Looking forward to Spring we focus on the abundance our God provided for us to enjoy and replenishes our bodies. In YES! Magazine Valerie Segrest suggests a Wildflower Apothecary. An enchanting blanket of wildflower medicine adorns the continent. Carefully cultivated by indigenous inhabitants for hundreds of years…often thousands these blossoms,
Forest Preserve District of Kane County will be host to a maple-sugaring event, collecting maple tree sap and cooking up sap into syrup, from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6, at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean Street in St. Charles. The public is invited. Admission and
By Shae BurnhamSecond of two parts The first part is at thevoice.us/brush-piles-volunteers-provide-the-majestic-view Part of the challenge of restoring an ecosystem is the amount of initial work that needs to be done prior to bringing back the native species. Volunteers contribute to a form of wide-scale gardening by removing invasive plants
Last of three parts The previous part is at https://thevoice.us/levees-dams-make-mississippi-river-a-true-highway Jenny Rogers wrote the following article for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Magazine. Parts one and two were both new approaches to solve annual Mississippi River floods and on levees and dams to make the River a true highway. Rogers wrote:
By Shae BurnhamFirst of two parts It was below freezing, and fresh snow painted the path through the forest. On such days, only a minuscule number of people would take to the trails. One of them was Anna Bakker, who had donned her winter hat and worn work gloves and
Second of three parts The first part is at thevoice.us/approaches-new-to-annual-mississippi-river-floods Jenny Rogers wrote the following article for Nature Conservancy Magazine. Part one’s focus was on new approaches to solve annual Mississippi River floods. “As floods throughout the Mississippi River Basin become more destructive and unpredictable, communities are changing tactics to
By Sarah Vogel Throughout the growing season, gardeners and arborists talk about the benefits of pruning woody ornamentals while they are dormant, and that time is almost here. “Pruning can seem like a daunting task, but it is an important cultural practice for the health and vigor of many trees
Last of two parts The first part is at thevoice.us/traditional-hemp-economies-a-revival-for-native-peoples Here is a post-petroleum transition plan: Winona LaDuke writes the following article for YES Magazine: Tribes revive traditional hemp economies: “For the past five years, I’ve been a hemp farmer, with permits from the state government of Minnesota. My business
First of two parts Here is a A post-petroleum transition plan: Winona LaDuke writes the following article for YES Magazine on tribes’ revive traditional hemp economies: “More than 20 years ago, Alex White Plume, a leader of the Oglala Lakota, planted his first hemp crop on Wounded Knee Creek, on
Valley of the Fox Sierra Club invites all to a Zoom program at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7. The Zoom link is us02web.zoom.us/j/2933277588 The program will be Waste Privilege, or, Let’s Talk Trash. Elgin resident Robin Migalla has been on an environmentalist path for more than 50 years. With tongue
But the ground is frozen, how can we be talking about gardening? In fact, it’s the perfect time to start your seeds indoors before planting in the Spring. The Aurora Public Library District (APLD) will be host to a seed swap from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 5. Customers
By Nicole Flowers-Kimmerle Healthy soil is essential for healthy plants. Using cover crops in the home garden is one way to promote soil health. Cover crops are non-harvested crops that add organic matter to the soil, transfer nitrogen to plants, and break up heavy clay or compacted soil. They are
Last of two parts The first part is at https://thevoice.us/systemic-change-necessary-to-stop-biodiversity-loss By Jennifer Morris, chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy, writes: “As a lifelong conservationist and now CEO of The Nature Conservancy, I am an impatient optimist. I hear the clock ticking on climate change. I see the threats to
A habitat restoration work day will be held at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 22. Cutting and stacking invasive shrubs such as honeysuckle and buckthorn will be the main task. If conditions permit, a brush pile may be burned. Tools will be provided, but
Help the environment by making sure your real Christmas tree is reused as mulch and isn’t taken to a landfill.Beginning Monday, Jan. 3, real Christmas trees will be picked up for free during weekly trash and recycling collection. For two weeks – from Monday, Jan. 3 through Friday, Jan. 14
By Brittnay Haag Free your houseplants’ roots this Winter by creating organic art for your home through kokedama, a form of Japanese bonsai, where plants are grown in a special soil mix and wrapped in moss. Kokedama is a uniquely-beautiful way to grow houseplants in a non-traditional way. Kokedamas can
December 23, 2021Dear editor; For almost two months we have been hearing that the Democrats in the Senate have been trying to reach agreement on the Build Back Better bill. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was supposedly holding out because it was too big in spending and increasing the
By Ken Johnson Once holidays are over, the Christmas trees tend to come down. Instead of hauling this year’s tree to the dump or having the city pick it up, consider repurposing it in your landscape. University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Ken Johnson said one popular use for Christmas
By Andrew Holsinger With their bright red blooms, Poinsettia’s are a holiday tradition, but buyers don’t have to limit their selection to one color. This Winter, we can celebrate and decorate with a rainbow of Poinsettias. University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Andrew Holsinger said there are plenty of new
By Kelly Allsup, Horticulture Educator, Illinois Extension With their vibrant, floral displays and low-maintenance needs, holiday cacti are a great holiday gift. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cactus are each different species. They bloom reliably each year without much up-keep. “Every December, one plant in my office comes to life despite
