Bluff Spring Fen is a 170-acre preserve on the southeast side of Elgin. \; \;The site includes wetlands\, hi ll prairies\, and oak woodlands\, and is home to numerous threatened and e ndangered species. \; \;The program includes current and historic images of Bluff Spring Fen and tracks the forty-year effort to transform t he preserve from neglect and abuse to a premiere example of a rare Illinoi s ecosystem. \; We will also explore a selection of the many plant and animal species that make the Fen their home.
\nPresenter\, Doug Tar on\, grew up in Massachusetts\, where he received his first butterfly net at age 6. \; In 1979 he completed a BA in Biology from Colby College i n Waterville\, Maine. \; He migrated to the Chicago area that same yea r to attend Northwestern University\, where in 1984 he received a Ph.D. fr om the department of Biochemistry\, Molecular Biology\, and Cell Biology.& nbsp\; During his graduate studies\, Doug began helping to restore Bluff S pring Fen in Elgin\, an activity he continues \;as a Volunteer Steward for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. \; Later\, while spe nding 13 years working in the biotechnology industry\, he directed the Ill inois Butterfly Monitoring Network\, a volunteer-based organization monito ring the health of butterfly populations on nature preserves throughout Il linois. \; In 1997\, the Chicago Academy of Sciences hired Doug where he is now Chief Curator Emeritus for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.&nb sp\; He is active in butterfly conservation research in the Midwest. \;
\nhttps://gailborden.libnet.info/event/15679825 URL;VALUE=URI:https://gailborden.libnet.info/event/15679825 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR