[Riverweb] Clean Water Initiatives

Mon Apr 9 13:35:43 CDT 2007

Illinois Clean Water Action Alert for April 6, 2007

The Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn periodically sends out Action
Alerts to provide information on meetings, news and action items, events,
and other useful information on issues of clean water, the Illinois River
Coordinating Council, Great Lakes, and other initiatives from Lt. Gov. Pat
Quinn.

Topics covered in today's Action Alert:
1.	Illinois River Coordinating Council Meeting
2.	2007 Annual Trail Cleanup
3.	Fund for Wild Nature Invites Applications for Grants Program
4.	Legislation Update
5.	Meet the Macros Workshop
6.	Clean Water Tip of the Day

The 2nd quarterly meeting of the Illinois River Coordinating Council will
convene at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2007.  The meeting will be held at
the Illinois Department of Agriculture Auditorium, State Fairgrounds,
Springfield, IL.  More information including is forthcoming.  
Thank you for your continued interest in the IRCC.  

Erica G. Ott
Office of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn
414 Stratton Building
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217.557.5626
Fax: 217.782.9879
Email: erica.ott at illinois.gov

2007 Annual Trail Cleanup
The Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation\'s Annual Earth Day
Trail Cleanup will be held on Saturday, April 28th, 2007 starting at 9:00AM,
rain or shine. Start times are flexible and adjusted per city, village and
trail section. We are asking for your help by rolling up your sleeves and
picking up litter along these trails. Bring friends and family (and garbage
bags to fill) on Saturday, April 28th. 
There are 62 miles of trails in DuPage, Kane and Cook Counties watched over
by The Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation. To participate in
the cleanup please contact Raymond Bartels at 630-424-8851 or e-mail
Rbartel399 at comcast.net

Fund for Wild Nature Invites Applications for Grants Program
Deadline: April 27, 2007
The Fund for Wild Nature provides \"small grants to small groups who get
things done.\" 
The fund provides money for campaigns to save and restore native species and
wild ecosystems, including actions to defend wilderness and biological
diversity.
The fund supports advocacy, litigation, public policy work, development of
citizen science, and similar endeavors. The fund does not support basic
scientific research, private land acquisition, individual action or study,
or conferences, and rarely supports proposals from organizations with annual
budgets greater than $250,000. The fund will only support media projects
that have a clear strategic value and a concrete plan for dissemination of
the final product.
The fund gives special attention to ecological issues not currently
receiving sufficient public attention and funding. 
The fund seeks proposals with visionary and yet realistic goals to create
tangible change. All proposals must be highly cost effective and be for
projects in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
For more info visit:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10006297/fundwildnature

Legislation Update

HB0033 - RIVERS-DAMS & BUOYS

Unanimously Passed the House on March 22, 2007 
Arrived in the Senate on March 27, 2007 and was referred to the Agriculture
and Conservation Committee on March 30, 2007.

Synopsis:
Amends the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act. Requires the Department of
Natural Resources to adopt emergency rules under the Illinois Administrative
Procedure Act to require the immediate marking of each dam the Department
considers dangerous with signs and buoys warning the public of the hazards
posed by the dam. Provides that the rules shall require that warning signs
be placed on the dam and that warning signs and buoys be placed in the areas
above and below the dam and on the banks immediately adjacent to the dam.
Provides that the Department shall examine each dam located on navigable
waterways to determine the hazards that exist at each dam and that the
Department shall require the establishment of specifications for signs and
devices that provide warnings and information for persons using the
waterways. Provides that, after conducting the required examination and
within 90 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the
Department shall issue an order, with completion dates, specifying
additional warning signs and safety devices to be required at the dam.
Provides that the Department shall require each dam to have localized safety
plans to maximize the safety of persons visiting the dam. Provides that the
Department may designate enforceable exclusion zones around dams. Provides
that any low-head dam owned by the State shall be maintained so that any
scour hole formed at the dam shall not exceed 2 feet below the riverbed in
depth. Effective immediately.
For more information on this and other bills and resolutions visit the
general assembly's website at: www.ilga.gov.

Meet the Macros Workshop

At this workshop, participants will learn about the ecology and
identification of the Fox River watershed\'s benthic macroinvertebrates
though a detailed slideshow, live magnified samples, and hands-on in-stream
investigation.  Workshop leader John Aavang, restoration ecologist with
McHenry County Conservation District, will share his extensive knowledge of
benthic macroinvertebrates.  Expect to learn a great deal in a short period
of time.  The workshop will increase confidence in identifying
macroinvertebrates.  Workshop is designed for novice/veteran stream
monitors, teachers, fishermen & stream ecology enthusiasts.

Date/Time - Saturday, April 28, 1:00-4:00 PM
Location - The Conference Center/The Lodge at Glacial Park, 6316 Harts Road,
Ringwood, IL 60072
To register and more info - contact Mary Kozub, McHenry County Conservation
District - 815-479-5779.
Fee:  None

Workshop co-sponsored by McHenry County Conservation District and Friends of
the Fox River.

Clean Water Tip of the Day

On your farm, develop nutrient management plans and follow University of
Illinois Extension Guidelines for fertilizer and pesticides. Go to:
http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/ 

Have a great weekend!

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interested in receiving these action alerts.  For more information on Clean
Water Illinois, point your browser to: www.CleanWaterIllinois.org   To
subscribe to the Lt. Gov.\'s Action Alerts, point your browser to the
following address and submit your name, address, and email:
www.standingupforillinois.org/contact/

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