Spring 2009 Program Events

Our 2008 -  2009 Program season is now over.

Programs are held at  Heller Nature Center at 2821 Ridge Road in Highland Park, Illinois 60035 (directions) unless otherwise noted.

Special appreciation to the Heller Nature Center Staff and the Park District of Highland Park for their support of our activities and the availability of public resources.

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Here is a list of programs that have already been held during our 2008 - 2009 program year.


Tues., Sept. 2      7:00 pm
Heller Nature Center
The Whooping Crane Returns

Joan Garland of the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, will recount the dramatic story of the near extinction of the Whooping Crane and the successful efforts to bring it back from its critically endangered status—a mere 14 adult birds in 1938—using, in part, imprinting and ultralight aircraft.

The elegant whooping crane is on the verge of an extraordinary comeback after nearly becoming extinct due to human activities. In 1941, the last migratory flock was reduced to only 15 birds. An ambitious reintroduction project is currently underway to restore a migratory flock of whooping cranes to eastern North America. Now in its eighth year, the project is being undertaken by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), a team of non-profit and governmental agencies, whose founding members include the International Crane Foundation (ICF). ICF works worldwide to conserve cranes and the wetland and grassland ecosystems on which they depend. ICF is dedicated to providing experience, knowledge, and inspiration to involve people in resolving the threats to these beautiful birds.

Joan Garland is the Outreach Coordinator at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. She has worked at ICF for eight years and is Co-leader of the Outreach Team for WCEP. For the past five years, Joan has accompanied the ultralight-led whooping crane migration down to Florida. She also works on crane conservation education programs in northeastern China and Russia..

As a follow-up to this program, we will be visiting the Internaitional Crane Foundation and the Necedah Wildlife Refuge September 13-14 to view their Crane programs.  Learn more about this field trip.

October 7  -  7:00 pm
Winners & Losers: Our Changing Bird Population

Dr. Michael Ward of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at UIC, an expert on population dy-namics and behavior of birds, will talk about the dramatic changes in Northeastern Illinois’ bird population over the last century and the potential effects of current and future habitat changes and diseases such as West Nile Virus.

October 27 - 7:30 PM   (MONDAY)
SPECIAL Year of the Frog PROGRAM
The Amphibian Ark: Saving Our Frogs
Ryerson Woods Welcome Center,
21950 Riverwoods Rd., Riverwoods


Frogs are disappearing. So are toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians. At least 1/3 of known amphibian species may be threatened with extinction. Dr. Kevin Zippel, program director for The Amphibian Ark , is working to stem this crisis. Join him as he shares his efforts to ensure the global survival of amphibians.

This Year of the Frog program will be co-sponsored by the Lake County Chapter of National Audubon Society.

Wednesday, November 5   7:00 PM (Note: Election Day Change)
Illinois Audubon—Past, Present, Future

The Illinois Audubon Society oversees ten wildlife sanctuaries and has acquired thousands of acres of land in an ongoing effort to preserve future habitat and biodiversity. Tom Clay, Executive Director, will talk about IAS’ 111-year history from its founding in an effort to curtail the feather trade to its present major role in Illinois land acquisition and restoration.

Tuesday, December 2  7:30 PM
Behind the Scenes of Raptor Rehabilitation
Barnswallow, Wauconda

Barnswallow is a raptor rehabilitation program and public education facility run by Linda Breuer. We will view the birds on her property through closed-circuit cameras and learn about her outstanding work with the threatened raptors in Lake County. Bring donations of paper towels and bleach.

Those wishing to carpool from the Highland Park area should meet
at Heller Nature Center for departure at 7:00 PM promptly.Because this is a private facility, for directions, please contact Rena Cohen (847.831.0331 or rena@sspr.com)

Tuesday January 6  - 7:00 PM
Cougars, Wolves & Bears—Welcome Back?

Have the cougar, timber wolf, and black bear returned for good to northern Illinois, and can they co-exist in an increas-ingly urban environment? Chris Anchor, Wildlife Biologist with the Cook County Forest Preserve, reports on recent sightings of these endangered animals and what that might mean about their future status in our area.

Tuesday, February 3 -  7:00 PM
Nothing Dull About a Gull

Identifying gulls can certainly be challenging. Dave Johnson, co-author of Birds of Chicago and noted local birder, will help us learn to identify the differences in local gulls in conjunction with the annual winter Gull Frolic event.

Tuesday, March 3, Heller Nature Center, 7:00 pm
The Adventures of John J. Audubon

Join storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis as he recreates one of America’s greatest naturalists and wildlife artists, John James Audubon, in a series of entertaining and meticulously researched monologues drawn from Audubon’s journals, essays, and letters to his friends and colleagues. Listen to tales of his adventures as he finishes something no one had every accomplished before: drawing every bird in North America. Audubon will enchant you with stories of his travels and travails in the wildest places on the planet as he celebrates the natural history of North America as he saw it in the early 1800s.

Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 PM
Bringing Back Hennepin and Hopper Lakes
A Model for Wetland Restoration


Gary Sullivan, Senior Restoration Ecologist with The Wetlands Initiative, will discuss his work in restoring Lakes Hennepin and Hopper in Central Illinois from drained farm fields to wetlands thriving with bird, mammal and plant life. Gary’s work and the success of Hennepin and Hopper provide a model for how we can recapture wetlands and the flora and fauna they attract.

Tuesday, May 5 -  7:00 PM
Weather or Not—Bird Migration in Chicago

A perfect kickoff for the spring bird migration! Doug Stotz, Conservation Ornithologist for The Field Museum, will talk about the annual bird migration through Chicago and how weather affects its timing. Learn what birds to expect when, and how winds, temperature, precipitatio n and other factors may slow down or speed up their arrival and/or departure.

Tuesday,  June 2    6:30 PM
Annual Potluck Dinner and Elections of Officers Program

Bring a dish to share and your own place setting. After dinner, we’ll hold our annual meeting and election of officers for the coming year. This is a chance to socialize, help set chapter policy and get in on future planning.

This is an open meeting and our last program for the 2008 - 2009 season. If you are interested in our activities, you are welcome to attend.

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