Archive for October, 2006
Monday, October 30th, 2006
Taking Global Warming Seriously
Plenty of regular American’s don’t believe in global warming. Maybe it’s because we’ve come to define problems as those that affect our pocket books.
Well if the British government is right, we’re likely to become a nation of believers. A report out today says global warming could shrink the world’s economy by 20 percent.
The report’s […]
No Comments » - Posted in Comment by Brian Leaf
Wednesday, October 25th, 2006
Pictures from planting the Hudson Place rain garden
Read about our rain garden project in today’s Rockford Register Star.
Here are some pictures from Tuesday’s adventure planting a rain garden with Spectrum School students.
Brian Russart from Winnebago County Soil and Water filled buckets with sand and seed.
Here’s what planting looked like from the top of the hill. The students sprinkled their sand-seed mixture in […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Info, Kid's Program by Brian Leaf
Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
Bison, hula hoops, rain gardens and smart growth
Take 250 pounds of sand, a dozen hula hoops, several pounds of prairie seed and 60 elementary students pretending they’re bison stampeding through a drainage basin and what do you have?
How about lots of fun and a new home for a rain garden!
Severson Dells, William Charles development and Spectrum School are partnered today on a […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Info, Events, Observing Nature, Sprawl, Comment, Kid's Program by Brian Leaf
Friday, October 20th, 2006
Observations for the Third Week of October
It’s been an exhausting week at the Nature Center as the staff recovers from a huge weekend. Our Beauty and Awe of Nature Events drew about 800 people for the three day event. Thanks to all who attended.
We’re already planning speakers for next year. Ideas are welcome. Leave a comment on the blog or e-mail […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Observing Nature by Brian Leaf
Thursday, October 19th, 2006
Candidate’s Forum to Address Green Issues
How green is your candidate? Well you may have a chance to find out. The BlackHawk Sierra Club is holding a candidate’s forum at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4848 Turner St., Rockford.
Winnebago County Board candidates have been invited to attend and talk about environmental and land use issues facing […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Events, Sprawl by Brian Leaf
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
Whooping Crane Program Thursday at Burpee
Contact: Jamie Johannsen, Four Rivers Environmental Coalition, Phone: 877-6100
Young whooping cranes will soon be following an ultralight airplane through the region and Joe Duff, cofounder and Lead Pilot with Operation Migration, will tell the story of restoring whooping crane migration routes Thursday evening.
Duff’s talk is scheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 7 p.m. at […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Events, Observing Nature by Brian Leaf
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
SEEDs Program Helps Kids Find Nature in their Backyards
(Students Exploring Earth’s Diversity) is a group for kids ages 6-10 (1st through 5th grade).
It’s FUN and educational. Northern Illinois is rich in beautiful, diverse natural areas. Discover some of these remarkable places right in our own backyard.
Beginning in October, we will get together once a month (during the school year) on a Saturday morning […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Kid's Program by Brian Leaf
Monday, October 16th, 2006
On Floods, Land Use and Surveys
The Rockford Register Star’s story Sunday on the Labor Day Keith Creek flood examines whether vegetation overgrowth and debris in the man-made channel contributed to flooding. The city says that 8+ inches of rain would have caused the flood – debris or not.
It’s a nice reaction story to observations by neighbors. But the real culprit […]
No Comments » - Posted in Sprawl, Comment by Brian Leaf
Monday, October 16th, 2006
An Eagle Over the Dells
On Saturday, Oct. 14, during the Beauty & Awe of Nature weekend here at Severson Dells, Maghan Ellison spotted a mature bald eagle flying over the nature center!
A group of about 30 people who were gathered out in the front yard of the nature center during the Rock River Fly Casters demonstration all looked up […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info by Brian Leaf
Thursday, October 12th, 2006
The Beauty and Awe of Nature Starts Tonight
Severson Dells’ “The Beauty and Awe of Nature” weekend begins tonight, Oct. 12, with one of the top conservationists of the 20th Century, Dave Foreman, and renowned nature author and photographer Stephen Trimble.
Their presentations begin at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave.
Foreman, a director of a […]
