by Michael Stroud, Natural Resources Commissioner St. Charles, with its accessible riverfront and magnificent open spaces is a  beautiful place to call home, and we have a responsibility to take care of and enhance the gift given to us by nature. One way to do this is through the creation of food forest gardens. The first and most well-known, successful food forest garden is Carver Edible Park in Asheville, North Carolina, established in 1997. It hosts over 40 varieties of fruit and nut trees and berry bushes. A huge vegetable garden is planted annually,… Read More Food Forest Gardens

Earlier this spring, Natural Resources Commissioner Angela Churchill posted information regarding the negative effects of volcano mulching on the NRC’s Facebook page. The topic generated a huge amount of interest. In fact, the post was read by 265,000 people in the United States and many other countries, including as far as Ghana, Africa!   In case… Read More St. Charles Natural Resources Commission Goes Viral and Global!

By Commissioner Suzi Myers One of my all-time favorite paintings is Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” which he painted in St. Remy, France, in 1889. Sadly, the Milky Way and many of the stars that inspired him can no longer be seen at this location. Why? Light pollution has taken away our night skies.   What is… Read More What is Light Pollution?

Submitted by Commissioner Suzi Myers  Are you looking for something to do this fall? Have a cell phone? How about looking for a Witness Tree and verifying its existence?   A Witness Tree a historic tree that has remained in place for decades or even centuries after noteworthy events as well as ordinary events have unfolded around it.   During the 1800s when Europeans… Read More Witness Trees of Illinois