Natural Enquirer Sept/Oct 2014 by Schaumburg Park District

Natural Enquirer N e w s l e t t e r f o r S p r i n g Va l l e y S u p p o r t e r s a n d Vo l u n t e e r s

vol.5 no.5 • Sept.-Oct. ‘14

In this issue...

People who are wise and mature are often also said to be ‘grounded.’ This probably means different things to different people, but what it basically refers to is the fact that these people have their feet solidly on the ground, in the here and now, which allows them to take confident and firm steps forward. They generally know where they want to go. This issue of Natural Enquirer will help you to get grounded. It features a historical treatise on the impacts and causes of soil erosion through history as well as a look at some unique historic footwear. We also learn what it takes to stay grounded while shepherding a group of young children through summer camp and meet two amazing young girls who decided to get their hands dirty to help monarch butterflies.

Inside Summer Camp Survival.......................................2 Buried Treasure....................................................3 What’s Happenin’.............................................. 4-5 The Wooden Shoes of Schaumburg...................6 Monarch Butterfly Project....................................7

Spring Valley General Information....................11 Volunteer News Contents Volunteer Calendar........................................... 8-9 Volunteer Information........................................10

Visit www.parkfun.com and take our Spring Valley Program Survey.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Summer Camp Survival: A Checklist for Beginners

by Lauren Podgorski

veryone knows that gut-wrenching, pit in your stomach feeling before taking a test, diving into a foreign body of water, or stepping into a haunted house. Adrenaline is pumping. Limbs are shaky. Thoughts are scattered. Now add to that list your very first day of summer camp, as a counselor with no previous experience. Those emotions just multiplied by ten-fold.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “What could possibly be so scary about hanging out with ten or so six to eight year olds? Piece of cake, right?” Wrong. All those aforementioned, nerve-wracking experiences can be likened to your first day of summer camp: Did you prepare enough to pass the test of creating an entertaining and engaging day of camp? Are you diving in over your head with all that you want to get accomplished today? What surprises, either the weather or unexpected van malfunctions, are lurking around the corner for you today? As you can see, this task can be a little daunting for a newbie. I know from experience; however, as my summer has progressed, the once-thought of challenge has turned into more of a gratifying reward. Once I learned the key tools for summer camp survival and success, this job has turned into a very delicious piece of cake.

enjoying themselves at camp. Additionally, I have learned to recognize and appreciate all the teammates I have in my corner of the weeklong summer camp campaign. I work with some pretty amazing co-workers that have more years of experience put together, Diggin’ Into the Pond than years I disposition have been alive. is contaNeedless to say, they are incredible gious. If resources for camp activities and crafts, you project to bounce ideas off of, and simply for a confiwords of encouragement. My summer dent and camps, as well as myself, would not fun-loving be afloat or successful if it were not for persona, them. They have been my warm place your campto hibernate after a challenging day of ers will mammal camp, my cocoon to help me Fuzzy Wuzzy Camp mirror your transform from an average counselor to attitude and love whatever activity is a confident one during planned for them. A happy counselor bug camp, and my burequals happy campers, which is the ultiied treasure of golden mate goal of summer camp anyway. ideas during my Diggin’ into Mystery camp. I All in all, my first summer as a camp am eternally thankful to counselor has definitely been an exthem and all their hard perience to remember. I have grown work. so much not only as an interpreter and

The first tool for success that I learned very early on is to be adaptable. Kids are unpredictable, to say the least. I have quickly learned that the “cool” activities I have planned are actually the “lame” ones. In order to preserve an appearance as a fun, go-with-theflow counselor, one must always have a back-up plan. If that alternative plan does not work, one must stay calm and simply think on your feet. Last, but certainly not In my short time as least, I have come to a counselor I have embrace the phrase, Lookin’ Closely at Diggin’ learned that although “attitude is a little thing kids may be hard to please at times, that makes a big difference.” It is truly they are also easily entertained. For amazing how much a positive mental example, a trip down to the natural play attitude can transform a week of sumarea provides an easy teaching environmer camp. Heading into the first day of ment about bugs and frogs, while also camp is always scary: trying to read the supplying the entertainment of trying to kids’ personalities, gathering notions catch those critters. Even though the of what they like and do not like, and kids may not realize it, they are learning testing your time constraints with them. through new experiences, and having However, going into that first day with fun while doing it. This is the sneaky a clear, confident head will only make way we counselors adapt to situations, those tasks easier. Even more, a friendly but also ensure kids are learning and 2

