[BCNnet] Events at Orland and Bartel Grasslands - no sightings

Tue, 25 May 2004 13:30:18 -0500

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All are invited to these two events to get some great looks at many
grassland bird species, learn about these habitat restoration projects,
and meet the volunteers at the sites.&nbsp; 
ORLAND PARK -- Area nature lovers are planning a June 5 party
that's literally for the birds. 
Sponsored by the Orland Grassland Volunteers, the 8 a.m. to noon festival
will celebrate the springtime return of bobolinks and other 
rare grassland birds at the Cook County Forest Preserve's Orland
Grassland, 167th Street and La Grange Road.&nbsp; A bird walk will begin
at 8am and will feature grassland and shrubland birds. 
Parking will be available in the preserve's lot on 167th Street, west of
La Grange Road. 
The volunteers are working to restore the grassland with the Forest
Preserve District, Audubon Chicago Region , Corporation for Open
Lands, 
Army Corps of Engineers and the village of Orland Park. 
 
=93Meet Your Wild Neighbors=94 Festival Celebrates Rare Wildlife at Barte=
l
Grassland 
&nbsp; 
Looking for some outdoor fun over the Memorial Day weekend? Luckily, it=92s
the perfect weekend to come out and enjoy the wilderness of Matteson=92s
own little Serengeti at the Bartel Grassland=92s =93Meet Your Wild Neighbors=
=94
Festival on Saturday, May 29, 8 =96 11 a.m. Some boisterous and colorful
new neighbors are moving in, and the Bartel Volunteers are eager to
introduce you to them. Birds such as bobolinks and grasshopper sparrows
are singing their hearts out, amd chorus frogs and American toads have
emerged from their winter slumber. 
&nbsp; 
The Bartel Volunteers and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County are
hosting a morning of nature walks that will celebrate the wildlife of
Bartel and the remarkable progress being made in the habitat restoration
work on the site that began four years ago.&nbsp; The grassland is
approximately 375 acres of fallow farmland that was primarily wet-mesic
prairie prior to settlement by Europeans in the early nineteenth century.
Through the efforts of the sponsor groups and volunteers, the Bartel
Grassland will be restored to its original splendor as a tallgrass
prairie and will serve as a crucial oasis where birds and other grassland
wildlife can live and raise their young. 
&nbsp; 
The festival schedule is as follows:&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
<ul>
<li>8 =96 9 a.m. Bird Tour. This bird walk will feature bobolinks,
bluebirds, orchard orioles, sedge wrens, grasshoppe, savanna and
Henslow's sparrows and more.=20
<li>9 =96 10 a.m. Bartel Ecology Walk and Talk. On this tour of the site,
visitors will learn about the Bartel ecosystem and the restoration
project that is returning it to its former native prairie state.=20
<li>10 =96 11 a.m. Children=92s activity and Storytelling.=20
</ul>&nbsp;Park at the model airplane flying field north of Flossmoor
between Central and Ridge and follow the signs to walk south across
Flossmoor to the gathering area. Wear long pants, sturdy shoes, sunscreen
and a hat. 
<x-sigsep></x-sigsep>
Judy Pollock 
bobolnk@ix.netcom.com 
Evanston (Cook)</body>
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