40 th ANNIVERSARY FOR THE H & B BREMER WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

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1 News from the Hickory Hills Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society, Stewards of Bremer Sanctuary, Hillsboro, Illinois 40 th ANNIVERSARY FOR THE H & B BREMER WILDLIFE SANCTUARY In July 1977, Helen & Betty Bremer made an official announcement that they were donating the land that had been in their family since 1857, to the Illinois Audubon Society to be used as a preservation area for wildlife. The 203 acre Bremer family farm was donated in small parcels, beginning in 1977 and was completed in 1999 upon Helen s death. Illinois Audubon formed the Hickory Hills Chapter at the sanctuary in 1980, just two year before the death of Betty in Pictured above are Helen (left) and Betty on the day of dedication. More history of the Bremer Farm will be featured in the Fall Newsletter. The sanctuary will host an Open House on Saturday, September 23 from 9:00-1:00. Several events already on the roster will include a bird banding demonstration by Tony Rothering of the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders, a raptor program presented by the TreeHouse Wildlife Center, a tree and pollinator program presented by Trees Forever and an educational area just for kids offered by the local U of I Extension Office. Trail hikes and wagon rides will be led by Bremer volunteers and refreshments will be provided. Look for all the exciting details in the upcoming Fall Newsletter. 1 WE VE COME A LONG WAY Comparison photos of the Bremer barn, which houses the meeting area of the Hickory Hills Chapter and an Educational Area filled with nature exhibits. Left photos show the barn shortly after the IAS received the property. Right photos are current day.

2 Illinois Audubon Society begins fundraising to match stewardship grant SPRINGFIELD, IL. The Illinois Audubon Society is launching a fundraising campaign for stewardship at its Helen and Betty Bremer Wildlife Sanctuary. The campaign is tied to a Community Stewardship Challenge Grant the Society received from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. The Foundation will match up to $7,000 dollars at a 3-to-1 ratio providing up to $21,000 in total support from the Foundation. Any funds received beyond the $7,000 will also be used for stewardship at Bremer. The completion of 400 hours of volunteer work at the Sanctuary will leverage an additional $4,000 in grant funds from the Foundation, and an additional $2,000 will be earned upon the completion of 100 hours of volunteer time related to publicizing events and volunteer workdays via social media. The Helen and Betty Bremer Wildlife Sanctuary (HBB) is located near Hillsboro, Illinois, in Montgomery County. In 1977, Helen and Betty Bremer began to donate parcels of their property to the Illinois Audubon Society. The Illinois Audubon Society came into possession of all 203 acres in In Helen s words, I am the fourth and the last generation of my family and we never wanted to see this land torn up into plots or sold for the construction of houses. We want the wildlife to have access to it in perpetuity. In keeping with the wishes of the Bremer sisters, the goal at the sanctuary is to provide habitat for forest, savanna and grassland birds. Volunteer stewards at the Helen and Betty Bremer Wildlife Sanctuary are continuously restoring the site s grasslands and woodlands, but controlling non-native plant species remains the most serious challenge to Needed creek bank stabilization and crossing repairs to gain access to the walking trail west of Cress Creek. maintaining the sanctuary s management goals. Funds from the Community Stewardship Challenge Grant will be used to remove invasives from a particularly heavily infested area of approximately 13 acres, reseed that area with woodland plants and repair an eroded bank that will allow volunteers to move small machinery across the creek bed to restore and maintain trails. The grant will also provide assistance in purchasing stewardship tools and equipment. Donations to the Helen and Betty Bremer Wildlife Sanctuary Community Stewardship Challenge Grant fund can be made out to the Illinois Audubon Society and sent to PO Box 2547, Springfield Illinois, or online at illinoisaudubon.org "HBB Challenge Grant." Targeted areas thick with invasive species Please indicate that your gift is for the 2

3 2017 BREMER CALENDAR EVENTS July 22, 4:00pm---Prairie Wildflower Walk with wiener roast to follow. September 23, 9:00 am----1:00pm th Anniversary Open House with Bird Banding Demonstration, Raptor Program, Tree & Pollinator Program, Children s Activities, Trail Hikes & much, much more!!!! October 14, 4:00 pm---owl Prowl, wiener roast & owl activities. November 4, 5:00 pm--annual Meeting with potluck, speaker TBA. WE NEED HELP.. In order to fulfill requirements of the ICECF Grant, Bremer Stewards will be organizing several community work days to achieve our goals. Future dates will be ed to members or check our website and Facebook pages. Did you see that?? By Nancy Redman Red was the predominant color of the annual summer bird walk on June 10 th. Kay Hyten, newcomer to the Bremer trails, captured the Summer Tanager and Red-headed Woodpecker as they posed for the large group of 35 walkers. Pictured above on the incline at Pipeline Trail, the group is listening and looking for the Indigo Bunting. The bunting made a brief appearance here, and as the group moved a few yards down the trail, they were greeted by a very curious Eastern Towhee. The tanager made his debut on the far north end of the Pipeline Trail and as the group merged onto the Bluebird Trail (where timber meets prairie) they had an auditory visit by a Red-eyed Vireo. In Hog Patch Woods on the Timber Trail, I paused to call in several Red-headed Woodpeckers with my ipad and speaker. As if on cue, they appeared with their raucous calls and rhythmic drumming. The crowd wound its way by Turtle Pond (bottom left) and eventually back to the barn where baked goods and fresh fruits were waiting. A total of 28 species were recorded for the hike. Next up for Bremer Prairie Wildflower Walk, Saturday July 22 nd. The walk will leave the barn at 4:00pm and will last minutes. Wagon rides may be available depending on trail conditions. Wear a hat and sturdy shoes, use sunscreen and bug spray. Wiener roast will follow the walk so bring your own hot dogs, buns, lawn chairs and a dish or two to share. Water and tea will be provided. 3