leader, but also as a person. I have learned many life lessons that I will carry with me in any future endeavor. Additionally, I have found that with the right tools for success, any task, no matter how challenging, can be viewed as a means of personal growth. I take pride in knowing that I have helped grow more than just flowers and vegetables here at Spring Valley. I have helped plant seeds of environmental knowledge into growing young minds, and have personally grown so much as a steward of the land. Reaping those rewards is far more satisfying than any harvest of crops.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Buried Treasure

by Walter Plinske

Not long ago, I looked on as the local topsoil concern, better known as dirt robbers, carried on with their business, scouring the black earth that covered the surface of a displaced neighbor’s acreage. It dramatized what humans have been doing to our soil ever since the plow was invented and erosion soon followed in its wake. Soil erosion has been around ever since there were earth, wind, fire, and water, but man has taken it to unnatural heights to become the very threat to the future. When did this all start? Will there be an end to it?

With the opening of the Americas to Old World farmers, it may have been expected that the errors of the past concerning soil would have been corrected. A search for the thick black soils first encountered As agriculture spread by the earliest arrivals through the near east from Europe, however, to Europe, the same shows them to be misspattern was followed. ing. Evidence for colonial As prime farmland was Contour Farming era erosion is apparent taken, the marginal lands all along the East Coast of America. were appropriated by newcomers and Estimates of the average soil loss range other products of a growing population. from three inches to a foot. Within a cenIn Greece, more than tury, upstream farming converted many three feet of topsoil has open water ports into mudflats as matedisappeared since then. rial stripped from the hillsides reached In Roman Italy, sediment estuaries. Silt buried bottomlands and choked rivers turned filled in rivers and streams, especially valley bottoms into where held back by the numerous dams waterlogged marshes that dotted the land. as plows advanced up civilization. Silt pouring out of the rivers into the Persian Gulf has created over a hundred feet of new land every year since then. What were once seaports are now located 150 miles inland.

Soil erosion occurs when the balance between the building up of soil and the forces trying to tear it down take on a negative factor. These forces, which include wind and water, have a much No Till Farming greater erosive efficiency By 1900, the plow had reached the high the surrounding slopes. when the soil has been loosened by the plains, that semiarid swatch from CanaMalaria became a serious problem when plow. It began to be noticed thousands da to Texas. At first above-average rainsilt clogged the Tiber River valley to beof years ago in Mesopotamia. The fall encouraged farmers to till millions come the infamous Pontine Marshes. bottomland of the floodplain there was of virgin acres. When drought returned, The ancients were not unaware of the utilized so extensively that any further it was found that the soil, stripped of its problem. Solutions such as terracing agricultural protective native sod, would not stay put and contour expansion was under the driving winds that desiccate plowing are now situated in the region. By the 1930s, the effects of about as old as the surroundwind erosion introduced a new word to agriculture itself. ing uplands. Americans, “dustbowl”. Evidence of its Soil building Stripping away existence sometimes reached across regimens like the vegetation the entire country as billions of tons of crop rotation, that held the topsoil were picked up and filtered out soil in place from Chicago to New and plowing the York City. sloping ground Despite progress in invited erosion soil conservation, milGully Erosion until planted lions of tons of soil are crops grew large enough to shelter it still making their way planting nitrogenfrom rain. When enough runoff occurs, to the Gulf of Mexico. fixing legumes, and flowing sheets of water can pick up and Globally, an estimated cyclical field-fallowing transport soil, carving small channels, 24 billion tons are lost. are just as venerable. called rills, which collect into larger Eschewing the plow They also recognized more erosive gullies. On steeper slopes itself by employing the value of manure. sustained rainfall can saturate the soil “no-till” cultivation has Manure from oxen, Dustbowl - 1936 enough to trigger landslides. been proving to be the horses, sheep, goats, In Mesopotamia, the erosion of the surrounding uplands poured dirt and silt into the irrigation ditches which crisscrossed the region. Coupled with salinization, the nemesis of irrigation, the silting of the ditches eventually caused the breakdown of agriculture and inevitably

pigs, and poultry were spread on their fields. They applied crushed limestone and ashes to enrich their fields; however, even then economic pressures forced them to go the cheapest and easiest way. Over time this became the road to erosion and exhausted soil. 3

solution. Crop residue is left in place and seed is chiseled into the ground. Soil is conserved and gas is saved. Since only about 5% of the world’s farmland is worked in this way, what happens elsewhere may well shape the course of history.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Click on program/icon for information and to register online.*

*To create a new account, visit the registration desk at the CRC or download an internet registration form from www.parkfun.com. The form can be found under the registration tab. Programs will be cancelled three days in advance if minimum is not reached, so register early!

