July archaeology lecture announced
The Illinois State Museum Paul F.
Mickey Monthly Archaeology Lecture for July, entitled "Mysteries,
Misdirection, Mishaps, and Misdeeds: The First 150 Years of Illinois
River Maps," will be presented by Duane Esarey, the assistant
curator of anthropology at Dickson Mounds Museum. His lecture will
be on Wednesday, July 14, at 7 p.m. at the Illinois State Museum's
Research and Collections Center, 1011 E. Ash St. in Springfield. The
program is free and open to the public.
With few known landmarks and limited
instruments, French explorers created a variety of maps of the
Illinois River valley. These extraordinary maps showed the way for
others. The maps also reveal a legacy of mysteries, misdirection,
mishaps and misdeeds, all of which result in a colorful history and
an intriguing story.
Access to the lecture site is from 10½
Street, where there is ample visitor parking in the west parking
lot. The building is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
For more information about the Illinois
State Museum's monthly archaeology lecture series, call Nina
Walthall at (217) 782-0061 or TTY (217) 782-9175.
* * *

Hall of
fame nominations accepted
Nominations will be accepted through
July 14 for the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame, an Illinois
Conservation Foundation program honoring individuals who have made
significant commitments to natural resource protection and outdoor
recreation in Illinois.
Nominees should include those outdoor
sportsmen and women who have made significant contributions or
exhibited unparalleled dedication in preserving, promoting,
enhancing or supporting natural resources or outdoor recreation
opportunities in Illinois.
All nominations must be submitted on an
official nomination form no later than July 14. Forms may be
obtained by contacting Kathy Wheeler, Illinois Conservation
Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271;
phone (217) 785-2003; e-mail icf@dnrmail.state.il.us.
Each nomination must be accompanied by
a letter from the nominee. People nominated in prior years will be
considered by simply submitting a 2005 nomination form. Initial
nominations should include letters of support, as well as news
clippings or any other documentation that might help familiarize the
selection committee with the nominee's credentials for selection.
Additional letters of support are also encouraged for repeat
nominees.
The inductees selected for the 2005
class of the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame will be announced this
summer. The induction banquet will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in
Springfield on Feb. 19, 2005.
The Illinois Conservation Foundation,
an IRS 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization, has raised more than
$18.5 million in support of programs and projects of the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources since 1995.
* * *
Registration scheduled for blinds on Mississippi River
Blind builders on Mississippi River
Pools 25 and 26 will be able to register their blinds starting
Wednesday, July 14, through Wednesday, July 21, for the coming
season.
To register, a new 2004 Illinois
hunting or sportsman license and 2004 Illinois State duck stamp for
each blind builder will be required. These must be presented at the
Mississippi River F & W Area office, located on Route 100 near the
Rosedale junction. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day,
including Saturday, July 17, and Sunday, July 18.
Blinds that have not been registered by
the July 21 deadline will be available at a public drawing at the
area office on Sunday, Aug 1. To register for the draw, participants
will need either a 2003 or 2004 Illinois hunting or sportsman
license, an Illinois State duck stamp, and a current Firearm Owners
Identification Card. Hunters who are exempt from license
requirements have proof of disability and a current Firearms Owners
Identification Card.
All registrants must be 16 years of age
or older on the date of the drawing. Registration for the drawing
will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the drawing to immediately
follow. Those whose names are drawn will have until 4 p.m. that day
to register their blind for the upcoming season, and they will have
to meet the aforementioned registration criteria.
For additional information contact the
Mississippi River Area office at (618) 376-3303.
* * *
Discover
the world of African art at the Illinois State Museum
"Mask Magic" is the second in the
series of African art workshops being offered in conjunction with
the Illinois State Museum exhibition "Where Animals Dance: Art of
Africa." Designed for children ages 8-10 or 11-14, this workshop
will be on Tuesday, July 20. The morning session, from 9 to 11, is
open to children ages 8-10. The afternoon session, from 1 to 3, is
open to children 11-14.
Using examples of elaborate animal
masks in the "Where Animals Dance: Art of Africa" exhibition,
participants will decorate a papier-mache mask with paint, feathers,
paper, beads and other materials.
Workshops will include instruction and
supplies. The cost is $7 for museum members and $10 for nonmembers.
Each session is limited to 15 participants, and advance registration
is required by Friday, July 16. For registration forms, Illinois
State Museum Society membership forms and further information, call
Jennifer Kuehner at (217) 782-5993 or TTY (217) 782-9175.
The museum is located on the corner of
Spring and Edwards streets in Springfield and is open 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission
to the museum is free. Parking is available nearby, and the building
is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
[to top of second column in
this article] |

