e-Notes From the Dells

Phil Schawb is the conductor of this group and his job is to get you an opportunity to watch and hear the orchestra of fall birds. Some migrants are already here. American redstarts, black and white warblers and Canada warblers grace the list of early birds spotted at Severson Dells. And more are on the way.

  2. He Walks. He Talks. He Sings. He’s Jim.

Programs. We’ve got your programs. Here’s a peek at the fall. Details will come next week in your printed newsletter.

 

6. A Book is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Thanks to everyone who made the Hall Creek Scamper a great success.

Special thanks goes out to race founder Stephanie Baliga, who’s great work made for a great Green race.

Thanks to our sponsors, especially our major sponsors, Southern Imperial and Wal*Mart. Please scroll down and visit their websites by clicking their logos. Thanks to the vendors who came out to show their eco-friendly wares.

Thanks to the 190 race participants. Click here for results.

And thanks to the volunteers who worked behind the scenes to make the race a great success.

Please give us feedback on the event. If you have comments about the race, Click Here.

We are seeking a race director, who will work with a committee on planning and implementation, for the 2009 Hall Creek Scamper. Stephanie has created a great template for this race that will make the job much easier. Call Brian @ (815) 335-2915.

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Thanks to our Sponsors!

Virtual Race Packet:
Click on icons to visit our Green supporters

			Gray’s IGA The Bagel Place

e-Notes From the Dells

July 2008

1. Last Chance to Save on Hall Creek Scamper
2. Canoeing with Carter & Connelley
3. Reprise: Carter and Connelly’s Everybody Needs a River
4. A Few Bricks Shy of a Load
5. Whaddya Mean There’s Nothing to do Around Here?
6. Remembering Neva Burdick, 1922-2008
7. Arson at the Witness Tree

Click here for more

Bugs! Mud! Water! Fun!

Summer camp isn’t just for kids.

This week, 15 grandparents and their grandkids came to Severson Dells Nature Center for an outdoor adventure, and the chance to bond in nature. 

Creek sloshes, butterfly catching, pond mucking and scavenger hunts were among the activities that people from age 7 to 70 took part in.

One of our campers was Rockford Register Star Columnist Geri Nikolai, who grew up on a farm but hadn’t dipped her toes in a creek since she was in grade school. She wrote about the camp on the paper’s Website in a story, Camp reveals creepy — and fun — side of nature.

It wasn’t the first time I’d waded through a creek, but it’s been 50 years since the last time. And I would not have been there, except that granddaughter and I were at Severson’s grandparents/grandkids nature camp, and the 9-year-old insisted I go in the creek with her. I’m glad she did.

I had forgotten how cold the water feels in some spots, and warm in others where the sun is hitting it. How fun to maneuver over the rocky bottom and discover what’s living under the rocks. Our group found bugs, jellylike eggs, and two crawfish — one live and one dead.

For Geri and her granddaughter, fun was a byproduct; the camp had a purpose. Her granddaughter was afraid of the woods. See related video: Overcoming Fear of Deer

One reason I signed us up for this camp was my grandchildren’s fear of anything approaching wild. Last summer, when we were searching for 17-year cicadas at another forest preserve, 9-year-old refused to walk down a trail surrounded by woods. Bears, she shrieked.

At Severson, she walked down wooded paths with groups, found no dangerous animals, and let on that it was kind of pretty out there. She freaked when we discovered a snake in a downed tree, but later forgot about that as she entered prairie grass to net a butterfly.

Experience is a great way for kids to overcome fear. And there’s now better way to experience nature than with grandma, grandpa, or both.

Read Geri’s story:  Camp reveals creepy — and fun — side of nature.

e-Notes From the Dells

June 2008

Spread the word about Severson Dells to your people! Forward this newsletter by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

  In this issue . . . . .

1. A World Class Butterfly Dude and A Top Shelf Author
2. Butterfly Hikin’ With the Pros
3. Kiddie Lit and Outdoor Discovery
4. What You’ve Missed in the Rock River Times
5. Whaddya Mean There’s Nothing to do Around Here?
6. Hall Creek Scamper: Run Green on July 26
7. What Kids Say About Nature
8. Leopold Project: Using A Sand County Almanac as a Curriculum Guide (Register by Sat.  June 21)
 

  We’ve got a double header you won’t want to miss: World renown butterfly expert Robert Michael Pyle and a Severson Dells’ favorite, writer extrordinaire Scott Russel Sanders.

Pyle’s Bio: http://www.xerces.org/Butterfly_Conservation/butterflyathon.html
Sanders Bio: http://www.scottrussellsanders.com/biog.html

They’ll be at the Nature Center on Friday, June 27 for a twin bill, starting at 6:30 p.m. The program is entitled The Extinction of Experience. IT’S FREE! Sponsored in memory of Dr. Alan Hutchcroft.

Scott will read from his forthcoming book, First Boy in the Woods.  

Bob is making a return trip, too, as he traverses North America on a quest to find as many of the 800 species of butterflies that call the continent home.  He’ll talk about how close daily involvement with nature is the only true antidote to alienation and what he calls “the extinction of experience.”

Then, they’ll lead a group discussion on how we can reconnect a society that has pushed nature away.

  2. Butterfly Hikin’ With the Pros

Come, be in the presence of butterfly greatness. Bob Pyle and Jim Wiker know Lepidoptera.  They want you to know butterflies, too. They’ll lead Severson Dells members on two separate hikes to discover our region’s flying jewels on Saturday, June 28.

Bob, is founder of the Xerces Society, a worldwide organization that  seeks to protect and conserve invertebrates. He is one of the top butterfly experts in the world. Jim wrote the book, literally, on Skippers of Illinois.    You won’t find a higher caliber nature walk this summer, if ever. So call and sign up.

