Greater DuPage Chapter Events

Doors open at 6:00 PM
Dinner starts at 6:30 PM 

Bring a dish to share!  Please bring your own drinks and place servings.  A short presentation on Periodical Cicadas presented by Nanette Kalscheur will follow the dinner. It will cover cicada life cycle, timing for DuPage County, and what people can do once the cicadas emerge.

Nanette has some free native trees & shrub seedlings to share with members. They will be given away bare root, wrapped in damp newspaper & are approximately 2-4 years old.  All were grown from seed.  Plants will only be available at the Pot Luck Thursday, April 18th.

Trees
Horse Chestnut - 6-10” tall, 2 available
Kentucky Coffee - 1-2’ tall, 4 available
Swamp White Oak - 6” tall, 4 available

Shrubs
Carolina Allspice - 1-2’ tall, 4-5 available

Pat will take us on a walk to view 2 special restoration projects at Lyman Woods completed by Eagle Scout, Shreeman Patel. Shreemann Patel is an Eagle Scout from Troop #10 Hinsdale, based out of the Union Church of Hinsdale. 

The first project, the Pollinator Garden, was built from August to September of 2023, and consists of many different regions aimed at helping all of the pollinators, not just the already popular ones like the butterflies and bees. There is a region for hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, moths, and even flies. The "general pollinator" regions also included some plants helpful to bats.  The garden helps showcase the importance of these bees in our day-to-day lives, especially the direct impact they have on our food.  There are also informative signs placed throughout, letting visitors know which pollinators are being benefitted, and which native flowers are planted in the region.  The project took just under 300 labor hours and just under $3,000 to complete.  Click here for more information on this project. 

The second project is the Pond Restoration Project. Prior to the project, the site suffered from intense soil erosion and water pollution, primarily due to three water pipes feeding into it. These pipes carried phosphorus and other potentially harmful chemicals from nearby residences, especially from the Midwestern University Parking Garage. The pond was surrounded by invasive buckthorn and a bit of invasive honeysuckle. Shreeman's team worked on removing them, while Lyman Woods sprayed the stumps with herbicide. They created sand filters to improve the water quality entering through the pipes, promoting self-regeneration over time. On one of the final days of the project, Shreeman noticed a slight film on the pond's surface, along with an algal bloom, leading him to suspect blue-green algae. To be cautious, he and his team removed much of the algal bloom and prescribed long-term barley treatment for the pond to naturally regenerate. Additionally, they installed a solar-powered pond aerator to keep the water moving and prevent further algal blooms, while also improving conditions for wildlife. This project required 290 labor hours. Shreeman spent approximately $600 on the project, with Lyman Woods contributing additional funds for plants and other resources. Click here for more information on this project.