Archive for the 'Natural Resources' Category
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Recent actions by both Congress and the State of Illinois are bringing Green Infrastructure (GI) closer to becoming the preferred stormwater strategy to control runoff by sustainable, cost- and ecologically effective methods.
The U.S. Senate now is considering national Green Infrastructure policy, with introduction of the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act. CNT and a broad national coalition worked vigorously for development of the “GI for Clean Water Act”, which is now introduced in both chambers.
The Act would fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finance federal cost-share grants for planning and implementation of community Green Infrastructure, and would establish “centers of excellence” for GI training and research. The Act would also financially support states that develop Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standards—incremental targets for stormwater management that would increase the use of green infrastructure over time, similar to renewable energy portfolio standards that most states have adopted to reach renewable energy targets. Read more »
Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources, Policy | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 4th, 2010
Annunciation Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, southwest suburb of Chicago
Last week, CNT organized a tour for the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group and members of the villages within the watershed to Annunciation Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish. The group was eager to learn about the parish’s use of native plant communities to create a unique place in the area and to manage the excessive stormwater flowing over and through the property whenever it rains.
The church was built in 1999 on 10 acres in Homer Glen, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Initially, the landscaping was conventional with acres of lawn to manage. It wasn’t long before it became apparent that very wet conditions made much of the landscaping a nightmare to maintain. Fr. Thomas Loya had attended meetings on sustainability at Homer Glen and met people from Conservation Design Forum. Together they developed a master plan for the church landscape. More than ¾ of the turf grass was converted to native prairie grasses and wildflowers. Read more »
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Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Raingarden at St. Margaret Mary School and Church in Roger's Park
CNT has received funding from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to create an inventory of Green Infrastructure features in the Chicago region, as part of our effort to identify sites to test the effectiveness of green infrastructure and better understand its benefits for stormwater management, community vitality and health.
We’ll be publicizing the results of our tests and the inventory itself so that others wishing to learn more about green infrastructure will know where to look. If you have a green infrastructure project (what is green infrastructure?), please take a moment to tell us about the features you know by taking a short survey.
Also, please pass this on widely to individuals or groups that can also add their projects to the inventory. Thanks very much for your participation in this important research!
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Monday, April 12th, 2010
On Tuesday, April 13, CNT’s Natural Resource Director, Steve Wise will be presenting at the 2010 International Low Impact Development Conference. On Wednesday, April 14, Steve returns to Chicago to be a panelist at the Chicago premiere of acclaimed documentary Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators, which examines the roles predators play in restoring and maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity before heading to meetings in Washington D.C.
Check our calendar of events for upcoming engagements.
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Thursday, February 25th, 2010
The Illinois Rain Garden Initiative grant program provides funds for the construction of a rain garden on public property. A rain garden is a depression, often near a downspout, that is planted with native wetland or aquatic vegetation. Rain gardens can be designed to flower throughout the summer and built to will hold stormwater runoff or snow melt, allowing the water to be absorbed slowly by the plants and the soil.
Rain gardens reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, allow for the recharge of groundwater supplies, increase wildlife habitat and often reduce the need for mowing and its associated costs and pollution. You’ll find the application forms at http://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/RainGarden/applicationpage.htm. Teachers, not-for-profit organizations and community groups may apply. The maximum award is $1,000. Grant applications due by March 19, 2010. For more information, contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ (IDNR) Division of Education (dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov or 217-785-0973). The IDNR and Illinois Conservation Foundation administer this program. Funds are provided through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
(Photo of St. Margaret Mary School and Church raingarden)
Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
As communities continue to grapple with perennial budget shortfalls, mounting water infrastructure needs, and overwhelming stormwater pollution problems, we need to ensure we are making the best water infrastructure investment decisions (economically, socially and environmentally) to utilize public funds most efficiently.
Traditional water planning has not recognized the interconnected nature of water supply, wastewater and stormwater management. More comprehensive planning methodologies, sometimes called “Integrated Resource Planning” (IRP), recognize these relationships from a least-cost, publicly transparent, and scenario-based perspective.
Read more »
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Monday, February 8th, 2010
The Illinois EPA is seeking public comment by Wednesday, February 24, 2010 on the development of a Stormwater Green Infrastructure Plan for the State of Illinois, as required by the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act, passed in 2009.
Green Infrastructure is the interconnected network of open spaces and natural areas that naturally recharges aquifers, improves water quality and quantity, and provides recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. Green infrastructure manages stormwater by capturing raindrops where they fall. CNT encourages reuse of natural moisture by using rain gardens, swales, green roofs, tree planting, permeable pavement and other low impact approaches to restore natural drainage functions and recycle stormwater in urban environments. Read more »
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Thursday, January 14th, 2010
All seemed fairly routine when the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency hosted a meeting at their offices to provide an update on the study of green infrastructure practices and regulations the Agency is required to conduct under P.A. 96-0026, the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act. But it was not expected that during the meeting, Marcia Willhite, Chief of the IEPA Water Bureau, informed the 100 or so people in attendance that the IEPA Water Bureau “needs to rethink some things, part of which is how to promote green infrastructure and innovative environmental projects” through the funding of projects with State Clean Water Revolving Fund money. Willhite said she intends to establish an advisory committee to revise revolving fund criteria to ensure that green infrastructure projects receive greater priority.
Read more »
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Monday, December 21st, 2009
The U.S. House of Representatives has recognized green infrastructure’s tremendous potential for clean water, energy, jobs and community health with the introduction of the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2009.
Reps. Donna Edwards (D-MD), Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Steve Driehaus (D-OH) introduced federal legislation (HR 4202) on December 3 that authorizes up to $300 million annually in green infrastructure (GI) planning and implementation grants. The bill will also establish “GI centers of excellence” in planning, implementation and policy, and help states establish Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standards that would incrementally grow states use of green infrastructure stormwater management, akin to renewable energy portfolio standards.
“This is an opportunity to extend federal investment in green infrastructure’s ecologically and economically effective water conservation approaches,” said Steve Wise, CNT’s Natural Resources Director. “Green infrastructure returns rainwater from a stormwater problem back to the most critical, valuable resource we have. Green infrastructure protects and restores clean water, saves energy embedded in water treatment and pumping, and enhances communities’ health and vitality through expanded natural areas.
Read more »
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Friday, December 4th, 2009
On November 18 the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) selected the CNT as the Coordinator of the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group. The Watershed Planning Group is conducting an 18-month planning process, with Geosyntec Consultants as the technical consultant, to create a plan to preserve the creek as the surrounding municipalities expand rapidly.
Hickory Creek is one of the finest streams in the Chicago region. Not only is it vital to the Des Plaines river system, but it also has historical significance; early 20th century ecologist Victor Shelford formulated the ground-breaking theory of stream succession based on observations he made at Hickory Creek. Thus, planning for the creek’s future is vital.
Read more »
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