Growing Up Wild: Early Childhood Teacher Workshop

Saturday, Sept. 20 • 9AM-Noon Sign up for a hands-on workshop designed for early childhood educators. Growing Up Wild builds on a child’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and the world around them.

Project Learning Tree: Educators’ Workshop

Additional workshops are being developed. For up-to-date information, visit www. parkfun.com/Spring-Valley/programs.

Saturday, Nov. 8 • 9AM-3PM Enjoy a fun filled day in which you’ll learn how to use the activities and receive a copy of the PLT K-8 curriculum guide.

Early Childhood Educators’ Combo

Saturday, Nov. 15 • 9AM-3PM Receive two nationally acclaimed curricula, Project Learning Tree Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood and Growing Up Wild.

Harvest Moon Bonfire

Concert at the Cabin

Saturday, Sept. 20 • 6:30-8:30PM Heritage Farm

Saturday, Sept. 13 • 5-7:30PM • FREE

Come enjoy wonderful music in a beautiful setting! The Spring Valley Community Concert Band will perform under the shelter on the wooded cabin grounds as evening settles in. Picnic fare and beverages will be available for purchase or bring your own food, lawn chairs and a blanket. Picnic tables will be available. The music will begin at 6PM. The Merkle Log Cabin is an easy 10-minute walk from the Nature Center parking lot, or you can take a wagon shuttle.

Help celebrate this rare time of the year by taking a wagon ride through Spring Valley, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire, and enjoying a lantern-lit tour of the farm.

Scare More than Just Crows

Saturday, Sept. 27 • Noon-1:30PM Just in time for Halloween, create a fall decoration - the scarecrow!

Weekly Yoga at the Cabin

ADULT or TEEN

Tuesday, Sept. 2-Nov. 18 • 6:00-7:00PM Tuesday, Sept. 2-Nov. 18 • 7:30-8:30PM Thursday, Sept. 4-Nov. 20 • 6:30-7:30PM Thursday, Sept. 4-Nov. 20 • 8:00-9:00PM Enjoy yoga in the woods. Nurture mind and body in this rustic setting.

Extending the Season

Saturday, Oct. 11 • 10:00AM-Noon Extend your gardening season well after summer ends.

Food Preservation

Yoga, Cider and Soup

Saturday, Sept. 27 • 10:00AM-Noon Learn the historic importance of food preservation and preserve your own!

Friday, Oct. 10 • 7:00-8:30PM Enjoy a relaxing night with of yoga, fresh squeezed cold cider and hot seasonal soup.

Kitchen Traditions: Woodstove Cooking

Autumn Harvest Festival

Saturday, Nov. 1 • Noon-4PM Using historic recipes you will make dishes that highlight all the woodstove’s capabilities.

$4 per person • $16 per family • 3 yrs & under Free

Nature’s Studio: Printmaking

Saturday, Sept. 20 • 1:00-3:00PM Experiment with printing techniques while creating cards, decorative paper and more.

Sponsored by

Oktober Festessen

Saturday, Oct. 11 • 6:00-8:00PM Enjoy a traditional German dinner in the historic farmhouse, and let Riesling, dessert and good conversation transport you to another time.

Sunday, Oct. 5 • Noon-5PM Step back in time and see history come to life at a 1790s frontier encampment and an 1880s working farm! Food, beverages and children’s activities are available throughout the day. Click here for more information.

Pumpkins Post October 31

Sunday, Nov. 2 • 11:00AM-Noon Receive a booklet with pumpkin recipes, crafts, and other ways to indulge in the fall season.

ALL AGES Free - Heaven’s Watch

National Public Lands Day

Saturday, Oct. 11 • 8PM

View Mars, Uranus, Neptune and more! Program meets in front of the Nature Center. Call 847/985-2100 at 7 p.m. to ensure that the program is running.

