Winter 2007-8

R i v e r talk
N E X T B R O W N B A G B R IE F I N G :
WINTER 2007-08
Conservation Easements on Public and Private Land
Featured Speaker
Brown Bag Briefings are casual lunchtime gettogethers featuring interesting speakers on timely
Sarah Surroz
topics, updates on UDPREP activities, and news
Liberty Prairie Conservancy
from across the watershed.
Sarah Surroz is Stewardship and Education
At our next briefing, we’ll learn about conservaCoordinator for the Liberty Prairie Conservancy,
tion easements, an affordable and frequently used
a nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving
tool for preserving natural areas and open space.
open space, restoring natural areas, and creating
Conservation easements are useful to both public
sustainable communities in Lake County.
and private landowners who are interested in
Ms. Surroz will introduce participants to
permanently protecting the conservation values of
conservation easements, explain how to set one
their land for the benefit of the
up, and describe the many
entire community.
benefits easements offer to
DATE:
For private landowners, easeboth landowners and our
Thurs., Feb. 28, 2008
ments also frequently provide
natural resources.
TIME:
tax benefits, and the landowner
An open session
Noon to 1:00 pm
retains both ownership and
of UDPREP’s Planning
COST:
privacy.
Committee will follow
Free
Easements limit how a propthe briefing. Everyone is
location:
erty can be used, and they can
welcome to participate in
Room V336-340, 3rd
be applied to just a portion of a
this meeting of advisors
floor, College of Lake
property. For instance, an easewho help plan UDPREP’s
County’s Southlake
ment on a section of land with
activities.
Educational Center.
rare wildlife habitat might forbid
Bonus: the Brown Bag
1120 S. Milwaukee
any development, but one on a
Briefing will take place
Ave., Vernon Hills.
farm might allow crops and conacross the hall from one of
RSVP:
struction of an additional barn.
the Southlake Educational
upperdesplainesriver@
Each easement can be tailored
Center’s new green roofs.
to protect the land’s conservation
Installed earlier this year,
yahoo.com
remember:
values while meeting the financial
they are the first green roofs
and personal needs of private
on a public building in Lake
You bring your lunch,
landowners or the civic goals of
County, and they are visible
and we’ll bring good
public landowners. Join us at the
from the hallway window.
speakers – plus dessert!
briefing to learn more!
Proposal Writing Assistance
Municipalities, individuals, businesses, and nonprofits are eligible to apply for a natural resource protection grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Conservation 2000 Program (C2000). Since
its inception, C2000 has awarded over $34.9 million in grants for habitat restoration, land acquisition,
planning, research, and outreach projects across Illinois.
Back by popular demand, UDPREP will be offering its free pre-proposal review service in 2008.
Applicants are invited to email their draft proposals to upperdesplainesriver@yahoo.com by 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, January 16, 2008. UDPREP will convene a panel of experts to review the pre-proposals and
meet with applicants individually to offer helpful suggestions and feedback. The panel will be meeting on
Thursday, January 24, 2008, and each applicant will be assigned a time slot.
C2000 funding guidelines and application information are online at www.upperdesplainesriver.org/
C2000.htm This web page also offers helpful proposal writing tips for beginners.
Commissioner Sam Adams of the
City of Portland, Oregon gave
the keynote address at UDPREP’s
2007 Annual Meeting. Portland
is a leader in stormwater
management technologies
and environmental policies.
Learn more about the annual
meeting and other recent events
on reverse.
RIVER TALES ONLINE
Published this year in honor of the 50th
anniversary of the Des Plaines River Canoe
Marathon, this collection of stories about
the Upper Des Plaines River is available for
free download on our web site at www.
upperdesplainesriver.org/marathon.htm
Fall Events Highlights
Green Streets: from Portland to the Plains
UDPREP’s 2007 annual meeting in September featured keynote speaker Commissioner Sam
Adams of the City of Portland, Oregon. For over 10 years, Portland has utilized a combination
of policy, public education, and on-the-ground projects to incorporate natural functions into
existing infrastructure to enhance and protect its watersheds. Their efforts have demonstrated
how sustainable stormwater projects can be aesthetically integrated into neighborhood
streetscapes, providing direct environmental benefits to new and existing impervious areas. The
city has also been systematically gathering performance data on these “green streets” projects
in order to quantify benefits, improve design and function, and lower maintenance costs. Thus
far these projects have been shown to retain more than 90% of total annual rainfall.
