Read up on Bell Bowl Prairie updates, community clean up information, Bickerdike Development Sustainability Overview, and more.
Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards!
In our last meeting, we discussed Rockfordās Bell Bowl Prairie updates and took a moment of silence for the biodiversity that was lost in the construction. We also heard about the Bickerdike Development Sustainability Overview and the green benefits that the new construction will bring to the community and tenants like a common space for residents, employing local workers, and building decarbonization. Similarly, we went through our recurring agenda items of coalition updates, legislation and policy, housing/development, stewardship/green space/ecology topics, and 2023 campaigns.
Thank you to everyone that came and we encourage everyone to get outside
Our monthly meetings take place at 6:30 PM every second Thursday of the month, they are all posted on Upcoming Events. Our next meeting will take place on May 11th.
Conference Info:
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 763 961 6511
+13126266799,,7639616511#
Passcode for Recording {pq?0eB!g}
Meeting Highlights
Vedgewater is open! RSVP here for a volunteer day!
Click here to view new maps and renderings from the North Lake Shore Drive redefine the drive project.
Click here to fill out the Lakefront and DuSable Lake Shore Drive Community Visioning Survey from Better Streets Chicago.
Click here to view our email about the Chicago Shoreline Army Corp Tool & Arbor Day Events.
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
EEC Save the Datestes, View Info + RSVP
Litter Free Edgewater
April 29th, 2023 | Chicago
Community Connections
Berger Park Clean and Green, Saturday 9am-12pm: April 22
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)
Berger Park Advisory Council
Clean and Green Saturday April 22nd, 9am-12pm at Berger Park Join the Berger Park Advisory Council on Earth Day for a Clean and Green! We invite everyone to join us at Berger Park for a clean-up and planting! Gloves and trash bags will be provided along with water and snacks for a fun Earth day event! Those joining need to meet in front of the Carriage House Theatre between the two mansions.
Earth Day Fair
Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10-1PM Peirce Elementary School 1423 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660 The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring together businesses, organizations, and partners to host on Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10-1PM a Fair that brings together organizations that need support through volunteers AND kids activities! Folks can learn about volunteer opportunities here on the north side of Chicago and also fun activities to showcase for kids to do throughout the year. Folks will be able to visit different volunteer opportunities that include special interests in environmental, social gathering, non profit, social and economical areas, and cultural, games and athletics. Parents can learn about different after school programs, summer camp sign-ups, classes, and activities for kids. We have an incredible growing family demographic in and around Andersonville and we would love to provide a great way for parents to discover different opportunities to get their kids more active in arts, culture, and more. Sign Up here to participate
Andersonville Chamber of Commerce
Volunteer and Kids Activities Fair Join us on Saturday, April 22 from 10AM - 1PM at Peirce Elementary for an Andersonville Volunteer & Kids Activities Fair. You'll learn about volunteer opportunities that include special interests in environmental, social gathering, non profit, social and economical areas, and cultural, games, and athletics. Parents can learn more about after school programs, summer camp sign-ups, classes, and year round programming. Click here for more info and to register. Andersonville In Bloom Also join the Andersonville Community in efforts to make the neighborhood shine through sustainability, eco-conscious mindfulness, and creating a space to connect. During Andersonville in Bloom we continue to build connections with community groups and members to help clean up trash, build pollinator gardens, help our neighbors, and strengthen our bonds as humans sharing space with nature.
Celebrate Arbor Day with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
April 26th, 12-1pm ONLINE Join Commissioners Daniel Pogorzelski and Mariyana Spyropoulos of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago for a webinar celebrating trees! Joined by Collette Copic - Chicago Region Trees Initiative Community Coordinator, Al DeReu - Openlands Treekeepers Program Manager, and Troy Showerman - Forest Preserves Resource Project Manager. In celebration of Arbor Day, on April 26th from noon to 1pm, log on to hear government officials and community leaders talk about tree advocacy, tree programs, and tree care. Submit questions in advance or join with questions to ask. We look forward to seeing you there! Register HERE
Edgewater Glen Association Yard Sale, Garden Walk, and More!
The EGA Spring Newsletter is on the website and paper copies should be arriving at your residence this weekend. It's packed with information about the Spring Plant Swap, the 28th Annual Edgewater Yard Sale, and 50th Anniversary EGA Garden Walk, and more! Hoping to see you all around the neighborhood this summer!
Corps Shoreline Crowdsourcing Tool
Deadline Sunday, April 30, 2023
US Army Corps of Engineers is asking for input for the
Chicago Shoreline General Reevaluation Report (GRR)
āThis tool allows the user to submit location-based comments pertaining to the Chicago Shoreline. The user can submit new ideas, questions, or concerns anywhere along the shoreline of the City Limits of Chicago.ā
Anyone, living anywhere, can submit any kind of concern, question or new idea for how they would like the shoreline to look, from the very specific to the general. The tool is quite simple; see below.
The Edgewater Environmental Coalition encourages its members and local residents to voice their preferences by the deadline. We advocate nature-based solutions and encourage our members to add their voices. Our statement of Strategic Intentions has these relevant policies:
Maintain and Improve Water Quality for All
Protect the beachfront using strategies that mimic natural systems
Conserve and Expand Natural Areas
Restore, maintain and expand native habitat
Build the last four miles of the Lakefront Trail, see here
Much attention is being focused on this important topic. Funding is increasingly available, so commenters should express both long term and short term goals. Please comment responsibly to avoid the appearance of ballot-box stuffing. You can make a difference!
Comments can be submitted three (3) primary ways:
Via email to ChicagoShoreline@usace.army.mil
Via snail mail to the address in my email signature (ATTN: Planning Branch)
Using our web-based crowdsource reporting tool (https://usace-lrc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/CrowdsourceReporter/index.html?appid=4f44e63f1bac4942963cf53682e285af)
In Case You Missed It
In our last monthly meeting, we heard about an Edgewater trees exhibition and tree audit, a Great Lakes shoreline flooding project, and a Garden Compost Compliance Tool.
Be sure to check out our blogs on the Edgewater Community Tree Planting Recap and the Garden Compost Compliance Toolkit!
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