Click here to learn more.

3. Children’s Lit as Springboard to Outdoor Discovery 

If you read to a child, you need to join us this Sunday, June 22, to help make kid’s books truly come alive.   You’ll explore cross-cultural picture books and venture afield for activities suggested in the stories.

The workshop will be co-led by Mira Reisberg and Clifford Knapp.

Click here to learn more

Severson Dells staffers are writing weekly columns for the Rock River Times. Please pick up a copy of the paper, or buy an ad to support our work!  

The candied fable – by Don Miller My Weeds — by Brian Leaf The last float – by Don Miller Seeking a sense of place — by Don Miller The gift of nature education — by Brian Leaf

Support Severson Dells: Shop at our Gift Store

Books, puzzles, jewelry, natural lotions and more. Proceeds support environmental education.

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5. Whaddya Mean There’s Nothing to Do Around Here?

June 2008
22: Using Children’s Literature as Springboards to Outdoor Discoveries, 1:00 pm
23-25: Grandparents and Kids Camp, 9:00 am
27: Extinction of Experience, featuring Robert Michael Pyle and Scott Russell Sanders, 6:30 pm
28: Butterflies in the Field with Robert Michael Pyle and Jim Wiker, 9:30 am and 1:30 pm.

July 2008
08-10: Nature Play for Little Kids, 9:00 am
12: Leopold Education Project, 8:30 am
22-24: Adventure Quest Camp
26: Hall Creek Scamper
26: In Flow With Nature’s Inspirations, 8:30 am
26: A Night of Music: Everybody Needs a River, 7:00 pm
27: Bats at the Beach (at Pec River FP), 7:00 pm

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6. Hall Creek Scamper: Run Green!

Come run with us on a trail race that’s more than just a romp through the woods. Hall Creek Scamper Race Director Stephanie Baliga has applied the 4 Rs — reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink — to this event. Her goal: Create a running event in a beautiful setting that minimizes waste and energy inputs.

So on July 26th, there’s a 5k open race, a 5k youth race and a 1 mile run-walk-scavenger hunt. In addition to individual awards, we’ll score the 5k races like a cross country meet, so get a few running pals together and compete as a team.

Register online now!

Race begins at 8 a.m. Register now as entries after July 23 will cost more.

There will also be a green expo where area businesses will display their environmentally friendly wares.
Someday, we hope this will become a template for other race directors to follow.

Click here for a video about the race (produced by Phil Pilcher of The Abilities Center).

Volunteers needed: Contact Stephanie at dellsgreenrun@gmail.com

Learn More About The Hall Creek Scamper.

We need a race director for 2009. Know anybody? dellsgreenrun@gmail.com

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7. What Kids Say About Nature   Do you remember seeing your first deer? Jasmine saw her first whitetail during a visit to Severson Dells.

Click here and she’ll tell you her story.

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  8. Leopold Project: Using A Sand County Almanac as a Curriculum Guide

When: Saturday, July 12, 8:30 am-3:30 pm

Where: Severson Dells Nature Center, 8786 Montague Road

For Whom: Teachers and Youth Leaders (Illinois teachers can earn 6 CPDUs!)

What: The Leopold Education Project is a curriculum that guides learning through direct observation of the natural world. Aldo Leopold’s book, A Sand County Almanac, forms the basis around which the curriculum is centered. Participants will receive a curriculum guide, a copy of A Sand County Almanac and a set of task cards.

How Much: $45 (Full Scholarships Available Through Winnebago County Pheasants Forever)

Instructors: Dr. Clifford Knapp, Professor Emeritus at NIU and Richard Benning, Severson Dells Nature Center.

Pre-registration is required. Deadline June 21. Call (815) 335-2915 to register.

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About Severson Dells Nature Center

What: Your link to the Natural World in Northern Illinois Where: 8786 Montague Road, Rockford, IL 61102 When: Open Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1-4:30 p.m.
Call: (815) 335-2915
Write: info@seversondells.org

Severson Dells Nature Center is a 501(c)3 non profit organization. Our mission: To Link People to Nature Through Education.

We rely on donors to support our work. Click here now to show your support.

© Severson Dells Nature Center

 

Sunday, June 22, 1:00-4:30 p.m.

At Severson Dells Nature Center

This workshop introduces teachers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and anyone else to children’s literature that leads to outdoor discoveries and learning from nature.

Carefully selected picture books from a wide range of cultures will be read to the group and then we will venture out into nature to do a range of activities suggested in the stories.

These storybooks are springboards to a range of activities designed to delight and inspire children.

The workshop will be co-led by Mira Reisberg and Clifford Knapp.

Dr. Reisberg teaches art education courses with a place-based focus at Northern Illinois University. She is also an award-winning children’s picture book illustrator. Dr. Knapp is a place-based educator who retired from NIU’s Department of Teaching and Learning. He continues to lead workshops and make nature-related presentations.

Call for more information. 1-815-335-2915. Sponsored in memory of Dr. Alan Hutchcroft.

If you missed it last week, Severson Dells Nature Center and the Natural Land Institute teamed up with 74 6th graders from Rockford Christian to sow 6.5 acres of drainage area with the 40 native species.

The site drains the Red Oak Estates subdiivsion on Rockford’s east side, near the southwest corner of Bell School and Rote roads.

Rockford Register Star reporter Melissa Westphal and photographer John Elbers came out to cover us, as did a videographer WTVO 17 and Fox 39.

Click here to read the story.

PDF version

It was a great, fun and muddy day! Thanks to the students, for giving back to nature, to Greg Keilback of the Natural Land Institute, to Rockford Christian science teacher Julie Rohl and especially to Rockford developer Herb McKiski, who had the idea to bring nature into his subdivision.