Read up on stewardship, coalitions, an internship opportunity, and upcoming events!
Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! This is our monthly pre-meeting general newsletter. We hope to see you at our upcoming general meeting 4/13 at 6:30pm. On the agenda: Bell Bowl Prairie updates, community clean up information, and a development sustainability overview. Plus our recurring agenda items of coalition updates, legislation and policy, housing/development, stewardship/green space/ecology topics, and 2023 campaigns. Join to learn more, contribute to the discussion, and/or share with us. With it being Earth Month, highlighting stewardship items: Parkways for Pollinators, Vedgewater and the Commons, lakeshore erosion and flooding, a heritage tree audit, plus new activity at Berger Park, and Park 599! Since every day is Earth Day, why not give us some extra love this month with a donation to support efforts year round! Our monthly meetings take place at 6:30 PM every second Thursday of the month, and they are all posted on Events. We look forward to seeing you soon! Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7639616511 Meeting ID: 763 961 6511 +13126266799,,7639616511#
We are hiring!
EEC invites energetic, community-minded individuals to join us as interns and help manage our local environmental sustainability projects and advocacy. This position entails a combination of project management, public and volunteer communication, marketing and public outreach, and administrative tasks. Find out more and apply here! Applications due by 6/1.
Our Upcoming Events
Community Tree Planting: Sat 4/8 9am-1pm
2023 EEC Monthly Meetings Remaining: 4/13, 5/11, 6/8, 7/13, 8/10, 9/14, 10/12, 11/9
2023 Hollywood Beach Stewardship: Sundays, 10:30am-12:30pm: April 30, May 21, June 25, July 30, August 27, September 24, October 29
Vedgewater Work Days: 4/8 and 4/15 10:30am-12:30pm. Then the 15th of the month every month.
Community Connections
The History of 40 years of Lake Michigan erosion along Edgewater's lakefront, Wed. April 12 10:30 AM to 12 at Berger Park
Andersonville Volunteer & Kids Activities Fair 4/22 10-1PM, Peirce Elementary School
EGA Spring Plant Swap Sat. May 20th from 10 am until Noon
40th Ward Environmental Board Meeting, Apr 10, May 8, Jun 12, Jul 10 at 7pm
2023 Montrose Dunes Stewardship, Saturdays 9-12p: April 22, May 21 (Sun), June 25 (Sun), July 22, August 19, September 30, October 21
West Andersonville Gardens working days April - October, from 9 - 12PM.
1st Wed of the Month: Electronics recycling @ 6441 N. Ravenswood Ave
Edgewater Mutual Aid Food Distribution: Saturdays 12-1:30pm at Edgewater Presbyterian Church (1020 W Bryn Mawr)
The History of 40 years of Lake Michigan erosion along Edgewater's lakefront The Berger Park Advisory Council is pleased to host John Holden, (president of the Edgewater Historical Society), Edgewater Architect, Thom Greene and long time Edgewater parks advocate Paul Boyd to speak Wed. April 12 from 10:30 AM to 12 noon at Berger Park. The free event will take place in the South mansion at Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd. This event is of particular interest to our park which has seen these devastating effects of climate change, fluctuating lake levels and the challenges of lakefront erosion. This is in light of the US Army Corps of Engineer’s call for community input in anticipation of their eminent lakefront study.
Chicago Shoreline GRR - Crowdsourcing Tool Notification The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District would like the share a crowdsourcing tool to aid in the information gathering for the Chicago Shoreline General Reevaluation – a Coastal Storm Risk Management study in the City of Chicago, Cook County Illinois. The purpose of this tool is to gather input from the public for the coastal storm risk management study. The crowdsourcing tool has three comment types (Concerns, New Idea/Opportunity for Improvement, Questions). You can place points on the map at specific locations, mark the comment type, and describe the comment. Additionally, previous comments submitted can be seen, ‘liked’, and commented on in place of creating a new separate comment. The crowdsourcing tool can be found on the project webpage along with additional project information here: https://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works-Projects/Chicago-Shoreline-General-Reevaluation-Report/
How much do you care about Illinois’ environment? Enough to take you to Springfield and let your legislators know about the environmental priorities they ought to push for in our state’s capitol? If so, then IEC’s 2023 Environmental Lobby Day is the event for you! Registration is now open for the 2023 Environmental Lobby Day, can we count you in?
