From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Sat Mar 8 12:21:14 2008 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Sat Mar 8 12:21:03 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Lake Calumet area under attack by developer In-Reply-To: <006601c88148$9fe591f0$39154a0c@CLOVER> References: <006601c88148$9fe591f0$39154a0c@CLOVER> Message-ID: <006e01c88149$33403220$39154a0c@CLOVER> For more information please click on Illinois Birders' forum < http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=3531.0> for statement by Michael J. Fischer, Esq., Counsel and Spokesperson The Avenue K Wetland Neighbors requests your presence at this public meeting. The Chicago Department of Environment along with Alderman John Pope, Chicago's 10th Ward, are convening this meeting to allow developers to reveal the plans for a massive housing development to be constructed along 134th Street, including development of the 134th Street Marsh parcel, which was targeted for preservation in the Calumet Open Space Reserve Plan. The area is located on the southeast side of Chicago between the William Powers Conservation Area/Wolf Lake and Powderhorn Lake & Prairie FP. Please come to the meeting and demand that the promises of the Calumet Open Space Reserve Plan are kept by our elected officials. The developer's website is: http://www.134thstreet.com/ At the website you will see that the developer is trying to pitch the project as environmentally sensitive and leaving in place green spaces. Public Meeting on the Development of the 134th Street Marsh Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:00pm to 7:30 pm. Henry Clay Elementary School 13231 S. Burley Ave. Chicago, IL 60633-1492 For more information please click on Illinois Birders' forum < http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=3531.0> for statement by Michael J. Fischer, Esq., Counsel and Spokesperson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080308/6e63ad00/attachment-0001.html From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Sun Mar 9 13:29:20 2008 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Sun Mar 9 13:29:46 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] IN-DEM helps BP avoid soot reductions References: <2BD92A66-9094-4CE6-9470-C39CF9F6EAAF@mac.com> Message-ID: <00c301c88213$7f254e80$56174a0c@CLOVER> What: Indiana Department of Environmental Management public hearing on the BP Whiting Refinery air permit When: Friday, March 24, 20008 Time: Informal question period at 5:30 p.m. and formal public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Where: Hammond Civic Center, 5825 Sohl Ave., Hammond, IN (west of Calumet Ave. at 158th) Why: BP expansion to refine tar sands oil from Alberta Canada, which will increase air pollution to an already polluted region and threatens boreal forest and boreal birds. IDEM helps BP avoid soot reductions (http://www.post-trib.com/news/833243,bphurry.article) March 9, 2008 By Gitte Laasby Post-Tribune staff writer WHITING -- Approval of an air permit for BP is moving along faster than environmentalists would like -- and faster than IDEM's normal standards -- with BP standing to gain. Environmentalists say IDEM's rushing undermines the public's opportunity to comment and that it happens at the expense of public health. "This time frame is extremely rushed. It really is not a meaningful opportunity for public comment. Just to read the documents is more time than they've given us," Ann Alexander, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said. When the Indiana Department of Environmental Management rescheduled the Feb. 25 public hearing on BP's air permit, it wasn't so much out of consideration for a coalition of environmental groups that asked for more time to review the thousands of pages in the permit -- although that's what IDEM has stated in a news release. It was because IDEM failed to comply with state law when the agency first publicized the hearing. State law requires a minimum of 30 days' notice. IDEM provided only 20 days. If IDEM had not re-noticed the hearing, the permit could have been successfully challenged at the state or federal level. Although IDEM is not required to do so by law, the agency usually gives the public about a month and a half after a hearing to submit written comments on permits. This time, the public has just over a week. Timing vital for BP Time is of the essence in issuing the permit: BP relies on so-called emission credits to avoid stricter requirements about reducing certain types of pollution, including soot. But the credits expire on June 1. That means if IDEM had given environmental groups the two months extra they requested, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were to take the 45 days it is allowed to review the permit to make sure it meets Clean Air Act standards, the credits would expire before the permit is issued. "Sadly, it just reinforces our whole feeling about a state agency charged with protecting the environment. That's clearly not its intent, to fill its agency function," Kim Ferraro, attorney with