Project
Learning Tree forestry workshops scheduled
"Forest Ecology and Issues:
Investigating and Exploring" Project Learning Tree high school
module workshops for teachers are scheduled for July 27 at Sand
Ridge Nature Center in South Holland and July 29 at Pere Marquette
State Park in Grafton. Workshop participants will explore and learn
about forest ecosystems through hands-on discovery and
experimentation. Under the direction of resource professionals,
participants will study the diversity of forest life and develop an
awareness of the importance of forests in our daily lives.
In conjunction with the ecology module,
educators will learn how to investigate and define an environmental
issue, identify key players and points of view, generate alternative
solutions, weigh trade-offs, and make personal and group decisions,
using the Project Learning Tree high school module "Exploring
Environmental Issues: Focus on Forests" as a base.
This workshop is free to attendees, who
will receive the curriculum guides and associated classroom
materials. Teachers are eligible for continuing professional
development units. Lunch will be provided.
To register or obtain additional
information about this workshop, contact Randy Wiseman, State
Coordinator, Project Learning Tree, IL Dept. of Natural Resources,
Division of Education, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL
62702; phone (217) 524-4126; e-mail
rwiseman@dnrmail.state.il.us.
Many Project WILD, Project WILD
Aquatic, Project Learning Tree and Project WET workshops for
educators are being offered throughout Illinois in the coming
months. Continuing professional development units are available to
participating teachers. To learn more about these programs, visit
http://dnr.state.il.us or contact Randy Wiseman at
rwiseman@dnrmail.state.il.us or (217) 524-4126.
* * *

Basket-making workshop being offered
The Illinois State Museum and the
Springfield Basket Art Guild will offer a basket-making workshop on
Saturday, July 31, for adults and children ages 9 and older.
Participants will learn how to weave and decorate a unique basket
complete with appliqued design and wooden handle and base. This
delightful basket could be a perfect gift basket, potpourri holder
or decoration.
Instruction will be provided by members
of the Springfield Basket Art Guild, and the workshop will be at the
Illinois State Museum. Spaces are available in both the morning and
afternoon sessions, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.
The workshop cost is $15 per person for
Illinois State Museum Society members and $17 per person for
nonmembers. Each session is limited to 15 participants. Advance
registration is required by Friday, July 16. For registration forms
and further information, call Jennifer Kuehner at (217) 782-5993 or
TTY (217) 782-9175.
The museum is located at the corner of
Spring and Edwards streets in Springfield and is open 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission
to the museum is free. Parking is available nearby, and the building
is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
* * *
Wing
shooting clinic offered
A wing shooting clinic is being offered
Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 at Specchio Farms in Fisher. The Saturday event
is for youths ages 11-15, and the Sunday event is for females age 11
through adult. Up to 24 people can participate each day. For more
details contact the Region 3 office of the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources, (217) 935-6860.
* * *
Early
waterfowl season dates determined
The Natural Resources Advisory Board
has approved dates for the early waterfowl seasons. The statewide
September Canada goose hunting season is set for Sept. 1-15 and a
statewide teal hunting season will be Sept. 11-19.
The September Canada goose season
includes a daily bag limit of five geese in the state's northeast
zone and two geese in the remainder of the state. Possession limits
are double the daily bag limit. The daily bag limit of five geese is
allowed in northeast Illinois because of the large resident giant
Canada goose population in the region.
The September season allows hunters to
harvest resident giant Canada geese before migrant geese arrive in
the state. Canada geese taken during the September season do not
count toward the state's regular goose season harvest quota.
A 2004 population estimate indicates
that there may be more than 100,000 giant Canada geese in Illinois,
an increase of more than 26 percent compared with last year.
For the
nine-day September teal hunting season, a daily bag limit of four
teal and a possession limit of eight teal will be allowed. The
season dates are based on aerial duck surveys and hunter preferences
expressed in statewide surveys.
[Illinois
Department of Natural Resources
news release] |