985-2102

135 acres

HOURS

Vera Meineke Nature Center

Nature Center Grounds & Trails...............Open Daily...............8AM-5PM Volkening Heritage Farm Grounds..........Closed......................Dec.1-March 1

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.

NATURE CENTER/MUSEUM HOURS: Year Round.............Daily*.......... 9AM-5PM FARM INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM HOURS: Nov. - March............Open for Special Events April 1 - Oct. 31.......Tue-Sun...... 10AM-4PM Mon............ Buildings Closed

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.

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 aligned with Illinois State Standards and NGSS.

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, connections with NGSS, 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.

Scout Badges

Hourly use fees:

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’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.

Residents:.............. $25

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

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

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 Dave Brooks...... “In this Issue...”

Scott Stompor.... Graphic Artist

SCHAUMBURG PARK DISTRICT WEBSITE: www.parkfun.com

E-MAIL:

springvalley@parkfun.com

MEMBER:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Tony LaFrenere

Participants should dress appropriately for weather conditions.

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

Environmental Outreach Program

SPRING VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT:

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

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