Join the East Central Illinois Master Naturalists and volunteer, Doug Mills, on Monday, April 24 for Waking Up to Wetlands at 7 p.m. in Room 1005 in the Forbes Natural History Building, 1816 S Oak St., Champaign, IL. 

Wetlands are of value for flood protection, water quality improvement, erosion control, recreation, and aesthetics, as well as providing habitat for numerous species of plants and animals. Many of the parks and forest preserves in central Illinois include wetland areas. Volunteering at the wetland area of Homer Lake Forest Preserve has been an introduction to this important habitat for Master Naturalist, Doug Mills, and many other East Central Illinois Master Naturalist Volunteers. For Doug, it’s been a journey of discovery that he's still on. "Although wetlands provide habitat for creatures I’ve long been interested in, I’ve been slow to take in the marvels and mysteries of the bigger picture of the wetland itself," says Doug. "In this presentation I will share my journey into more fully appreciating the ephemeral wetlands of east central Illinois and the creatures that call them home." 

Doug Mills, ECIMN 2006 and U of I retiree, delights in dragonflies and the rest of the wonder-filled world we live in. He enjoys nature photography and is blessed with an amazing wife and adult children who sometimes join him in his outings but always take the time to look at his photos and listen to his musings. He holds a BA in Linguistics and a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language, both from the University of Illinois. His volunteer work for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District has included pioneering the initial frog call survey in 2007 and more recently several years of documenting dragonfly diversity across the county preserves, including a dozen new county records.

For reasonable accommodations, please contact Ryan Pankau at rcpankau@illinois.edu or call 217-333-7672. This presentation will only be presented in-person at the Forbes Natural History Building. Parking is available in Parking Lot E46. The program will take place in room 1005 and the building is located immediately south of St. Mary's Road on South Oak Street.