the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation, said. "I would think it wouldn't matter to them that the emission credits were going to expire in June. The most important thing is they've done a thorough review and given the public opportunity to review it." Alexander also was disappointed. "If what you're telling me is true and they're trying to get this under the wire so BP can get this in at the expense that the public doesn't have enough time to comment, we don't think that's appropriate," Alexander said. BP spokesman Scott Dean said BP did not ask IDEM to rush the permit. "Have we had conversations with IDEM on the process and timing? Yes. But have we asked them to speed up the permit? No," Dean said. The Post-Tribune asked IDEM whether the agency set the short timeline in order to help BP avoid having its emission credits expire, which would save BP money on pollution control equipment. IDEM spokesman Rob Elstro replied in an e-mail that the Post-Tribune "falsely implies that IDEM is not complying with legal requirements." "The facts are that IDEM is obligated, by law, to issue permit decisions within statutory time frames. The permit application for BP's proposed project was received by our agency in November, and IDEM is allowed 120 days" by statute to issue its decision on the permit, Elstro stated in the e-mail. IDEM gets another 45 days to issue the permit when it holds a public hearing. The agency can extend the deadline to issue the permit if the applicant agrees. The Post-Tribune also asked whether the hearing was rescheduled at the request of someone at IDEM, the governor's office, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the public or the environmental coalition. "IDEM received many requests for additional time to review the BP permit documents and we provided additional time for the public to participate in the review process," Elstro replied. "IDEM is going beyond requirements in providing time for public participation, as we comply with statutory requirements for making a decision about the permit." Credits due to expire BP says it's spending $1.4 billion on environmental improvements, and the emission credits are essential for BP to avoid spending more. The Whiting refinery earned its credits for reducing emissions of soot in 2003, earlier than it was required. But the credits expire after five years because they're intended to ensure continued improvement. The credits allow BP to subtract the amount of pollution that the refinery reduced in 2003 from what it is expected to emit in 2011. Without the credits, BP would be forced to offset any increases by installing more sophisticated pollution control equipment or shutting down some of the polluting units. The requirement now is best available technology. "If the new standards are imposed on them, they have to get state of the art, the best, whatever it is," Ferraro said. "There's a reason they (credits) expire. That means we want companies to continue to reduce their emissions. Trying to slide this permit in to take advantage of something they did in 2003 doesn't help us here in 2008." Why the normal requirement to reduce pollution? Lake County has not attained federal standards for fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5., which can collect in the lungs and worsen asthma and cause premature death, according to the U.S. EPA. To keep the problem from getting worse, new facilities and facilities that make major increases in air pollution are required to offset any increases. They do that by decreasing pollution elsewhere at the facility. The law sets specific limits for what is considered a major increase. In nonattainment areas, the limit is lower. Without the credits, BP's increases in pollution would be large enough for the modernization to be considered a major modification. But because the law allows BP to subtract its previous reductions by using the credits, the oil company comes in below the threshold for major modifications. "If they were not able to offset their emissions, they would be subject to more stringent limits. They're trying to hurry this through," Ferraro said. "It's very self-serving and that IDEM would allow that is very telling." Another element that makes time important is that the EPA has implemented new pollution standards for PM 2.5. But the agency is still developing guidelines on how states should implement the new standards, which is expected to happen soon. When the guidelines are released, facilities predicted to emit major PM 2.5 increases will likely be required to install pollution control equipment to abate the increases. Until the new guidelines are out, there are no such requirements. Contact Gitte Laasby at 648-2183, 477-6012 or glaasby@post-trib.com How to comment The Indiana Department of Environmental Management will hold an informational meeting at 5:30 p.m. followed by a public hearing starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Hammond Civic Center, 5825 Sohl Ave, Hammond. The public also has until March 24 to mail, hand-deliver or e-mail written comments to: Indiana Department of Environmental Management 