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Celebrate Earth Day with Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Canal Corridor Association Associate Director Erin Maze installs bicycles at the Iron Bridge Trailhead at the USDA Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

Canal Corridor Association Associate Director Erin Maze installs bicycles at the Iron Bridge Trailhead at the USDA Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

From bluebells to bicycles, silver anniversary celebrations and more, there are new, exciting ways to celebrate April 22, Earth Day 2021, with Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The Canal Corridor Association (CCA) is expanding its bicycle-share station at Midewin NTP; a virtual silver anniversary panel discussion will highlight Volunteers and Service over the past 25 years at Midewin NTP; and a new Spring Blossoms self-guided tour provides an insider’s guide to some of the most colorful spring blooms on the prairie.
 
Pedal the Prairie
The CCA will install new racks of bicycles near the south entrance to the Route 53 Trail at 30239 Highway 53, in Wilmington, to rent and explore the prairie on wheels without having to tote your bicycle along with you. “Twenty-five years ago, the Illinois Land Conservation Act identified four key objectives for the establishment of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and one objective is recreation,” says Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Supervisor Wade Spang. “Today, there are about 30 miles of non-motorized public trails at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and with the Canal Corridor Association’s bicycle-share program, prairie enthusiasts can experience the prairie on wheels on about 16 miles of designated trails.”
 
Earth Day Webinar: Silver Anniversary Panel Discussion, 6 p.m. April 22
Celebrations of 25 years of prairie restoration continue. In this special Earth Day panel discussion honoring the Midewin NTP Silver Anniversary, the focus will be on Volunteers and Partners. Midewin NTP archaeologist and tribal liaison Joe Wheeler will moderate this informational discussion that will feature five panelists:

·  Paul Botts, president and executive director, The Wetlands Initiative
·  Allison Cisneros, Midewin NTP project manager, The Nature Conservancy in Illinois
·  Jerry Heinrich, president, Midewin Alliance and Midewin Interpretive Association
·  Gail Pyndus, founding member, Midewin Heritage Association
·  Joe Roth, formerly with Openlands
 
To register, call 815-423-6370 or email [email protected].