John Wesley Powell Audubon

J.W. Powell Audubon Society, P.O. Box 142, Normal, Il 61761

John Wesley Powell Audubon Society                               A Chapter of the National Audubon Society


Reintroducing Barn Owls in Illinois       

            Speaker:       Dan Thompson

            Date:              Thursday, October 29, 2009

            Time:             7:00 pm

            Where:           Illinois Wesleyan University

                                    Center for Natural Sciences       

                                    Room C101 

            Parking:        Is available in the Beecher St. lot

                                    Just north of the CNS.

Barn owls were once a common breeding species in Illinois.  In recent decades their populations have declined throughout the state so dramatically that they are listed as an endangered species in Illinois.  Dan Thompson, an ecologist with the Forest Preserve System of DuPage County, Illinois, has been leading a barn owl reintroduction program for the district since 2004.  He will discuss his efforts to reintroduce captive-bred barn owls to DuPage County on Thursday, October 29, at 7 p.m. in C101 of the Center for Natural Sciences (CNS) at Illinois Wesleyan University.  Parking is available in the lot north of the CNS on Beecher Street.

 

BIRD SEED

SALE PICK-UP

FRIDAY

OCTOBER 30

1:00-5:00PM

SATURDAY

OCTOBER 31

9:00-4:00PM

Old Eureka Plant

(now Stahly’s)

Corner of

Morrissey and Bell

A Childhood Prairie 

By Lenore Sobota, JWP Vice President

Growing up in the heart of Chicago, some of my earliest nature explorations took place in "the prairie."

This was not the prairie that gave Illinois its nickname as "the Prairie State." This was long after the true prairies were gone from the area and long before prairie restoration became popular.

Most who drove or walked by only saw a weed-filled lot where a house once stood, if they noticed it at all. I'm not sure I ever knew what had happened to the house. But to children in the neighborhood, it was always known as "the prairie.” This was a place where the flowers grew tall and no one yelled at you if you picked some. It was a place where butterflies fluttered and lightning bugs blinked.

With a little imagination -- or maybe a lot -- you could look at that field and be transported deep into the natural world, away from the big city and its concrete and asphalt.

Of course, we did more than just look. We walked through the "prairie," unintentionally gathering "stickers" on our clothing, much to our parents' dismay. Sometimes we just sat there and watched what buzzed or flew by.

The roots of this "prairie" might not have run as deep as those in the true prairie. But they sunk deep roots elsewhere, deep roots in inquisitive children, including one who grew up (assuming I've ever actually grown up) to become active in the John Wesley Powell Chapter of the Audubon Society.

So as we celebrate the wonders of the prairie this year and the need to protect our prairie wildlife, let's also remember the inspiration prairies can provide.

Mission of the John Wesley Powell Audubon Society of Central Illinois 

The mission of the John Wesley Powell Audubon Chapter is to engage and promote activities that foster an understanding and appreciation of our natural world and that encourages others to join in this cause.
    We also act  as a watchdog and bellwether for our environment so that citizens can be informed and empowered with a desire to become effective advocates and stewards and to help restore, maintain and manage our natural communities and ecosystems. By meeting, working and communicating together we hope to enhance the welfare of wildlife and its habitat as well as our own.
    We offer programs and field trips to learn about and enjoy nature, its complexity and its beauty and to promote collegiality in working and socializing toward our common goals.  

    We agree to collaborate with National Audubon and adhere to its policies so that together our programs can contribute most effectively to the welfare of our world.