4 Helping Monarchs this Summer by Ken Schaal Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) along roadside Kudos goes to Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for developing a policy to conserve Monarch Butterfly habitat on their properties. The change in policy involves the amount of mowing IDOT will do along their rights-of-way this summer. Instead of mowing the entire right-of-way, IDOT employees will normally mow only 15 feet beyond the edge of the roadway. By reducing the amount of land being mowed, IDOT hopes to encourage the growth of critical plant species, such as milkweed, the only food source for Monarch caterpillars. One of the most important milkweeds for the Monarch caterpillar is the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Common Milkweed is a rough, weedy native perennial found in open woods, waste areas, along railroad tracks and roadsides. It spreads underground by rhizomes and can dominate roadsides. Domed, slightly drooping clusters of fragrant, pinkish-purple flowers appear over a long bloom period from late spring well into summer. Stems and leaves exude a milky sap when cut. The pods are warty in appearance and release fluffy seeds. With IDOT s change in mowing policy more Common Milkweed will persist to provide habitat for egg and larva production. Hopefully this policy will eventually trickle down to the county level and then to our township roadsides as well. YOU can do your part by changing your mowing habits as well especially if you own rural roadside property. You can mow a narrower strip, thereby leaving some of the roadside unmowed. You can scout your roadside looking for Common Milkweed plants; then flag that area so your mower will leave that portion of the roadside unmowed. After the first heavy frost the entire roadside can safely be mowed. Or just leave that area unmowed the entire winter as cover for other animals. That way everyone benefits as there is less wear and tear on your equipment, your wallet has more cash, and critters have a better chance of surviving the winter. We can all pitch in and help. Monarch Butterflies and all pollinators need rural folks to change mowing practices as much as they need town s people to provide nectar and pollen by planting flower beds that provide blooms throughout the year. FOR SALE BIRDHOUSES As part of our fundraising activities, the sanctuary is selling nest boxes which can be used for Bluebirds, Wrens or any small species. Available to purchase ($15.00) at upcoming events or on Tuesday & Thursday mornings at the Bremer barn. Mama Eastern Bluebird sure loves her box..see her story on the next page. 4

5 BREMER EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN FULL SWING Top Left to Right: Several Boy Scout Troops from surrounding communities enjoyed a scavenger hunt on the Timber Trail on March 26 th. Two members of a local Girl Scout Troop, assisted by Geri Kinnaman, made bird feeders from pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed. The whole troop learned how to properly use binoculars as instructed by Nancy Redman. While hiking, the girls helped to check a few nest boxes and were very startled to find a female Eastern Bluebird sitting on her eggs. Bottom Left to Right: Hillsboro School District s Coffeen Pre-K classes enjoyed a trail hike on April 10 th, while the entire Coffeen Elementary, grades K-5, delighted in a scavenger hunt during their hike on May 12 th. ************************************************************************************ All of the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today-----indian Proverb Woodland seeds which we collected last fall and stored in the barn are now being spread in the woods at the northwest corner of the sanctuary. Jim Hefley & Dane Murphy (left) place seeds on a white tarp which was transported to the location. They were assisted in dispersing the seeds by Geri Kinnaman (right). Also helping with this effort were Don Krefft & Carl Savage 5

6 The Hickory Hills Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society is governed by a Board of Directors. The following are members of this Board: Henry Eilers-Restoration Jim Hefley-Bluebird Trail, Building, Restoration Gale Johnson-Building Geri Kinnaman- Education Chairperson Don Krefft-Treasurer, Restoration Sonya Luckett-Bulletin Board Jerry Prater-IAS Chapter Representative, Secretary Nancy Redman-Newsletter, Bluebird Trail Dick Rompasky-Building Carl Savage-Membership Chairperson Ken Schaal-Restoration Check out our website at Find us on Facebook at Hickory Hills Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society. Illinois Audubon Society website: Dick Rompasky proudly displays a refurbished sign installed on the driveway. Photo contributions for this issue: Kay Hyten, Geri Kinnaman, Don Krefft, Shelby Martincic, Mont. Co. News Archives, Emily Redman, Nancy Redman, Ken Schaal The photo on the right shows the barn as it stood in 1977 when IAS received ownership of that parcel of land (notice the fence in the foreground). On June 20, the construction of a new split-rail fence brings back a bit of the past. Working on the project is Bruce Redman, Dick Rompasky, Carl Savage, Don Krefft, Jim Yount, Jim Hefley, Dane Murphy and Jerry Prater. 6