100 N. Senate Ave. Mail Code 61-53 IGCN 1003 Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251 E-mail: mmoulik@idem.in.gov IDEM will provide a response to comments with the final permit decision to those who provide their name with a valid address. The proposed permit is available for public review on IDEM's Web site, www.in.gov/idem Timeline for BP air permit process 2003: BP makes voluntary reductions in certain types of pollution, earning emission credits valid for five years. Oct. 31, 2007: BP submits a new application for an air permit. Feb. 5, 2008: IDEM announces BP's air permit meeting and hearing on Feb. 25 via its listserv. Feb. 7: Legal ad announcing the meeting and hearing on Feb. 25 is scheduled to run in the Post-Tribune, but an IDEM employee cancels the ad before it runs. The law requires at least 30 days' notice. Feb. 8: IDEM reschedules the meeting and hearing, announcing via its listserv that the event is now March 14. Feb. 11: A new legal ad runs in the Post-Tribune, announcing the meeting and hearing on March 14. This time, the notice is 32 days in advance. March 14: Informational meeting and public hearing on the air permit. March 24: Deadline for submitting public comments on the permit. April 28: If IDEM had provided the normal 45 days for the public to comment after the hearing, this would have been the deadline for submitting comments. May 8: Deadline for EPA to comment on the permit to assure it meets Clean Air Act standards. June 1: BP's emission credits expire. If the permit isn't issued before this, BP will have to offset increases in pollution by implementing more pollution control measures. June 12: If IDEM had given the public the normal 45 days to comment, this would have been the deadline for EPA to comment on the permit to make sure it meets Clean Air standards. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080309/fb200d11/attachment-0001.html From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Mon Mar 10 13:00:43 2008 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Mon Mar 10 13:01:20 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Correction: In-DEM public hearing References: <2BD92A66-9094-4CE6-9470-C39CF9F6EAAF@mac.com> <00be01c88213$127ab400$56174a0c@CLOVER> Message-ID: <008101c882d8$aa048970$7c174a0c@CLOVER> The date is this Friday, March 14 not the 24! Sorry. What: Indiana Department of Environmental Management public hearing on the BP Whiting Refinery air permit When: Friday, March 14, 20008 Time: Informal question period at 5:30 p.m. and formal public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Where: Hammond Civic Center, 5825 Sohl Ave., Hammond, IN (west of Calumet Ave. at 158th) Why: BP expansion to refine tar sands oil from Alberta Canada will increase air pollution and threatens the Boreal Forest and Boreal birds. IDEM helps BP avoid soot reductions (http://www.post-trib.com/news/833243,bphurry.article) March 9, 2008 By Gitte Laasby Post-Tribune staff writer WHITING -- Approval of an air permit for BP is moving along faster than environmentalists would like -- and faster than IDEM's normal standards -- with BP standing to gain. Environmentalists say IDEM's rushing undermines the public's opportunity to comment and that it happens at the expense of public health. "This time frame is extremely rushed. It really is not a meaningful opportunity for public comment. Just to read the documents is more time than they've given us," Ann Alexander, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said. (http://www.post-trib.com/news/833243,bphurry.article) Carolyn Marsh -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080310/d424add0/attachment.html From casresearch at comcast.net Fri Mar 14 18:21:36 2008 From: casresearch at comcast.net (casresearch@comcast.net) Date: Fri Mar 14 18:21:37 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Friday article: Riverwalk Another Step Closer - with 22 foot wide path through the FP??? Message-ID: <031420082321.15307.47DB0880000A6A3100003BCB2216557996080C9D0E0A9C0A9D9C0E0C@comcast.net> Below see the latest articles on the Des Plaines Riverwalk. The one from today (3/14) mentions a 12 foot wide path for the hiking/biking trail (a bit wider than the current 'unimproved' paths) but also a 5 foot wide path on EACH side of this trail, for horses. That would mean a 22 foot-wide path through the middle of Campground Road Woods, Iroquois Woods, the east side of Chippewa Woods, and Dam #4 Woods Forest Preserves. To me that is too many trees that would have to come down, and too much 'open space' in the woods, that would certainly be less 'attractive' for migrating birds and other wildlife that use/inhabit these important preserves along the Des Plaines River. The Des Plaines River corridor is certainly an "Important Bird Area" for migrating birds. I'll be leaving for vacation tomorrow, but wanted to send this information out ASAP, in case anyone else is concerned about how wide the path would be through the forest preserves. It appears that something will be occurring at next Monday's meeting ... see below. A 12 foot wide path is