New this Month
June 2011
IDNR Education
offers Field Trip Tips for Educators
Visit
http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/fieldtrip
to access information that will help you and your students have a successful outdoor
experience at an Illinois state park. Developed by the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources’ (IDNR) Division of Education, this site has many resources
for educators of students prekindergarten through grade 12. You can find the
state park nearest to you and a list of its amenities. By clicking on the
category names in the “Lesson Topics” feature, you can link to the IDNR lesson
plans and materials that will help you teach about the habitats, organisms
and/or history of each park. Lessons for pre-trip, on site and post-trip are
available in downloadable PDF format. Field trip etiquette and planning are
also discussed. After deciding on your destination, why not apply for an Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant?
You’ll find a link to that information on this Web site, too.
Give Us Your Best
Shot
Get
your camera ready and look through your photo album. It’s time for the annual OutdoorIllinois
photo contest. The 2011 contest is our 12th contest, and the
February 2012 issue of OutdoorIllinois, where all winning images will be
published, will be our eighth-annual photographic issue. New this year is a
special category celebrating how Illinoisans are returning to the basics and
involving the children in their families in nature. Other categories are:
mammals; birds; invertebrates; other fauna (reptiles, amphibians, aquatic
organisms); scenic/landscape; flora (plants, mushrooms); natural resource
recreational activities; and young shutterbugs (same categories as above but
taken by persons 12 years of age or younger). The photo contest is open to all
Illinois residents and entries are due by 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2011. Contest
guidelines are available in the May 2011 issue of OutdoorIllinois and
are posted at www.dnr.state.il.us/OI.
Upcoming ENTICE Workshop
Registration is closed for the June
18 Identifying
Trees and Making Leaf Collections
ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education)
educator workshop from the IDNR to be held at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. If
you would like to be added to the waiting list, please send an email stating so
to dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov. For details about the workshop, visit
https://www.enticeworkshops.com. Continuing Professional Development Units are
available to all ENTICE participants.
Cache River State
Natural Area to Offer Educational Programs
The IDNR Cache River State Natural
Area’s Wetlands Center is located on Illinois Route 37, three miles south
of the town of Cypress. All programs will be conducted there, unless otherwise
noted in the description. Call 618-657-2064 for more information.
What's this
Tree?
Saturday, May 28, 2011, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Discover which tree's leaves smell like cereal and which tree a bird species uses as a weapon. Practice tree identification on an interactive hike on the Todd Fink - Heron Pond Trail. Meet at the access parking lot for the Heron Pond Trail.
Out of the
Wild
Thursday, June 2, 2011, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Experience
an up close and personal encounter with owls of the Cache River
wetlands. A local rehabilitator will be show and speak about
owls.
Canoe the
Cache
Saturday, June 4, 2011, scheduled times throughout the day
Reservations required. Call 618-634-2231 to make your reservations. See the Cache River by paddling into Illinois' bayou. Free guided canoe tours meander through the backwaters of the Cache to Illinois' largest bald cypress tree or Eagle Pond. Location: Lower Cache River Access near Cypress and Perks, Illinois.
IDNR Publications Web Page
Have you ordered or downloaded
publications from the IDNR lately? Go to http://dnr.state.il.us/teachkids to see the wide variety of posters, activity books, books
and other publications available about the state’s diverse natural resources.
We have many items in both English- and Spanish-language versions.
Prying into Prions DVD
This supplemental unit for high school
students explores prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease. In six
lessons, students learn about transmissible spongiform encephalopathies by
examining the role of proteins in organisms, the chemistry and properties of
proteins, the genetic processes that create proteins, and how proteins can
become pathogenic. Students also study how chronic wasting disease is affecting
Illinois’ white-tailed deer herd and what control measures are being taken.
Adapted by the IDNR Division of Education with permission from the Colorado
Division of Wildlife’s original unit, the lessons are designed to be taught in
sequence. A video is included. All lessons are correlated to the Illinois
Learning Standards. This unit is produced in DVD format. It is only available to high
school teachers in Illinois. Request should be made in writing on school
letterhead and mailed to the IDNR Division of Education, One Natural Resources
Way, Springfield, IL 62702.
