Scavenger hunt planned for Elgin forest preserve
The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is holding a free Animal Signs Scavenger Hunt from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin.
Participants will look for clues that animals leave behind first as part of an exploration of the woods with a forest preserve district naturalist.
Advance registration is required. To register or for more information, call 630-444-3190 or email [email protected].
To view a full roster of Kane County Forest Preserve District programs, go to www.kaneforest.com.
Moeller lauded by ACLU for reproductive rights work
State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, was recognized by the ACLU for her work in protecting reproductive health.
Moeller was a guest at the ACLU of Illinois Annual Legislator Awards, held Dec. 14 in Chicago. She and several other legislators were honored for work on House Bill 370, the Youth Health and Safety Act, a news release said.
In 2021, Moeller led the Illinois House in repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act law, which required health care providers to notify a parent or guardian of a minor before providing an abortion.
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The legislation protects young women who fear parental physical abuse or other retribution resulting from an unwanted pregnancy, prevents them from being forced to give birth against their will and eliminates roadblocks for those who have an absent or imprisoned parent, the release said.
“Women’s rights are under attack nationwide, but Illinois is a haven in protecting bodily autonomy and access to reproductive health care,” Moeller said in the release.
“It is my honor and privilege to stand with the ACLU, medical groups, women’s organizations and many others to end unfair treatment of young women and show we will fight to protect their rights to decide what is best for them and their families.”
Tutor training to be held in St. Charles in January
Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley is offering a tutor training workshop in January at the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave.
Sessions will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 9, 11, 16 and 18.
Volunteers do not need to have a teaching background or to know a second language to be tutors, a news release said. The workshop provides materials and instruction, organizers said.
Each volunteer will be matched with one adult learner. Volunteer tutors and their students meet for one hour each week at a time and public location that is convenient.
For more information or to register, call or text 630-584-4428 or go to www.lvfv.org.
Program works to keep Christmas trees out of landfills
Geneva Park District has partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva’s Green Sanctuary Team to provide area retailers with an alternative to placing unsold Christmas trees in dumpsters.
The TreeCycle program’s main objective is to keep trees out of landfills but it will also produce mulch to be placed throughout Geneva parks, according to a news release.
For the third year, local tree retailers will be contacted by team volunteers, who offer to pick up unsold trees, wreaths and other evergreen decorations and have them chipped.
“In 2022, we were thrilled to keep 780 trees out of the landfills, which is more than double the number of the previous (first) year,” Carl Gorra, superintendent of parks and properties for the Geneva Park District, said in the release. “We are hopeful to continue picking up momentum as word of the program spreads,”
Local retailers can contact the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva to participate in the program by emailing [email protected].