wider than the current one, but not by too much, but having vegetation (including many old trees - not buckthorn!) removed to make a 22 foot wide path is too much, in my opinion. Alan -- Alan B. Anderson casresearch@comcast.net Des Plaines, Cook Co. Chicago Audubon Society www.chicagoaudubon.org ---------------------------------------------- http://www.journal-topics.com/dp/08/dp080314.6.html THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008 Riverwalk Another Step Closer Des Plaines City Council Monday night is expected to take another step toward the community's planned Riverwalk project when aldermen expect to approve an Intergovernmental Agreement between the city and the Cook County Forest Preserve District. The agreement, approved by the Cook County Board last week, will allow Des Plaines to work on trail improvement in areas owned by the forest preserve. The forest preserve district has jurisdiction over part of the north section of the Riverwalk project, that locally stretches from Touhy Avenue to Algonquin Road and Ballard Road to Golf Road. The remaining part of the Des Plaines River Trail (Ballard to Algonquin), known as Levee 50, is currently under construction and is expected to be complete this summer. While a trail already exists in this area, improvements to the existing Des Plaines River Trail are part of the Riverwalk's five-year project to develop a new Riverwalk along the Des Plaines River. [NOTE WELL:] According to a memorandum from City Engineer Tim Oakley, the agreement will now allow construction of multiuse trails on forest preserve property. The trail will be re-done to include a 12-ft. wide crushed limestone surface for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as a 5-ft. earthen buffer on each side for horseback riding. The county has agreed to maintain the trail. Due to limited resources, costs of the trail improvements on forest land will not be included in a five-year capital plan already established. As a result, the city recently requested and received a federal grant for $1,048,000 to help pay for the trail improvements. The funds will also be used for other Riverwalk items like wayfinding signs, point of interest signs, traffic control improvements and street lighting along Joseph Schwab Road. The city has also applied for an Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources Regional Trail Program grant for $190,000, but has not heard back on approval. {NOTE: a map of the trail (another version available on Des Plaines website) is also shown in the paper; a partial description: north section near Big Bend Lake - existing gravel/soil path, would be improved to 12 foot width, stone base and limestone screening surface; north of Miner St. - 12 foot side concrete multi-use path, constructed as part of Levee 50 flood control project, Des Plaines Riverwalk effort. south of Minor along Campground Road - add lighting and wider lanes as part of Campground Road rebuilding project; FP land between Oakton and Touhy - existing gravel/soil path would be improved to 12 foot width, stone base and limestone surface.} ----------------------------------------- March 12 edition of The Des Plaines Journal - opinion piece http://www.journal-topics.com/columns/offtherecord080312.html Arredia Should Still Lead Riverwalk Vision Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia figures all he needs is another two years. In that amount of time, Arredia believes he could finish his work on the planned Des Plaines Riverwalk, then retire to his back yard. And yet, Arredia doesn't have two years left as Mayor. Term limits will force him out of office next spring. He'll no longer be able to spearhead the Riverwalk project-at least as Mayor. It's our suggestion that whoever is elected Arredia's replacement and the new City Council ask him to continue to serve as the visionary and leader of this vital and wholesome project. Otherwise, the interest sparked by Arredia could gradually fizzle. Meanwhile, enthusiasm for the Riverwalk and related civic improvements continues to grind forward. As reported in last Friday's Journal & Topics Newspapers, City Engineer Tim Oakley believes work on the bicycle/pedestrian walkway and floodwall along the Des Plaines River near Miner Street will be completed in June. We suggested to Mayor Arredia yesterday (Tuesday) that when that time approaches, a huge community party be planned to mark the occasion. Everyone in Des Plaines should be invited to stroll along the concrete pathway, take in the serenity of the Des Plaines River, munch on refreshments, marvel at the project that not only will serve as protection against flooding, but utilize our town's greatest natural resource. Arredia, of course, already had the brain engaged, saying he would love to tie in the walkway's opening with the downtown Taste of Des Plaines celebration that will be held the first weekend in June. "We could have 20,000 people walk to the river and over the Miner Street bridge," said Tony. "I've been trying to get Gov. Blagojevich here and I'd like to get the people from the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources