Super Saturday at Illinois State Museum: “Diversity Day” is the next Super Saturday in A Place for Discovery at the Illinois State Museum. The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 12 from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Visit the Museum to explore some of the cultures of Illinois and discover how different our state would be without our diverse traditions. Visit with special guests, see traditional costumes and participate in crafts, games, and more from around the world. All Super Saturdays at the Illinois State Museum are free and open to the public. The Museum is located at 502 South Spring Street, Springfield. For more information call 217/782-6044.

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Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet: Tickets are still available for the 4th annual Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday, February 19 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. Hall of Fame inductees are conservationists Kenneth Fiske, the late W.D. Klimstra, Brent Manning and William Rutherford. Individual tickets for the banquet are $50 each, with sponsorship ticket packages also available. Proceeds from the banquet and auction will benefit the Illinois Conservation Foundation grant and youth conservation scholarship programs. Also being honored at the banquet are the first ten recipients of the youth scholarships along with Director’s Award recipients Great Plains Drywall, Pheasants Forever and Jeff Ketelsen. For tickets and sponsorship information, phone 217/785-5091 or visit the Illinois Conservation Foundation web site at www.ilcf.org.

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Winter Tree Identification Workshop: Giant City State Park, Makanda, will host a winter tree identification workshop on Saturday, Feb. 19 from noon - 3:00 p.m. Reservations are required. (Please note: registration for the Feb. 12 workshop is full). Participants will learn techniques for identifying trees by their shape, bark, buds and seeds. The session begins indoors to master special hints for certain trees, then ventures outside to practice the newly learned techniques. The program is free. Call 618/457-4836 to register.

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Hunter Survey Deadline: Hunters who received free permits to access Illinois Department of Natural Resources public land sites are reminded to return harvest surveys by Feb. 15. Hunters who may have misplaced or lost their surveys should contact the site office that issued it. Even if hunters received a free permit but did not hunt, return of the survey is important to biologists and site staffs managing these sites. If a hunter’s survey is not returned, that hunter may be ineligible to obtain a permit for the next year.

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Archery Deer Hunt Site Permit Drawings Planned: Drawings will be conducted April 1 to allocate a limited number of archery deer hunting site permits for use at Beaver Dam State Park in Macoupin County, Horseshoe Lake State Park in Madison County and Pere Marquette State Park in Jersey County. Site permit applications are available at each park’s web page on the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us. Permit applications may also be obtained by contacting the site offices. Applications will be accepted through the close of business on March 31 with drawings at each site office to be conducted on April 1 at 10 a.m. Hunting areas and dates at each site will be allocated by random drawing. Successful applicants will be notified by mail following the April 1 drawings. (If non-residents are drawn, they will be sent a letter requesting verification that they have a non-resident permit within two weeks of non-resident archery permits being made available). Season dates at each site are as follows:

Beaver Dam SP: Oct. 10-16; Oct. 17-23; Oct. 24-30; Oct. 31-Nov. 6; Nov. 7-13; Nov. 21-27; Dec. 5-11; and, Dec. 12-18.
Horseshoe Lake SP (Madison Co.): Oct. 1-7; Oct. 8-14; Oct. 15-21; Oct. 22-28; Oct. 29-Nov. 4; Nov. 5-11; Nov. 12-18; and, Nov. 19-25
Pere Marquette SP: Oct. 31-Nov. 5; Nov. 6-Nov. 11; and, Nov. 12-17.

For site information, contact the park offices listed below:

Beaver Dam SP - 217/854-80-20 (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.)
Horseshoe Lake SP (Madison Co.) - 618/931-0270 ( Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.)
Pere Marquette SP - 618/786-3323 (Visitor Center open daily 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)

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GRANT PROGRAM NOTICE: Applications are being accepted for two Special Wildlife Fund Grant Programs administered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Applications are now being accepted for the Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Fund and the State Furbearer Fund.
Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Funds may be awarded to appropriate not-for-profit organizations that submit a project that involves the development of waterfowl propagation areas within the Dominion of Canada or the United States that specifically provides waterfowl for the Mississippi Flyway. Funds may also be awarded for a project to implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan for the development of waterfowl areas within the Dominion of Canada or the United States that specifically provide waterfowl for the Mississippi Flyway. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 15, 2005.