Wildlife in the Classroom
Has a student ever brought an animal into your classroom and asked you to keep it? Have you ever found a feather or a bird’s nest and wanted to use it to supplement your lessons? Do you know the Illinois and federal laws that apply to these situations? Teachers often come in contact with wildlife or wildlife remains, willingly or not. It is important for you to know what to do in these situations. The IDNR Division of Education has produced a reference document for your use. Wildlife in the Classroom is not all-encompassing, but it will provide you with basic information about possessing wildlife and wildlife remains. You can download the publication at http://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/wildlifeintheclassrm041409.pdf. If you would like to read the entire Wildlife Code for Illinois, you can access it at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=43.
Revised Biodiversity of Illinois
CD-ROMs
The Biodiversity
of Illinois, Volume I: Aquatic Habitats, Biodiversity of Illinois, Volume
II: Woodland Habitats and Biodiversity
of Illinois, Volume III: Prairie and Edge
Habitats CD-ROMs have been revised! These field guides to more than 1,000
species provide a wealth of information for educators and students to use.
Order your copies by written request on school letterhead and mail to IDNR –
Education, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702.
We’re on Facebook!
Visit our Facebook page to find the latest
updates about the materials and programs of the IDNR Education Section. You’ll
also find images from ENTICE workshops!
Illinois Trapper Education Online Course
The IDNR offers an online course for those
interested in learning to trap. People who are required to complete a course
before purchasing a trapping license now have two choices. They can take a
full-day course in the classroom or complete half of the requirement online and
half in the classroom, where they learn hands-on skills such as setting traps
and preparing pelts for sale.
Courses are free. The IDNR encourages
all trappers, regardless of age, to take a course. First-time trappers under 18
years of age must complete a course and pass a written exam before they are
allowed to purchase a trapping license. Those under 16 years of age must also
have written permission from a parent or guardian before purchasing a license.
Illinois Trapper Education Online (www.trappered.com) covers topics such as trapping equipment, laws and
ethics through online film clips, reading materials, quizzes, photos and
illustrations. Students can exit the course and resume work where they left off
at any time. The course is accessible using a basic dial-up connection,
although high speed connections work best.
At the end of the Internet course,
students must successfully complete the final exam online and download a
printable document of completion. Students must present the document when
attending the four-hour training session with instructors. To locate an
instructor-taught course, visit http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/safety/Pages/default.aspx or call 1-800-832-2599. The Ameritech Relay for the deaf
and hearing impaired is 1-800-526-0844.
Wild Illinois History Leads Students on a Journey to Learn
About History and Wildlife Conservation
The IDNR is offering a
"virtual" trip for late-elementary schoolteachers, students and their
parents. With a few mouse clicks, students can journey back to the earliest
days of the Illinois Territory when voyageurs and Native Americans hunted the
prairies, forests and rivers. Wild Illinois History helps students in
grades three through five focus on early French exploration, along with river
and settlement geography. Students can learn how wildlife helped Native
Americans and early settlers survive. They also can see how wildlife is a part
of our lives today. A fictional French trapper in the 18th century Illinois Territory
leads students on the trip. Brief story-telling slideshows are mixed with fun,
interactive activities. For teachers, Wild Illinois History offers
lesson plans, activities, photos, posters and correlations to Illinois Learning
Standards. Try it out at http://www.wildillinois.org/. For more information, contact Bob Bluett, IDNR Wildlife
Diversity Coordinator at 217-782-7580 or bob.bluett@illinois.gov.
Urban Fishing Program
Coordinators for the IDNR statewide
Urban Fishing Program will come to your school and conduct programs aimed at
getting kids interested in fishing and the outdoors, while promoting
environmental stewardship. One part of the program involves actually taking
kids fishing during May and September, if a nearby lake is accessible. Teachers
may continue the program on their own after the initial session, with the
assistance of IDNR personnel. Contact the Urban Fishing Program Coordinator in
your area. The urban fishing program is appropriate for any grade level.
Chicago: Brenda McKinney 847-294-4137
Chicago Suburbs: IDNR Staff
847-294-4137
Northwest Illinois: IDNR Staff
815-625-2968
Central Illinois: Herb Dreier
217-782-6424
Southern Illinois: Mark Yehling
618-462-1181