and Army Corps of Engineers and have a big party. This is a giant step in fixing up the image of Des Plaines especially the Dempster Street gateway. It will look unbelievable. Before, it looked like another planet. This is something I'm proud of." Arredia credited former Prospect Hts. mayors Ed Rotchford and Rodney Pace along with ex-Mt. Prospect Mayor Skip Farley for their support and work on the project and other flood relief efforts. As for the overall Riverwalk, Arredia last week attended a meeting of the Cook County Board where unanimous approval was given for an intergovernmental agreement between the county and Des Plaines. That agreement grants the city permission to move ahead with improvements on Cook County Forest Preserve property in Des Plaine s. Those impr ovements will be to existing horse and hiking trails along the river from Touhy Avenue on the south north to Golf Road. Approximately $1 million in grant money has been secured by Arredia and the city to pay for the widening of the trails and laying of crushed stone so people can walk, ride and enjoy the river and greenery. This is also tied in to the Big Bend Lake flood prevention project, made possible by Arredia, that will increase the water holding capacity of the lake during heavy rainfalls and utilize the services of a large pump to keep water out of people's homes. And one other project associated with all of this is the planned development of the community's Historical Campus near River and Rand roads where the Historical Society museum may operate out of. That proposal calls for the partnering with the McDonald's Corp. to utilize the hamburger giant's original site on Lee Street as a larger public museum, and to develop green space-a lost commodity in suburbia's sprawl. One idea, said Arredia, is to construct a wooden bridge that would link the campus area with the Des Plaines River possibly east of Rand Road near Elk Boulevard. The campus idea could require the securing of another $5 million in state and federal grants along with some kind of financial commitment by the city to provide planning. "We want to enhance that area so it becomes an attraction and enhances pedestrian traffic for Metropolitan Square as well as improve the city's gateway in that area," added Arredia. We couldn't agree more. ------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080314/f356e904/attachment-0001.html From casresearch at comcast.net Sat Mar 15 00:39:40 2008 From: casresearch at comcast.net (casresearch@comcast.net) Date: Sat Mar 15 00:39:47 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Friday article: Riverwalk Another Step Closer - with 22 foot wide path through the FP??? Message-ID: <031520080539.3549.47DB611C00089AEB00000DDD2216554886080C9D0E0A9C0A9D9C0E0C@comcast.net> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: casresearch@comcast.net Subject: [BCNnet] Friday article: Riverwalk Another Step Closer - with 22 foot wide path through the FP??? Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:22:27 +0000 Size: 759 Url: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080315/24a62245/attachment.mht From rbdoeker at yahoo.com Mon Mar 17 09:32:09 2008 From: rbdoeker at yahoo.com (Randi Doeker - Chicago) Date: Mon Mar 17 09:32:32 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] FYI: Groups to call for separation of Cook County boards Message-ID: <005f01c8883b$af6c0880$4001a8c0@rbde5348707dc8> FYI - Randi Doeker, Chicago Groups to call for separation of Cook County boards Watchdogs want forest district apart from county By Hal Dardick Chicago Tribune Reporter March 17, 2008 Two civic watchdog groups Monday will call for breaking off the Cook County Forest Preserve Board from the rest of county government, arguing that a separately elected group overseeing nearly 69,000 acres of open space would do far more to protect, expand and improve the land -- most of which is in poor shape. Cook County Board commissioners and President Todd Stroger now wear two hats, overseeing county government and the Forest Preserve District, the same as all other Illinois counties except DuPage. That dual role is fraught with conflict, according to the Civic Federation and Friends of the Forest Preserves. "The commissioners have a very difficult time separating the interests of the forest preserve," Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said. "It's treated as an afterthought, unfortunately, and the condition of the forest preserves speaks to that issue." The joint report cites a 2001 study concluding that 68 percent of forest preserve land was "poor quality," largely due to inadequate management. Critics have blasted the high grass, overflowing garbage cans and filthy restrooms, although the report notes improvement under the current superintendent. It also noted past conflicts: shifting millions of dollars between the county and Forest Preserve District, the sale of 2.4 preserve acres to Rosemont to expand the village's convention center and allowing preserve land to be used for a road in Morton Grove. Though Stroger and the commissioners