Meeting participants also learned about progressive stormwater practices closer to home.
Local specialists led participants on guided tours of the Prairie Crossing residential development which utilizes biofiltration, natural swale conveyance systems, and wetlands to reduce
runoff volumes and pollutant loads.
Learn more online:
‚
Meeting highlights and Commissioner Adams’ presentation: www.upperdesplainesriver.
org/2007_annual_meeting_highlights.htm
‚Portland’s Green Streets Program: www.upperdesplainesriver.org/portland.htm
‚Prairie Crossing: www.upperdesplainesriver.org/prairie_crossing.htm
Sanitary District River Monitoring Program
The North Shore Sanitary District (NSSD) hosted UDPREP’s October Brown Bag Briefing at their
offices in Gurnee. District biologist Rob Flood talked about NSSD’s program to monitor the
impact of their wastewater discharges to the river. Highlights and Mr. Flood’s presentation are
online at www.upperdesplainesriver.org/bbb_NSSD.htm.
2007 Members
$1,000+
Christopher B. Burke
Engineering, Ltd.
Oberweiler Foundation
City of Des Plaines
EarthWild Gardens
Facilitated Solutions
International
Integrated Lakes
Management, Inc.
JFNew
K-Plus Engineering
Lake Co. Stormwater
Mgmt. Commission
McHenry Co.
Conservation District
North Shore Sanitary
District
Prairie Seating Corp.
Rain Garden Network
Tallgrass Restoration,
LLC
Village of Buffalo Grove
Village of Lincolnshire
Village of Paddock
Lake
Village of Third Lake
Village of Vernon Hills
■ Gold Sponsor
Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.
Hey and Associates, Inc.
Lake County Grading Company
Village of Lincolnshire
■ Event Partners
Liberty Prairie Foundation
Prairie Crossing Institute
UDPREP’s fourth annual watershed tour made stops at
the platinum LEED certified Tyner Center in Glenview, the
green roofs at the Southlake Educational Center in Vernon
Hills, the bioswales and rain gardens at the Bare Foot
Bay Aquatic Center in Mundelein, and a volunteer-driven
landscaping project in Grandwood Park. Participants also
enjoyed presentations on the Village of Glenview’s rain
garden financing program and the Bull Creek/Bull’s Brook
watershed planning process. Highlights, photos, and links
are online at www.upperdesplainesriver.org/2007_tour_
highlights.htm.
YOU!
■ Platinum Sponsor
C2000
FluidClarity
Watershed Friendly Landscaping Tour
THANK
Annual Meeting Sponsors
■ Silver Sponsors
Tour participants encircle one
of the Southlake Educational
Center’s green roofs.
$500-$999
Baxter & Woodman
Des Plaines River Assoc.
FluidClarity, Ltd
Hey and Associates
Lake Co. Grading
Company
V3 Companies
$200-$499
Chicago Community
Trust
Lake County Forest
Preserve District
REI
$100-$199
Bonestroo
Kenneth H. Buchanan
Betsy Dietel & Mike
Sands
Jean Weeg
$75-$99
Campanella & Sons, Inc.
$40-$74
Nathan & Mayumi
Aaberg
Center for Neighborhood
Technology
College of Lake Co.
Des Plaines Watershed
Team
Doug DeWitt
Indian Creek Watershed
Project, Ltd.
Kenosha/Racine Land
Trust
Jerry Kolar
Land Conservancy of
Lake Co.
Liberty Prairie
Conservancy
Long Grove Park
District
Ann B. Maine
Al Moody
North Cook Co. Soil &
Water Conservation
District
Park Ridge Garden
Club
Sylvan Lake
Improvement Assoc.
Mildred Todd
Tori Trauscht
$25-$39
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Paul Bollinger
Linda Curtis
Jennifer Filipiak
Jon Fink
Jonathan Grabowy
Ted Gray
Tom Groth & Family
Barbara Ignatowicz
Rick & Charlotte Main
Jeff Mengler
Heather & Sai
Nimmagadda
Dennis Nyberg
Adrienne & Tom Orr
Amreek Paintal
Joan Palincsar
Melissa Pierson
Brian Schaffer
Donna Smith
Ross Sweeny
Barbara R. Turner
Joyce Van der Kloot
Ken Weik
Matt Whisler
Nancy Williamson
Jeanne Zasadil
$1-$25
Warren Young