Saturday, Sept. 20 • 9AM-1PM

Participants will learn how people work with nature to heal the land and help restore rare plants and animals. All participants will receive a packet of native wildflower seeds. Refreshments will be available.

Dress Up Jack

Sunday, Oct. 12 • 10:30AM-Noon Dress up your Jack-O-Lantern with a closet full of nature, like acorn eyes and leaf hair.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Fall Color Hike

Home School Naturalist Group Programs

Saturday, Oct. 18 • 10:30AM-Noon Join a naturalist and explore how and why tree leaves change color in the fall.

Spring Valley Nature Center and Heritage Farm is the perfect place for hands-on, exploration-based science programs. Offerings change seasonally, so check the program guide regularly.

Full Moon Hike

Saturday, Nov. 8 • 6:00-7:30PM Look for animals of the night and enjoy a full moon walk with something warm afterward.

Fall 2014 topics: • Biscuits and Butter - Learn about 19th century farm life as you cook on the wood burning stove and churn your own butter. • Insects - Learn the key features of spiders and insects and go on a creepy-crawly safari. • Prairie Plants - Explore the prairie, collect plant data and complete a scavenger hunt. • Seeds - Play games, work in the garden and dissect a seed. • Available every fall: Conservation in Action, Woodlands, Owls: Predators of the Night, Cycling, Farms and Food, Gardening, Wetlands, Nighttime Nature

Sunset Adventure

Friday, Sept. 19 • 5:00-6:30PM Follow the clues left behind to figure out who has been prowling the trails at night.

Warbler Watch

Saturday, Oct. 11 • 8:00-9:30AM Spend a morning looking for warblers as they stop over at Spring Valley on their journey south.

For more information about programs and pricing, or to schedule a program, call 847-985-2100.

A Haunting in the Valley Fri. & Sat., Oct. 24 & 25 • 6:15-9:30PM

Season of Apples

Before Oct. 24: $6 per person • Walk-in: $8 per person

Sunday, Sept. 21 • 2:00-3:30PM Play games, create a recipe book, and enjoy a delicious apple treat.

Enjoy a covered wagon ride to a trail of fun and adventure! Games, refreshments, a live owl and bonfire at the Nature Center.

The Secret Lives of Spring Valley Animals

Click here for more information.

Saturday, Sept. 20 • 10:00AM-Noon Join a guide to discover the who, what, when, and where of Spring Valley’s animal residents.

EARLY CHILDHOOD Dolled Up for Fall

FREE NATURE PROGRAM

Sunday, Nov. 9 • 10:00-11:00AM Make a traditional Native American toy - the corn husk doll!

Jammin’ Round the Campfire

Follow that Leaf

Saturday, Oct. 11 • 10:00-11:30AM After listening to the story Leaf Man, we will go on a leaf collecting hike.

Sunday, Oct. 18 • 6-8PM

Enjoy an evening filled with songs, stories and more! Grab your favorite instrument (even if it’s just your hands, feet and voice) and circle around the campfire! Sing classic campfire songs and learn a few new ones, as well. After singing and playing up a storm, satisfy your sweet tooth with roasted marshmallows.

FAMILY

The following programs have a special family rate. By registering ONE child, it is assumed that a minimum of two people (one adult and child) or a maximum of four people are attending. Do NOT register additional people, they may pay on the day of the program.

Farm, Family, Food

Saturday, Sept. 26 • 5:30-7:00PM The family will get down and dirty while experiencing farm life firsthand!

Harvest Garden Party

Horse Drawn Wagon Rides at the Farm

Saturday, Sept. 13 • 10:00AM-Noon Help us bring in the Kid’s Garden harvest while learning about soil, flowers, fruits and veggies.

Spider Web Hunt

Relax and enjoy a 15-minute horse-drawn wagon ride through Heritage Farm as staff relates information about the farm, animals and the history of Schaumburg’s farm families. Dress for the weather.

Sunday, Sept. 21 • 11:30AM-1PM Learn about different Illinois spiders, what they eat and why they make their webs.

Wake Up and Work on the Farm

Saturday, Sept. 06 • 6:30-9:30AM Rise with the sun, hitch a ride with the farm wagon and take care of morning chores.