on Friday had yet to see the report calling for separation, a pair of unusual political bedfellows reacted coolly to the idea. "I am aware of its central premise and do not support separation of the boards," Stroger said. "On this issue, we simply agree to disagree." Commissioner Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago), a frequent critic of Stroger, "patronage-laden" forest preserve operations and the status quo in county government, also said he did not believe a separation was in order. "By keeping [the governments] together, there's an opportunity to use the sister resources of Cook County government, which is much larger, to benefit the forest preserve," Claypool said. Benjamin Cox, executive director of Friends of the Forest Preserves, disagreed. "His good intentions are woefully misdirected," Cox said. A currently shared human-resources department leads to the hiring of people "who don't begin to have the specialties that are required for the Forest Preserve District," Cox said. He pointed to DuPage as "a great success." In 1996 and 2000, legislation was passed in Springfield to separate the DuPage County Board from its Forest Preserve Commission while keeping the same overall number of elected officials and maintaining the same taxing powers. The legislation does not apply to Cook, however, so a new state law is required to make the change. The report recommends five commissioners be elected countywide in a non-partisan election for 6-year terms. They, in turn, would elect a president from among their own ranks. County Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) said the change is needed. "Cook County is almost parasitic of the smaller branch, and it makes sense to focus on each government separately," he said, noting the county budget is $3.2 billion a year and the Forest Preserve District's $175 million. "There are very few environmentalists on the board," he added. "The forest preserve is an afterthought to most commissioners." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080317/8a70029f/attachment-0001.html From leeramsey at comcast.net Wed Mar 19 09:08:59 2008 From: leeramsey at comcast.net (leeramsey@comcast.net) Date: Wed Mar 19 09:09:05 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Upcoming monitoring workshops Message-ID: <031920081408.6519.47E11E7B0005A926000019772207000953970A9C030E9D0A0A04@comcast.net> The final bird monitoring workshops for 2008, organized by the Bird Conservation Network and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, will be held on Saturday, March 29 (NOT March 22 as reported in The Compass!), and Saturday, April 5, both noon until about 4 pm. The March 29th workshop will be held at Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington, and the April 5th workshop is in the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago. Birding by ear presentations will be conducted by Carolyn Fields at Crabtree and Conrad Fialkowski and Kurt Leslie at South Shore (both noon to 1 pm). The workshops will also include discussions of monitoring practices by experienced monitors, advice from land managers and stewards, and an instructional session for beginning monitors (3-4 pm). All interested persons, including current monitors, prospective monitors, land managers, stewards, and those simply interested in bird monitoring, are invited. More information is available on the BCN website (www.bcnbirds.org) . If you plan to attend any of these workshops, please let us know in advance by calling Judy Pollock at 847-965-1150, ext 21, or emailing at chicagowildthings@yahoo.com. Lee Ramsey Northfield, IL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080319/f12a3c37/attachment.html From casresearch at comcast.net Wed Mar 26 17:59:29 2008 From: casresearch at comcast.net (casresearch@comcast.net) Date: Wed Mar 26 17:59:51 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Welcome to the 2008 Peregrine Falcon Nesting Season - posted for Mary Hennen, Field Museum Message-ID: <032620082259.5894.47EAD5510008D40F000017062215575114080C9D0E0A9C0A9D9C0E0C@comcast.net> Mary Hennen asked me to post the following, regarding the 2008 Peregrine Falcon Nesting Season in Illinois and nearby WI and IN. Alan Anderson, casresearch@comcast.net , Chicago Audubon, Des Plaines. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi! Welcome to the 2008 peregrine nesting season. Courtship has been going on for the last few weeks. Lots of activity, lots of peregrine sightings. I wanted to let everyone on Ibet know the latest about our Illinois peregrines and ask for your assistance. Illinois has a number of peregrine territories that while we know birds are in the area, we do not know the exact location of the eyrie. It would be great if people can let me know the address of any peregrine sighting. Photos are also greatly appreciated for documentation. The pairs listed in italics are in greatest need of time spent observing/finding them. Please contact me if you are able to do so. If you wish to report any sightings, or you have any questions, I can be reached at mhennen@fieldmuseum.org. The