MN Waking Up to Wetlands

Join the East Central Illinois Master Naturalists and volunteer, Doug Mills, on Monday, April 24 at 7 p.m. in Room 1005 in the Forbes Natural History Building, 1816 S Oak St., Champaign, IL. 

Wetlands are of value for flood protection, water quality improvement, erosion control, recreation, and aesthetics, as well as providing habitat for numerous species of plants and animals. Many of the parks and forest preserves in central Illinois include wetland areas. Volunteering at the wetland area of Homer Lake Forest Preserve has been Doug's and many Master Naturalists' introduction to this important habitat. For Doug, it’s been a journey of discovery that he's still on. Although wetlands provide habitat for creatures, Doug has long been interested in the marvels and mysteries of the bigger picture of the wetland itself. In this presentation Doug will share his journey into more fully appreciating the ephemeral wetlands of east central Illinois and the creatures that call them home. 

Doug Mills, ECIMN 2006 and U of I retiree, delights in dragonflies and the rest of the wonder-filled world we live in. He enjoys nature photography and is blessed with an amazing wife and adult children who sometimes join him in his outings but always take the time to look at his photos and listen to his musings. He holds a BA in Linguistics and a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language, both from the University of Illinois. His volunteer work for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District has included pioneering the initial frog call survey in 2007 and more recently several years of documenting dragonfly diversity across the county preserves, including a dozen new county records.

For reasonable accommodations, please contact rcpankau@illinois.edu. This presentation will only be presented in-person at the Forbes Natural History Building. Parking is available in Parking Lot E46. The program will take place in room 1005 and the building is located immediately south of St. Mary's Road on South Oak Street.