Wagon Ride Schedule

Weekends, Sept. - Nov....11AM-3PM

Wagon rides will not be available 9/20, 10/4, 10/5, 11/8, 11/9, 11/15 & 11/16

YOUTH Fall Campfire Cooking

Fall Hike

• Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis the day of the ride, starting one-half hour prior to the first ride and until 15 minutes prior to the last ride of the day. • Tickets are $3/person; children 3 and under are free. • Wagon holds a maximum of 15 people. • Rides begin and end next to the Farm Visitor Center.

Falling for Trees

Note: Wagon rides may be cancelled due to extreme weather (storms or heat) and/or animal health issues. Please call 847/985-2100 or check www.parkfun.com for updated information.

Sunday, Oct. 19 • 10:30AM-Noon Cook some of your own corn delights and find out why corn was so important to the pioneers. Sunday, Oct. 12 • 1:00-2:30PM Observe fall with its changing colors, active animals and changing weather. Saturday, Oct. 18 • 1:00-3:00PM Discover why leaves change color before they fall, learn how to identify common trees.

Groups of 15 and larger are encouraged to schedule their own group wagon rental. For more information, call 847/985-2100.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

The Wooden Shoes of Schaumburg

byJonathan D. Kuester

When you visit Volkening Heritage Farm you may encounter a delightful, if somewhat puzzling sight, people wearing wooden shoes. Aren’t wooden shoes Dutch? Why are they wearing them at a German Farm? Well, to be fair, wooden shoes are Dutch, … and German and French and Scandinavian and Polish and Russian and the list can go on and on. Throughout most of recorded history the people of Europe and many other parts of the world, have worn wooden shoes. They don’t make great hiking boots and they will never be high fashion but wooden shoes are highly functional for putzing around a garden, mucking stalls, and many other mundane farm tasks. All shoes are not alike however, and this begins the story of the Holzschuhe or German wooden shoes.

As with many cultural artifacts that we deal with, one can often determine the ethnic region of a person by the pattern of their wooden shoes. Over the course of millennia, specific patterns developed within certain groups of people allowing us, in this case, to determine the specific type of shoe that was likely being worn in Schaumburg. I say likely because we have no direct proof that the Germans of Schaumburg Illinois were wearing wooden shoes. No original shoes or photos of people wearing them exist in this community. There is a wealth of information about other Niedersachsen Germans and other Europeans wearing wooden shoes in America. This leads us to believe that our Germans were probably wearing them, as well.

Westfalische holzschuhe

The next logical question is what did the shoes look like? Were they the classic Klompens found in the low countries of Europe, the Sabots of France, or the pompom topped shoes of Trentino’s and Lombardian’s of northern Italy? Well no, of course not. Anywhere in America and specifically in the Midwest that we find congregations of lowland Germans we find one particular type of wooden shoe. The Westfalische Holzchuhe or wooden shoe of Westphalia is a flat toed wooden shoe with a half mood shaped leather panel over the arch. As its name implies, this shoe originates in Westphalia, a region of Germany laying just to the south of lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), the region containing Schaumburg, Germany. Westfalische pattern shoes can be found in the collections of the German communalists of Amana, Iowa. Pictures of the Rhinelanders of Herrmann, Missouri, also show Westfalische pattern shoes and one child’s shoe was found in a private collection in the Westphalic community of Princeton, Indiana. These very similar communities lend credence to a strong connection between Westfalische Holzschuhe and Lowland German Communities. All of this leads us to the conclusion that Schaumburgers probably did wear their wooden shoes in America. They were not alone, however. From the Lorraine to Pomerania, Germans wore leather topped wooden shoes in one form or another. As time passed, wooden shoes wore out and were replaced in large part by rubber overshoes or boots. Wooden shoes were always meant to be somewhat disposable and with the advent of more comfortable footwear they faded from existence leaving only scattered remnants of the once common Holzschuhe.

Three examples of German holzschuhe.

Assorted wooden shoes; left to right, Men’s westfalische holzschuhe, German Schwarzschuhe or black shoe, French leather topped sabots, Dutch klompen, French open top sabot, Women’s westfalische holzschuhe.

