Join us on Wednesday, August 31 at 7:00pm for free showing of this documentary at the Normal Theater!
During the late 1980s and the 1990s, a small but dedicated group fought on the ground and in the courts to stop clear-cutting, oil and gas drilling, and ATV use in the Shawnee National Forest located in Southern Illinois. They won the support of their community and the struggle in a landmark court case. Seventeen years later, the court lifted the injunction, and the Forest Service resumed logging. Shawnee Showdown: Keep the Forest Standing portrays the struggle to protect the forest through interviews, photographs, and archival news footage. The film examines how the past struggle can serve to inform the public today in responding to current Forest Service management projects. Shawnee supporters are once again asking hard questions about public land use. Should our public land be degraded to generate commercial profit for a few? With the effects of climate change intensifying and the knowledge that mature forests sequester more carbon, why not keep the Shawnee National Forest standing as a regional carbon sink? How can the forest remain a healthy habitat for struggling forest species like forest interior and migratory songbirds? Will our Illinois treasure be despoiled? How do we keep the forest standing?
Cade Bursell’s 2021 documentary will be shown Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at the Normal Theater at 7 p.m., free of charge. Shawnee activists Sam Stearns and John Wallace will be present for a Q & A after the screening.
We are now accepting appointments for the September 17, 2022 McLean County Household Hazardous Waste Collection!
In a surprise shift from the recent trend of every-other-year events, the Ecology Action Center (EAC) is pleased to announce a fall McLean County Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection event for Saturday, September 17, 2022. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is covering major costs for the HHW collection to be held at Heartland Community College from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The HHW collection event is by APPOINTMENT ONLY in order to regulate traffic and prevent long waits; residents must sign up for an appointment at HHWmclean.org. Residents without computer access may call 309-GOTO-HHW, or (309) 468-6449 for assistance. Participation is open to all Illinois residents at no cost. Illinois regulations mandate that only residential wastes may be collected—no business or commercially generated wastes are accepted. The deadline for HHW appointments is noon on Friday, September 16, 2022. Volunteers are needed to help with traffic control at the event; signup is available online at HHWmclean.org.
Accepted materials include: Oil-based paints, Used Motor Oil, Herbicides, Pesticides, Insecticides, Old gasoline, Pool chemicals, Cleaning products, Mercury, Acids, Household batteries, Paint thinners, Lawn chemicals, Solvents, Antifreeze, Hobby chemicals, Aerosol paints and pesticides, Fluorescent lamp bulbs, Drain cleaners, and Corrosives.
Unaccepted items include: Latex paint, Agricultural wastes, business/commercial sector wastes, Explosives, Fireworks, Controlled substances, Lead acid batteries, Propane tanks, Smoke detectors, Farm machinery oil, Fire extinguishers, Biohazard waste, or Institutional or business waste.
The 2022 McLean County HHW Collection is made possible in partnership with Illinois EPA, support from the City of Bloomington, Town of Normal, McLean County, and BNWRD, and in-kind services provided by Heartland Community College and Republic Services.
The Sugar Creek Stewards meet on the third Saturday of every month from 9:00 am to noon. Sugar Creek Stewards is part of the Ecology Action Center's Clean Water programming, and is supported by the City of Bloomington and the Town of Normal. Join us to help remove invasive and exotic vegetation along Sugar Creek and help restore more beneficial native grasses, forbs, and shrubs to improve stormwater filtration, streambank stabilization, pollinator food sources, and more. Volunteers must be 18 years old or older (or 14 and accompanied by a parent or guardian) and be able to hike along uneven terrain and safely use basic hand tools such as loppers and bow saws. Our next workday is Saturday, August 20. Register and join us!
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