11:00-2pm The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum runs the Illinois Odonate Survey (IOS) to keep tabs on our dragonfly and damselfly friends, which flock to the Urban Rivers floating wetlands each summer. There's been talk in previous years of having the 3 major Urban Rivers floating wetland locations be valid observation sites that can be traversed in paddlecraft while monitoring. If some of our volunteers are interested in becoming IOS monitors at those sites, we want to support them.
Monitors generally work in teams of two. At the Wild Mile, it should be easy to provide kayaks and observation materials so it gets the required 6 to 8 observation sessions between Memorial Day weekend and September 15. At River Park, we do have 2 kayaks, paddles, and life jackets in a locker, but that locker is on the top row and very hard to reach. Bubbly Creek might only be possible if a couple volunteers in the neighborhood have their own paddlecraft, but we should have some kayaks there for a while most Friday afternoons.
To learn the specific ins and outs of monitoring at our sites by kayak, Mac (one of our wonderful volunteers), has offered to host both an in-person and virtual training session.
Sunday Aug 9- 11:00-2Pm
Saturday Aug 22- 11:00-2pm
Wednesday Aug 5 -5:00-7:00pm
Saturday Aug 8 - 11:00am-2:00pm
Wednesday Aug 19 -5:00-7:00pm
Sunday Aug 23 - 11:00am-2:00pm
Mac has also assembled these very accessible resources to help people get started identifying dragonflies and damselflies.
Photo credit for that eastern amberwing: Thomas Valentino