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Monarch Butterfly Project

We are two fifth graders at Quest Academy in Palatine, IL, whohave recently completed a community service project to help monarch butterflies. We have worked on this project over the last 1 ½ years. We tried to keep the monarchs off the endangered list by planting milkweed, educating our classmates about monarchs, and encouraging other people to plant milkweed. Milkweed is the monarch caterpillars’ only source of food after they consume their minuscule

Planting Group

eggshell (they finish that in about two minutes at the most). Unfortunately, milkweed is being destroyed by herbicides and modern farming practices.

Baby Milkweed

Monarch butterflies start out as eggs. The eggs are found on the underside of the milkweed leaf. Milkweed is a plant that is native to North America. Milkweeds’ sticky white sap is poisonous although the monarch caterpillars consume it. As you may guess, they are immune to the poison and that is why the adult monarch butterflies are poisonous. Once they hatch out as a caterpillar, they eat the egg. They then start eating the milkweed. The caterpillars grow 2,700 times their original weight. Luckily humans don’t do that. An adult would be the size of two elephants!

Group Planting

Monarch butterflies are large black and orange butterflies. They are one of the few migrating butterflies. In spring and summer they live in open fields and meadows throughout North America. In winter they migrate to Mexico and California. They can fly over 2,000 miles. In March of 2013, we planted common milkweed seeds. After they sprouted, we transferred them into small pots and moved them to an indoor greenhouse at the Spring Valley Nature Center. Once they were larger, we transferred them to the outdoor greenhouse at Spring Valley where they remained for the winter of 2013. On May 31, 2014 we organized a field trip to Spring Valley to transplant the milkweed that was strong enough to be transplanted into the ground. We invited our class and with them, their parents, and their siblings, it was just enough hands to complete the work. We planted about 40 milkweed plants and still have more in the greenhouse for next spring. All of us walked out to the places that were designated to plant milkweed. The staff at Spring Valley had put flags in the places where we should transplant the milkweed. Everything went well and everybody had fun.

Girl with Plant

We wanted to expand the number of people helping monarchs beyond the two of us. So, prior to our event at Spring Valley, we made a presentation to our classmates and showed them a movie about monarchs. We also gave them common milkweed seeds to plant at home. Lastly, we invited our classmates to help transplant the milkweed we had nurtured over the last 1 1/2 years. Hopefully with our support and the rest of our classmates’ help, we can all play a part in helping the monarch butterflies stay off the endangered list. With all of the rain we have been having this summer, the milkweed has gotten established into the ground at Spring Valley and is doing well. Keep flourishing milkweed, and may monarchs flutter everywhere! 7

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • Vo l u n t e e r C a l e n d a r

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Labor Day

SEPTEMBER 2014

Handy Crafters Meeting 1pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

Wednesday

Volunteer Meeting 6:30pm

Schaumburg Community Garden Club 7pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

Saturday

•Wake Up and Work on the Farm 6:30am

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

Friday

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

•Spider Web Hunt 11:30am •Seasons of Apples 2pm

Thursday

•Harvest Garden Party 10am

•Concert at the Cabin 5pm

•Sunset Adventure 5pm

National Public Lands Day 9am •Secret Lives of Spring Valley Animals 10am •Nature’s Studio: Printmaking 1pm •Harvest Moon Bonfire 6:30pm

•Food Preservation 10am •Scare More than Just Crows Noon

•Farm, Family, Food 5:30pm

Farm Hours: Tues-Fri 9:00am-2:00pm Sat/Sun 10:00am-4:00pm Cabin Closed Bold indicates volunteer activities Italics indicates programs which may be taken as complimentary by volunteers See “What’s Happening” for program descriptions

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • Vo l u n t e e r C a l e n d a r

Sunday

OCTOBER 2014

Monday

Tuesday

Farm Hours: Farm Hours: Tues-Fri 9:00am-2:00pm • Sat/Sun 10:00am-4:00pm

Wednesday

Thursday

Autumn Harvest Festival Set-Up 9:30am

Cabin Closed Bold indicates volunteer activities

Saturday

Friday

Autumn Harvest Festival Set-Up 9:30am

Italics indicates programs which may be taken as complimentary by volunteers See “What’s Happening” for program descriptions

Autumn Harvest Festival Noon

Spring Valley Nature Club 6:30pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

•Dress Up Jack 10:30am •Fall Hike 1pm

Columbus Day Celebration 9am Handy Crafters Meeting 1pm

Columbus Day

•Fall Campfire Cooking 10:30am

Schaumburg Community Garden Club 7pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