Field Museum has changed our email system so old addresses such as hennen@fmnh.org will no longer work. Please keep in mind, it's best to observe from a distance. Some buildings/locations are not open to the public (such as the Uptown theater) but the birds can be seen from the street level. Also, I would request that you do not approach any building managers about the birds. Please leave that to me. Thanks for all your help with sightings and cooperation regarding the peregrines! Mary 1. Wacker 2007 – 2 young fledged. Male id confirmed as Etienne b/b 7/6 (Etobicoke, Canada 2002) and the female is Rahn b/g 01/A (Sheboygan WI 2001). Unfortunately in January Etienne died. As of this past week, 2 birds have been seen flying around the building and one sighting on the ledge. 2. Broadway 2007 – 3 young fledged. The adults: Auntie Em 5/*P (b/g 1999 Milwaukee, WI) and Tracy *P/M (b/g 1997 IL - Broadway). 3. Prison Birds 2007- 2 young fledged. Adults: female Hercules *D/W (b/r 1997 Minneapolis MN) and male Emily 5/*E (b/g 2000 Milwaukee WI). 4. Uptown Theatre 2007 – 3 young fledged. Adults: male is G/G (b/g 2001 Wheatfield, IN) and the female is Zoom *4/H (1997 St. Paul. MN). 5. Waukegan 2007 – 3 young fledged. Adults: male b/g and female Fran 5/*X (b/g 1999 Milwaukee, WI). Webcam is active (http://www.earthcam.com/usa/illinois/midwestgen/) and birds have been seen in and out of box. No eggs as of 3/18/08. 6. Pilson Park 2007 – 2 young fledged, one survived. Adults: female Bryanne, b/g 9/*Y (Froedtert Malt Milwaukee in 2000 and male b/g L/N (Broadway, Chicago, 2000). Birds present. No eggs as of 3/17/08. 7. Evanston Library 2007 – 4 young fledged. Adults: male Squawker b/g 48/M (Pleasant Prairie WI 2003) and female 64/D b/g (Cedar Rapids IA, 2004). Webcam is active ( http://www.epl.org/falconcam/) and while birds are active, no eggs of 3/18/08. 8. St. Michael's Old Town 2007 – No successful nesting. The original female Kelliwatt b/g 60/D (Aberdeen OH 2004) laid one egg. Second female present Ballistic b/g 69/C (Cleveland OH 2005). Male was Hops 58/M (b/g 2003 Milwaukee WI). Pair present March 2008. 9. UIC 2007 – 3 fledged, 2 survived. Adults: an unbanded male and female Rosie *6/D (b/r 1997 Milwaukee, WI). 3/12/08 Third peregrine present at site was seen on ground and later on ledge. He died later that day (Perry, b/g 65/M, Milwaukee WI 2003). Pair present the same day. 10. Lakeview 2007 Adult birds present in April & May. 11. Lawndale 2007. Birds present. 2006 adult id male Dave 14/K (b/g 2001 Chicago, Il) and female Nitz 2/*Y (b/g 2001 Milwaukee, WI). 12. Hyde Park 2007 - Only 1 peregrine seen at a time, id on the bird present on 5/29/07 was of Magnolia blk 22R (91, WI) who has been in Hyde Park for 14 years. 2 nest boxes are available. In March 2008, pair seen copulating on Pick Hall at Univ of Chicago. One of the nest boxes is on Pick. 13. Fermilab, Batavia IL New Site for 2007. Adults: female is Neomi Jo b/r P/*L (Trimble Co. Kty 2006) and male Joe b/g D/11 (Broadway Bldg Chicago 2005.) Nest boxes were erected for the 2008 season. 14. Field Museum - Chicago, IL New site for 2007. Adults: male is unbanded and the female had been identified as far as b/g 73/??. Currently a pair is going into the ledge corners on the north side of the building. This site is inaccessible for both banding and seeing into the nest. 15. McCook, IL New site for 2007 – fledged 3 young. A pair of adult peregrines (one confirmed banded though no id) were observed in June 2007 near the quarry in McCook. 16. Marseilles, IL Exelon LaSalle County Generating Station. Single bird observed during winter 2005. Pair in 2006 laid 2 eggs which did not hatch. Adult female identified as Carrie b/g 76/B (Broadway Chicago IL 2003). We're still checking on details for 2007 and current season. Peregrine Territories / Eyrie Location Unknown 17. Lake Calumet / Skyway Location of eyrie not known. In 2007, one unbanded immature was picked up by Animal Control on 6/19 but it died during the night. 18. River Birds Peregrines reported in the neighborhood of Michigan and Wacker. 2 adults have been observed on various buildings including; the Prudential building, the Jewellers bldg, and Mather Tower. 19. Bloomington, IL Wintering site. Single bird over winters but no sign of birds during breeding season. A nest box is present. 20. Belmont & LSD During 2006/2007 a pair of peregrines began using the ledges of a building near Belmont and Lake Shore Drive. The female that identified at the site move to St. Michael's. No observations were made during the winter of 2007/2008. It would be good to keep an eye on this site. 21. Peoria, IL No current activity. Mature male and immature female seen during winter or 2005/2006. Nest box installed during this time period as well. 22. Loyola Campus, Chicago Juvenile peregrine sighted on Jesuit residence on 5/9/07. Also seen on Mundelein looking over Sheridan Road. Because of the date, it was too early for a fledged bird so it must have been a one-year old bird. 23. Highland Park, IL Over the past few years, peregrines have been sighted periodically in the area. A juvenile peregrine was sighted in June 2007. 