State Furbearer Funds may be awarded to appropriate not-for-profit organizations, governmental entities, educational institutions, or corporations that submit a project that strives to educate hunters and trappers of fur-bearing mammals within the state and the general public concerning the roles that hunting and trapping have regarding fur-bearing mammal management. Projects should also help inform hunters and citizens of the laws associated with the harvesting of fur-bearing mammals, the techniques used in the hunting and trapping of fur-bearing mammals, and the conservation, management and ecology of fur-bearing mammals and the promotion of products made from wild fur-bearing mammals. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2005.
Applications and additional information are available from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; phone 217/ 782-2602; or on the IDNR website at http://dnr.state.il.us

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Applications are now being accepted for the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Grant Program administered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource Conservation Division of Habitat Resources. This program is funded through a voluntary check-off designation to the Wildlife Preservation Fund on the Illinois state income tax form.

Small Project Program proposals may address many types of projects including management, site inventories or education. Examples of past projects include wildlife habitat improvement, species enhancement, education and research projects throughout the state, focusing on species ranging from birds to turtles, and habitat ranging from forests to prairies. Individual proposals are eligible for up to $2,000 grants from the Wildlife Preservation Fund.

The Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Grant Program packet for 2005 includes a program explanation, instructions for completing the application form and an application form. The application packet can be found on the Department of Natural Resources website at http://dnr.state.il.us. The deadline for accepting applications is 5 p.m. April 1, 2005.

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Bald Eagle Days at Pere Marquette State Park: Popular bald eagle programs at Pere Marquette State Park in Jersey County are scheduled for Feb. 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 27. These informative programs begin with a short video presentation and discussion at the Pere Marquette State Park visitor center, followed by an observational drive to view the wintering bald eagles. Reservations are required for all of the scheduled bald eagle programs at Pere Marquette, each of which begins at 8:30 a.m. at the visitor center. For reservations or more information, call 618/786-3323.

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The 125th meeting of the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, at Western Illinois University’s Kibbe Station, Alice L. Kibbe Field Station, 545 East County Road 1180, Warsaw, Illinois. For more information or to request an opportunity to address the Board, please call 217/785-8686.

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The Henry N. Barkhausen Wetlands Center - the new visitor center at the Cache River State Natural Area - is now open each Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The visitor center includes a wildlife viewing area and exhibits on the internationally significant Cache River wetlands. It is located on Illinois Rt. 37 just south of Whitehill in Johnson Co. For more information or to make group reservations, phone 618/634-2231.

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Commercial Fishing Drawing: The drawing for six Rock/Pecatonica River commercial fishing contracts will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, February 24 at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources regional office located at 2317 E. Lincolnway, Sterling. Any licensed commercial fisherman with a minimum of 15 hoop nets or three 100-yard trammel nets with a bar mesh size of 2-3/4 inches or larger, has not been found guilty of a Fish and Aquatic Life Code or Fish Administrative Rules violation within the past 12 months, and can post a $300 bond is eligible for the Rock/Pecatonica contract drawing. Fishermen must be in attendance when contracts are awarded on a first draw-first choice basis. The Rock/Pecatonica River contracts are for the period April 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006. Contractor or crewmembers may use hoop nets or trammel nets having a bar mesh size of 2-3/4 inches or larger. All gear must be licensed by the contractor. Species that may be harvested on contracts are carp, buffalo, freshwater drum, suckers, carpsuckers, gar, bowfin, grass carp, Asian carp and gizzard shad. All other fish species including catfish and bullheads must be released immediately. For further information, contact Rob Maher at 618/466-3451.