•Yoga, Cider, and Soup 7pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 7:30pm

•Weekly Yoga at Cabin 6:30pm •Weekly Yoga at Cabin 8pm

•October Festessen 6pm •Heaven’s Watch 8pm

•Fall Color Hike 10:30am •Falling for Trees 1pm

•Jammin’ Round the Campfire 6pm

A Haunting in the Valley 6:15pm

•Warbler Watch 8am •Follow the Leaf 10am •Extending the Season 10am

Trick or Treating at the Heritage Farm 3pm

Halloween

A Haunting in the Valley 6:15pm

Volunteer News S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Dates to Remember

Volunteer Want Ads

If you are interested in helping with any of the following activities, please call Judy at 847/985-2100 or e-mail her at juvito@parkfun.com.

National Public Lands Day

Saturday, Sept. 20 • 9am-1pm Join us for our conservation workday and assist with this demonstration of local environmental stewardship. Help spread the message on how people can work with nature to heal and restore it. Any donation of paper grocery bags for use in seed collecting would be greatly appreciated. Drop the bags off at the Visitor Center.

Autumn Harvest Festival

Sunday, Oct. 5 • Noon-5pm We’re looking for volunteers to help at Spring Valley’s largest event – Autumn Harvest Festival. Activities are held at both the cabin and the farm and include children’s activities and crafts,

refreshment sales, farm interpretation, and more! Volunteer shifts times are 11am to 2:30pm or 2:15 to 5:45pm. Also, additional help is needed for set-up on Thursday, October 3. Call if you can lend a hand!

A Haunting in the Valley

Friday, Oct. 24 & Saturday, Oct. 25 We need your help with our Halloween event which will feature a wagon ride to the Cabin for a guided walk along the night trails. Volunteers are needed for check-in, concessions, family activities, characters, and props. If you’d like to be part of the adventure, give us a call!

• Wed., Sept. 3................ 6:30-8:30pm Volunteer Meeting • Mon., Sept. 8................. 1-4pm Handy Crafter Meeting • Sat., Sept. 20................ 9am-1pm Conservation Workday • Thurs, Oct. 2................. 9:30am-3pm Autumn Harvest Set-up • Thurs, Oct. 3................. 9:30am-3pm Autumn Harvest Set-up • Sun., Oct. 5................... Noon-5pm Autumn Harvest Fest • Mon., Oct. 13................ 1-4pm Handy Crafter Meeting • Fri., Oct 24.................... 5:30-9pm A Haunting in the Valley • Sat., Oct 25................... 5:30-9pm A Haunting in the Valley

Welcome New Volunteers… • Betty Bei • Colin May • Mike Pizzo

• Gretchen Coleman • Don Olszewski • Kim Savino

Pats on the back to the following volunteers... • Penny Perles for maintaining the Native American Garden.

Happy Birthday to…

• Amy Chagoya and her scouts for helping maintain the Kids’ Garden. • Lynn Eikenbary, Leo Salais, Ellie Vogel and Angela Waidanz for assisting with Nature Center summer camps. • Gail Ameer, Eve Carter and Lynn Eikenbary for representing Spring Valley at Schaumburg’s Farmers Market.

Congratulations…

to Duane Bolin for being awarded the 2014 Ellsworth Meineke Award for his extraordinary effort in preserving our living heritage through his various volunteer efforts at Spring Valley.

September

1 Nancy Lyons 2 Wendy Robles 8 Peggy Kulis 11 Nancy Ruffolo 18 Dick Ruffolo 20 Lynn Eikenbary Ellen Hanes Barb Lam

October

3 4 5 8 9 12 14

Michal Pierwieniecki Rosemary Colbert Don Olszewski Julie Nilson Marilou Vandrush Sue Ringfelt Ken Ogorzalek Bruce Kuhnhofer

25 Kim Savino 26 Jim Peterson Phil Skultety 28 Gail Ameer Barb Mitchell

15 16 18 21

Pat Heiberger Eve Carter Susanne Cannella Gene Niewiadomski Tony Meo

S p r i n g Va l l e y • N a t u r a l E n q u i r e r • S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4 Spring Valley • Schaumburg Park District • 1111 East Schaumburg Road • Schaumburg, Illinois 60194 Schaumburg Rd.