24. Moody Inst on LaSalle Over the past 2 years, peregrines seen in the neighborhood. This site is close to the St. Michael's site though observers do not believe it to be the St. Mike's birds. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080326/876c3299/attachment-0001.html From donniebird at yahoo.com Wed Mar 26 21:40:15 2008 From: donniebird at yahoo.com (donnie dann) Date: Wed Mar 26 21:40:46 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Forwarded from the Bird Conservqtion Alliance: [BCAlist] Earthhour March 29th Message-ID: <002c01c88fb3$e40bddc0$ac239940$@com> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 52572 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080326/1e61cb6f/attachment-0005.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 21442 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080326/1e61cb6f/attachment-0009.jpe From casresearch at comcast.net Sun Mar 30 23:57:53 2008 From: casresearch at comcast.net (casresearch@comcast.net) Date: Sun Mar 30 23:57:57 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Des Plaines River trail - latest article: "Federal Grant Helps Pave Way to Improved Trails" Message-ID: <033120080457.12176.47F06F51000CB2B800002F902212020784080C9D0E0A9C0A9D9C0E0C@comcast.net> Below is the latest article (from this past Friday) from Des Plaines Journal, regarding the River Trail. The article notes "the possibility of a horseback riding trail" (that's what would make the trail 22 feet wide, rather than just 12 feet). Hope we can keep it to the less wide trail ... Last week I went to part of the forest preserve trail through Campground Road Woods, to take measurements of the current trail (at 10 points randomly selected). The trail width currently ranges from 7 to 13 feet (liberal range ... as edges of trail aren't really ridable as they are filled with ruts and hills). I also took measurements across the trail from tree to tree at those spots. It ranged from 12 feet to a maximum of one point where is was 22 feet from tree to tree, but most locations it was 13 to 15 feet. Althought I didn't count the trees that would be needed to be removed in any section yet (I suppose I could check a random marked off 22 ft wide x 10 foot length area and count all trees in that area ... for extrapolation purposes), a trail of 22 feet wide would certainly cause many trees to be removed, some up to 2 1/2 foot in diameter or more. Benjamin Cox, of Friends of the Forest Preserves, is going to visit the area with me soon, so he can have a better idea of the situation. Hopefully the trail can be kept to 12 feet wide ... Alan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.journal-topics.com/dp/08/dp080328.6.html THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008 Federal Grant Helps Pave Way To Improved Trails By TROY BRUZEWSKI Journal Reporter Improvements to the Des Plaines River Trail between Golf Road and Touhy Avenue could be completed by the end of 2009. Des Plaines received a federal Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality grant in the amount of $1,048,000 for the improvements, which are components of the Des Plaines Riverwalk project. The money will be used for amenities like signs, lighting and clearing brush and trees. City Engineer Tim Oakley said the grant program is an effort to try and lower emissions from vehicles. "It focuses on alternative modes for transportation," Oakley said. "Trying to get people out of their cars and using other forms of transportation like walking or riding a bike." Des Plaines will pay $209,600 in matching funds. The trail segments lie within the jurisdiction of the Forest Preserve Dist. of Cook County (FPDCC), which recently approved an intergovernmental agreement with Des Plaines for the project. "We looked at what it would take to improve the trail systems throughout Des Plaines," Oakley said. "We are going to improve the trail, so it can be multi-purpose. Right now it's dirt and mud with a few trees that fell down and are blocking the path." Other improvements include a crushed limestone surface suitable for running or bicycling, and the possibility of having a horseback-riding path along side. After receiving permission from the FPDCC earlier this month, the city's next step is accepting bids for consultative services on design and civil engineering. Oakley said his office currently is reviewing submitted bids and should be making a recommendation to City Council in April. The project could be completed by the end of 2009. Oakley said. "Because these are federal funds, there are a lot of requirements for the grant, which is administered by IDOT (Illinois Dept. of Transportation," Oakley said. "It's usually a 12-month process, but after that we get a bidder awarded and it will be about a year to complete. A full construction year in 2009 will get it done." After completion, the trail will be maintained by the forest preserve district. -- Alan B. Anderson casresearch@comcast.net Des Plaines, Cook Co. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080331/50e133b8/attachment.html