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Teacher Workshop at Dickson Mounds: Registration is still open for the IDNR "Illinois Birds" ENTICE Workshop at Dickson Mounds Museum on Feb. 26 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Educators of grades four through six will learn general information about Illinois bird species, including their life history and roles in the ecosystem. Identification skills discussed will be put into practice on a bird observation hike (weather permitting). A large variety of classroom materials and resources will be provided. Continuing Professional Development Units are available for teachers. For more information or to register, call 217/524-4127 or email teachkids@dnrmail.state.il.us.

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Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grants: Illinois schoolteachers are invited to apply for grants to take students to visit Illinois’ natural heritage. The popular Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip grants help fund field trips to state parks, nature centers and museums. Awards of up to $500 per teacher are offered, which can be used to pay for transportation, substitute teachers and other qualifying expenses. Application forms can be downloaded through the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us. Forms are also available by request through e-mail at teachkids@dnrmail.state.il.us or by phone at 217/524-4126. Applications are due by Feb. 15. The grant program is made possible by a donation from the Daniel F. And Ada L. Rice Foundation of Skokie and the Independence Tube Corporation of Chicago, with funds administered by the Illinois Conservation Foundation.

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The entry deadline for the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest for 5th grade students is Feb. 21. The theme for the 2005 contest is “Trees are Terrific...and Energy Wise.” For more information or to receive a packet, contact Reinee Hildebrandt at rhildebrandt@dnrmail.state.il.us or 217/785-8771.

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New Online Course for Graduate Credit Offered by IDNR and UIS: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Education and the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) are presenting the first in a series of online courses. "EDL 560: Introduction to Illinois' Natural Resources for Teachers" is the examination, research and practical application of Illinois natural resources information with the goals of understanding location, composition, utilization, conservation and issues. To be eligible to register, students must first contact UIS admissions at 1-888-977-4847. Once students have been admitted to UIS, they may contact Kim Kubatzke at 217/206-7516 or kubatzke.kim@uis.edu to get permission to register for EDL 560. Classes will begin on Monday, June 6. The summer session ends on Saturday, July 30.

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Decorative Abstractions - Reshaping the Common: Gallery Director Jim L. Zimmer will discuss decorative abstractions in art at the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery’s Second Sunday Series in the main gallery of the museum on Sunday, February 13 at 2 p.m. The Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery is located on the first floor of the historic Norton Building at 201 West 10th Street in Lockport. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, phone 815/838-7400.

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The Illinois State Museum presents the exhibition “Carolyn Plochmann: Between Two Worlds” featuring 36 paintings by this internationally recognized southern Illinois contemporary artist, through February 27 at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield. The Illinois State Museum, 502 S. Spring St., Springfield, is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon-5p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

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Works by 40 photographers are paired with the words of 17 famous poets in A Tone Poem in Photographs and Verse, on exhibit through February 27 at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield. The Illinois State Museum is open Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from noon-5p.m. at 502 S. Second St., Springfield. Admission is free.

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The Illinois Artisans Shop will exhibit the work of accomplished glass artisans Christine Freeburn and Susan Nester at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street, Suite 2-200, Chicago, during February. The Illinois Artisans Shop is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, phone 312/814-5321.

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Mark your calendar for the first annual PFC Geoffrey Morris Memorial Governor’s Cup Fishing Invitational to be held in the Lake Michigan waters off Waukegan on June 17-18. The salmon and trout tournament proceeds will benefit the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund. The tournament will be held in honor of Geoff Morris, a U.S. Marine from Gurnee who gave his life in combat in April 2004. The entry fee is $550 and is tax deductible. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn will present the winners with their awards at a banquet hosted by the City of Waukegan immediately following the tournament on Sat., June 18. For more information on registration, prizes, rules and a tournament schedule, check the web site at www.gsmtournament.com.

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