Green things at the Task Force

First, thanks to all who came out to the Green Olive on Friday night.  We had a great turnout and V. P. Bryant served up enough drinks to surpass our goal for the evening by almost 50%!  Thanks to member and Geographer par excellence Mark Bouman who pointed out that we could have pulled in a few more environmental socialites if the map in my previous blog entry pointed to the correct address for the green olive.  Who reads maps anyway? :-(

Second, I'd like to announce a partnership between SETF, Chicago DOE and Green Corp - Calumet (GC-C).  GC-C is a job training and community service program which will specialize in ecological restoration projects in the Calumet area.  Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the USDA Forest Service will allow GC-C to set up its home base in the SETF office starting this month and provide programming through November 2011. 

GC-C will be led by Zach Taylor, Program Manager for WRD Environmental.  He will facilitate the restoration projects in the area and direct crew member training on restoration techniques, chainsoaw operation and safety, herbicide application, seed collection, plant identification, regional ecology, and prescription burn trianing.  Zach most recently worked as a Field Ecologist for V3 Companies and has conducted restoration work in Chicago, Nevada and Maine.  He holds a B.A. from Winona State University in Minnesota. 

Finally, there's green as in money.  Our membership drive will be wrapping up shortly, and we still have a long way to go to reach our goal (and feed a few more birds).  If you haven't become a member or made a donation, it's not too late.  Please support the Task Force by becoming a member and letting your neighbors and colleagues know about our programming and activities.  Thanks for reading.