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* * *
Access to some facilities at Kankakee
River State Park will be restricted due to rehabilitation work that
begins Aug. 2 on the Warner Bridge near the park. The Class D
campground located just west of the bridge will be closed for the
duration of the bridge project. The fishermen's parking area on the
east side of the bridge will be a left-turn-only on exit from the
parking area. Also, the bike trail beneath the bridge will be closed
from time to time during the construction. The bridge project is
expected to take approximately 100 working days.
* * *
The Illinois Nature Preserves
Commission's 183rd meeting will be on Tuesday, Aug. 3, beginning at
9 a.m. The meeting will be in the University of Illinois ACES
Library Heritage Room in Urbana. For more information, call the
commission at (217) 785-8686.
* * *
The 123rd meeting of the Illinois
Endangered Species Protection Board will be at 10 a.m. on Friday,
Aug. 6, in Lakeview Conference Room A of the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in
Springfield. If anyone has reason to address the board, the board
requests advance notification of such intent and an advance written
copy of the matter to be presented. Without an advance copy of such
presentations, the board cannot make on-the-spot evaluations
concerning any matter and will not be able to formally act on that
matter during the meeting. For more information, contact the board
at (217) 785-8687.
* * *
Free
education resources for teachers
The Illinois Department of Natural
Resources, Educational Services Section, has six CD-ROMs and one DVD
available for teachers. The CD-ROMs and DVD contain lessons, student
activities, videos, sounds and more and are compatible with both
Windows and Macintosh formats. The DVD contains five videos taking
students on a tour of Illinois' natural heritage without leaving the
classroom. These resources are free, but note appropriate grade
levels before ordering.
The CD-ROMs are "Career Opportunities
in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources," for grades 7-12;
"Kids for Trees," grades K-3; "Wild Mammals of Illinois," grades
4-6; "Illinois Birds," grades 4-6; "Aquatic Illinois," grades 5-9;
and "Illinois Biodiversity," grades 5-10. The DVD is "Exploring
Illinois' Natural Resources," for grades K-12.
Send requests by title on school
letterhead to: IDNR Education, One Natural Resources Way,
Springfield, IL 62702-1271. For more information, contact the
department's Division of Education at
teachkids@dnrmail.state.il.us or (217) 524-4126.
* * *
New
"mammal trunks" available
Illinois educators teaching about
mammals can borrow an "Illinois Wild Mammals Trunk" to supplement
their classroom lessons. Developed by the Educational Services
Section of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, these
supplemental kits are available for loan to educators statewide.
Each trunk -- an easy-to-transport plastic container -- is filled
with field guides, CD-ROMs, a DVD, fur samples, skulls, track and
scat replicas, lessons, activity sheets, posters, and other items.
Suggested loan time is two weeks.
Lending locations are listed at
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/
classrm/mammals2.htm. For more information, contact the
department's Division of Education at
teachkids@dnrmail.state.il.us or (217) 524-4126.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
New
book explores links between "green" chemistry and agriculture
Exploring how "environmentally
friendly" chemistry can be applied to agriculture is the subject of
a new book edited by Dr. William Nelson of the Illinois Waste
Management and Research Center. "Agricultural Applications in Green
Chemistry" is published by the American Chemical Society and
distributed by Oxford University Press.
Nelson directs the alternative cleaning
technology and chemical process alternatives labs at the Waste
Management and Research Center. He is an expert on cleaning
processes that reduce waste generation and is the author of a
recently published book on "green" solvents for use in chemistry.
Green chemistry is the concept of
reducing or eliminating hazardous substances in the design,
manufacture and application of chemical products. The book examines
the connection between green chemistry and sustainable agriculture,
as well as agricultural products as examples of green chemistry.
Product examples include ethanol as an alternative fuel and the use
of a plant's essential oils as alternative pesticides. Also included
is material on agricultural processes in green chemistry. Examples
include bioremediation, in which plants or microbes clean up
contaminated soil, and increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis
so that crop yields are naturally higher, decreasing the need for
artificial fertilizers and pesticides. The book also looks to nature
for models of how to deal with agricultural problems, such as using
biological control instead of chemical pesticides to eliminate
pests.
The book is written primarily for
researchers and educators in chemical and agricultural sciences,
though farmers and other agricultural land owners may also be
interested. It is available from the Oxford University Press and the
American Chemical Society.
The Waste
Management and Research Center is a division of the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources and is headquartered on the campus
of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
[Illinois
Department of Natural Resources
news release]
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