The West Andersonville Neighbors Together The West Andersonville Neighbors Together group is all set to bring the community garden back for 2023! The community garden will have working days every month through October with the first two being Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 16. Workdays are 9 - 12PM. Come when you can, leave when you must. Bring your own gloves but tools will be provided. All ages are welcome! Contact WANT here for more information.
Urban Forestry Advocacy Workshop Openland's Ward Advocates play a critical role in building relationships with alders and increasing awareness for urban forestry issues. Learn how to discuss urban forestry issues with your Alderperson and other elected officials, and how to join Openlands' Ward Advocates Program. If you want to be part of this process, join us at our next Ward Advocate Workshop on Wednesday, May 3. This event is open to TreeKeepers and non-TKs alike.
Better Street's Chicago want to know what you think. We're conducting a survey to learn more about how you currently use the lakefront parks, your travel habits, and what you envision for the future of the lakefront. The survey takes 10-20 minutes to complete. Take the survey
The Summer Institute on Climate and the Environment
Annual climate bootcamp at UIC: The Summer Institute on Climate and the Environment. This is an opportunity for students across multiple universities and programs to come together and learn about climate change resiliency.
The one-week program is open to all who've completed one year at college, but undergrads are particularly encouraged to participate. We don't have a cap on attendee numbers, and applying is straightforward. The program is free.
The three-month program is a paid opportunity for select advanced students to do some applied work, culminating in a community project and published paper. This one will be limited to 6-8 participants. I'd like to thank you for helping us promote the program so far.
Edgewater Glen’s Spring Plant Swap Edgewater Glen’s Spring Plant Swap will be held Saturday, May 20th, from 10 am until noon in the backyard at 1420 W. Glenlake, weather permitting. The rain delay alternative date is Sunday, May 21st, same time & place. Spring is a great time to thin and share hostas, ferns, and any other plants or gardening paraphernalia for which you would like to find a home. Even if you don’t have anything to share, come and meet your gardening neighbors. We usually have leftovers that need a home. For more info, contact Kim Kaulas at kaulas@rcn.com
Project Wingspan Illinois – Exciting News and a Training and Certification Event 2022 Project Wingspan was a giant success! This month, we embark on our new grant cycle: “Project Wingspan Illinois and Indiana!” Illinois has continued to break program records in amount of seeds harvested and cleaned, and number of projects awarded local seed mixes and plant materials. This is all thanks to our amazingly dedicated seed collection teams and our growing list of supportive partners and seed collection sites! For a look at the scale of success achieved, please see the attached “Metrics” document. Collection team activities will be getting underway soon. All 20+ teams are looking to add members and new teams are being established! Collect native wildflower seeds with Project Wingspan! It’s so much fun, you’ll learn so much, and you’ll make a remarkable difference to pollinators in Illinois! Here’s the link to the next training and certification event. No registration is necessary. Also attached are a flyer and a blurb for the event. If you want to pass this info along or post it on social media, please do! We can’t have too many helping hands! Watch Party Zoom Link for May 10th, 6:30 pm: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89991020182 Meeting ID: 899 9102 0182 One tap mobile +16694449171,,89991020182# US
EPA wants to let you know that registration is open for the April 19 virtual listening session on EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap for Region 5 communities. We are inviting members of the public to attend and to speak. EPA Region 5 includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and 35 Tribal Nations. This engagement session will provide information about EPA’s ongoing work on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the PFAS Strategic Roadmap and what it means for Region 5. The session will provide opportunities for communities to share feedback directly with EPA Regional and program leaders to inform the implementation of the actions described in the Roadmap. In November 2022, EPA announced that the Agency would hold a series of virtual Regional community engagement sessions in 2023 to fulfill a key commitment outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap. EPA Region 5’s virtual Regional community engagement session will be held via Zoom on April 19, from 6:00-8:00 pm CDT. The public can register to participate in the community engagement session using the following link: https://pfascommunityengagement.org/register/ More information on EPA’s efforts on PFAS is available at www.epa.gov/pfas
In Case You Missed It
Sign the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition's petition opposing utility rate hikes (thank you to the hundreds of people who have already signed!)
The Vedgewater Communuty Garden at Rosemont and Broadway is back for 2023! Sign up now to start gardening this spring! Please sign up ASAP to help organizers out. The garden opens 4/15. Plot rentals are minimum $75 donation and if you are unable to afford a plot, let us know and we will see what we can make work for you. Sign up here for a plot! Not ready for your own plot, we need volunteers! Sign up here for the volunteer mailing list. Reach out to vedgewater.garden.leader@gmail.com with questions.
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