N Plum Grove Rd.

Spring Valley is a refuge of 135 acres of fields, forests, marshes and streams with over three miles of handicappedaccessible trails, a museum featuring natural history displays and information, and an 1880s living-history farm. Spring Valley is open to the general public. Admission is free.

Vera Meineke Nature Center

Volkening Heritage Farm

PHONE VERA MEINEKE NATURE CENTER...............................................847/985-2100 VOLKENING HERITAGE FARM......................................................847-985-2102

135 acres

HOURS Nature Center Grounds & Trails...............Open Daily...............8AM-5PM Volkening Heritage Farm Grounds..........Closed......................Dec.1-March 1

Vera Meineke Nature Center

The earth-sheltered visitor center provides an introduction to Spring Valley’s 135 acres of restored prairies, woodlands and wetlands and three miles of trails. The center contains natural history exhibits that change seasonally, a demonstration Backyard for Wildlife, an observation tower, classrooms, an extensive library, gift sales area and restrooms.

NATURE CENTER/MUSEUM HOURS: Year Round.............Daily*.......... 9AM-5PM FARM INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM HOURS: Nov. - March............Open for Special Events April 1 - Oct. 31.......Sat/Sun....... 10AM-4PM Tue-Fri........ 9AM-2PM Mon............ Buildings Closed

Volkening Heritage Farm

Step back into the past for a look at Schaumburg as it was in the 1880s – a rural German farm community. Help with seasonal farm chores, participate in family activities and games of the 1880s, or simply visit the livestock and soak in the quiet. Authentically dressed interpreters will welcome and share activities with visitors throughout the site.

Spring Valley Birthday Parties

We’ll bring our outreach program to your site. Topics include forests, worms, spiders, mammals, owls, food chains, food webs, wetlands, and the water cycle. Students will participate in hands-on activities, songs, and games. Topics may be adapted to students in grades one through six, and are aligned with Illinois State Standards and NGSS.

Looking for a unique, fun, and educational venue for your child’s birthday? Spring Valley is the answer! Two party themes are available. A hayride can be added for an extra fee. Call Spring Valley for more information.

Spring Valley Firepit and Shelter Rentals

Make your next scout group, business or family gathering something special! Spring Valley offers the use of a picnic shelter and fire pit in a wooded setting near the Merkle Log Cabin. Use of the site includes firewood, trash/recycling receptacles and benches, as well as picnic tables. No alcohol or amplified music permitted. Restrooms are available at the Heritage Farm or Nature Center, a 5–10 minute walk. The adjacent Merkle Log Cabin contains a restroom and may be rented for additional fees.

Programs at Spring Valley

School, Scout and adult groups are encouraged to take advantage of Spring Valley’s Environmental Education Program. Programs change seasonally and are geared for specific age groups. Correlations to the state standards, connections with NGSS, and activity sheets are available on the SPD website, www.parkfun.com. Learn local history with a visit to the Heritage Farm. Elementary and high school students recreate farm life in the 1880s with Hands on History; second graders experience it through Heritage Quest. Children from the age of four through second grade will learn about food, farmers, and farm animals in Farms and Foods.

Scout Badges

Hourly use fees:

We offer many opportunities for scouts. Our programs will help with your badge, pin or patch requirements. Call for more information or stop in for a brochure.

Spring Valley’s mission is to educate area residents regarding the natural and cultural history of the Schaumburg area and how people have and continue to interact with and upon the landscape.

Residents:.............. $25

Civic groups:...............................$25

Non-residents:....... $40 Corporate/business groups:.......$55

SCHAUMBURG PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS:

NATURAL ENQUIRER STAFF: Mary Rice.......... Editor

Mike Daniels Sharon DiMaria David Johnson George Longmeyer Bob Schmidt

Judy Vito............ Volunteer Coordinator Dave Brooks...... “In this Issue...” Scott Stompor.... Graphic Artist

SCHAUMBURG PARK DISTRICT WEBSITE: www.parkfun.com

E-MAIL:

springvalley@parkfun.com

MEMBER:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Tony LaFrenere

Participants should dress appropriately for weather conditions.

*All facilities closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day

Environmental Outreach Program

SPRING VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT:

Unless otherwise noted, all programs are held rain or shine.