Don’t dump Halloween pumpkins, donate or compost them Every year, come November billions of jack-o’-lanterns whose wilting faces are now past their prime need to find a new home. Instead of tossing them into the trash or dumping them in a natural area, compost them! Teen wins national 4-H award for local, global STEM education activism When Dhruv Rebba first visited the Indian village his father grew up in, he saw a community struggling because it didn’t have access to the internet. The Illinois 4-H member knew he had the skills and drive to make a difference and he recently won a national 4-H award for his efforts. The Hunt for Orange October: Master Naturalists track monarchs On their annual 3,000 mile migration to Mexico, monarch butterflies rest in select trees. A group of Illinois Extension volunteers, The Secret Society of Monarch Roost Hunters, scout for these roosts and report their findings as part of a community science research project to help this at-risk species. Master Gardener coordinator wins award for pandemic work Tabitha Elder, Illinois Extension Champaign County horticulture program coordinator, was one of 16 civil service employees recognized for exceptional performance by the University of Illinois with the Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award. Urban beekeeper's planned expansion pays off during pandemic Oscar Villa graduated the Cook County Master Urban Farmer program in 2018. With a plan in place, he expanded from a hobby to a business. Non-native invasive species major threat to ecosystem May is Invasive Species Awareness Month. The estimated price tag of managing the damages caused by invasive species such as the emerald ash borer or Asian carp is $120 billion annually in the U.S.
