College of Lake County Slates Earth Week Activities

Learn about native landscaping, local species, living in an environmentally friendly way and more during Earth Week activities being held at the College of Lake County, which began April 16 and goes through April 23.

Hands-on activities for adults and children are included in the free events, which are presented by CLC instructors and other experts. Activities are organized by the Biological and Health Sciences Division and are free and open to the public. Unless stated, all programs will be approximately one hour long and held at the CLC Grayslake campus at 19351 W. Washington Street. For more information, call Kelly Cartwright at 847-543-2792 or the biology division office at 847-543-2042. 

The public is invited to participate in the following Earth Week activities. There is no cost to attend.

Drawing Display for Earth Week coordinated by Hans Habeger, CLC art instructor. Student drawings from Drawing II (ART 127) will be on display featured in the display show cases across from the President’s office, A207. The drawings will portray landscapes that are meant to guide the viewers’ attention to their immediate surroundings by skillfully and creatively portraying a subject that emphasizes nature, our environment, environmental conflicts and/or human impact on the local landscape.

 Mysteries of the Honeybee Revealed! 11 a.m., Monday, April 18, room C003 by Margie Porter, CLC engineering instructor. Have you ever wondered about the differences between bumblebees, honeybees, hornets and wasps? Or what the inside of a real working hive looks like? Or how bees make honey? Join the throng to meet a real live queen and her 10,000 attendants as we reveal some of the mysteries of the honeybee.
 
How Green is CLC? 3 p.m., Tuesday, April 19, room C002: CLC Sustainability Initiatives by Dara Reiff, CLC sustainability coordinator. Ever wonder what impact CLC has on the environment, just how much energy we use and what we are doing to reduce our impact? Come hear about the programs CLC is working on both in and out of the classroom to reduce our environmental footprint. 
 
Gardening for Healthy Eating, 11 a.m., Wednesday, April 20, room T326: by Rory Klick, CLC horticulture instructor. Where does your food come from? Do you know what is in it or how far it was shipped? One of the most direct ways to improve both environmental health and human health is by growing your own food or buying local produce. Come find out some easy ways to incorporate gardening into your life.
 
Snakes Alive! 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, 7 p.m., room C005 (C Wing Auditorium): by Dr. Mike Corn, CLC professor emeritus, and Rob Carmichael, curator/director of the Wildlife Discovery Center of Lake Forest and CLC adjunct instructor. Back by popular demand, this kid-friendly program provides an up close and personal introduction to snakes and other reptiles, covering myths, mysteries and facts surrounding reptiles. Learn about the natural history of reptiles from lizards to endangered snake species.
 
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 11 a.m.,Thursday, April 21, 11 a.m., room C002 by Shane Jones, CLC biology instructor. About half way between California and Hawaii is a circulating mass of garbage larger than the state of Texas. The existence of something like this says a lot about the human race and the way we view and impact the world. Come learn about the garbage patch and see what it means for our oceans, our society and our future.
 
It's Easy Being Green, 4 p.m., Thursday, April 21, room T326 by Kelly Cartwright, CLC biology instructor. Do you know your ecological footprint? Do you know which products are recyclable and what that triangle symbol on the bottom of containers actually means? Which is better, paper or plastic? All of these questions plus more will be addressed in this program, which looks at some easy simple steps you can do to live in a more environmentally friendly manner. 
 
Live Raptor Program, 7 p.m., Thursday, April 21, room C005 by Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to rehabilitation of injured, sick and orphaned birds of prey and returning healthy birds back to the wild. The group also educates the public about wildlife, conservation, ecology and habitats through the use of non-releasable birds of prey. Come see some amazing birds and hear their stories. 
 
Savvy Garden, Savvy Lawn: How Smart Americans are Saving the Planet While Also Saving Time and Money, 10 a.m., Friday, April 22, by Sarah Surroz, conservation manager, Liberty Prairie Conservancy. Lawn and garden practices of the past are now undergoing a major transition to earth-friendly approaches. Learn the impact of traditional landscaping on wildlife and water, and discover simple ways to become a greener gardener.
 
Bike Repair and Safety Clinic, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, April 22, room T016. Learn the basics on bike safety and repair as the biking season begins. Simple bike maintenance will be taught that you can do yourself. Please bring your bike with you. This will be a hands-on workshop! Each session lasts one hour. For further info, contact Tom Mitchell at 847-543-2967.

Dragonflies of Northeastern Illinois, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, April 22, room T326 by Craig Stettner, biology instructor at Harper College and Dragonfly Monitoring Network coordinator. Within Illinois there are many natural areas that have to be managed to maintain their biological diversity. The Dragonfly Monitoring network was created to explore the effects that habitat management has on the dragonfly and damselfly populations. This presentation includes a discussion of life history and identification of the dragonflies and damselflies likely to be found in northeastern Illinois. For those interested in becoming dragonfly monitors, the monitoring protocol and the data collected over the last few years will be presented. 
 
Volunteer Workday at Rollins Savanna, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 23, Get down and dirty and experience hands-on environmental restoration at Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve. Bring a container of water and work gloves if you have them. We will meet at the Washington Street/Atkinson Road entrance to the Savanna. Please pre-register by April 20 by calling 847-543-2792.

To request a sign language interpreter for any of these programs, call 847-543-2473. For more information, visitwww.clcillinois.edu/events.