KVAS Meeting Cancellations

The KVAS board has made the difficult decision to cancel the September, October and November meetings and speaker appearances in 2020. There remains a high level of concern regarding COVID-19 among our board and members.

We are confident group meetings will resume after November when conditions improve. We look forward to rescheduling our speakers in 2021.

KVAS Planning Meeting- July 19th

We have had to cancel our March, April, and May public program meetings.  It is possible all three will be re-scheduled.  We still have scheduled program meetings about The Ducks of Southern Illinois, The Native American perspective on Conservation, and one entitled “Buried in Plastic”.

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At this time, it cannot be known if the SWIC Red Bud campus will be available as a public venue for these meetings, so we will be looking for an alternative, temporary location for those meetings, in hopes that SWIC will still be available.

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The board met at the end of May and discussed the annual June planning meeting and decided to postpone it to Saturday, July 19th, to still be held at the Randolph County Conservation park, as long as that venue is still available.   We will be practicing social distancing and wearing face coverings, if prudent to do so, based on public health recommendations.   Also, regrettably, we’ll need to do BYOMD (bring your own meal and drinks), with no shared food.

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The start time will be 9:30 am for those who’d like to take a walk around part of the park road system, rather than a hiking trail (due to more profuse vegetation at this time of year).  Let’s aim to start lunch at about 11:30, with an aim to complete the meeting with a discussion on planning for conservation and education 2021.  This will include scheduling events to recognize the 25th anniversary of the chapter’s founding.

March Speaker Series Event Cancelled

In support of limiting the impact of the pandemic, COVID-19, in our community, KVAS has cancelled the March event.  Please check back as we will be making a decision regarding our April event in the coming weeks.

February 20: Nature Show and Share

February 20:    Nature Show and Share 

Members plan to gather to share stories from forays into natural habitats and perhaps showcase photographs, plant specimens, rocks, and other curious objects from the environment in a more informal setting that the usual program meetings.  Bring your stories, pictures, exhibits, etc.

All Meetings are free and open to the public.  Programs begin at 7:00 PM.  All meetings are held at the Red Bud campus of Southwestern Illinois College.  It is located at 500 W S 4th Street, Red Bud, IL 62278.

KVAS Speaker Series – Chris Benda

November 21, 2019

One of Illinois rising botany stars, Chris Benda, will present slides of many, beautiful flowering plants from our area.   He will also present in which habitats to find some of these gems, and will discuss the role of non-native and invasive plants in the future existence of Southern Illinois’ rare plants.  Chris is a botanist and past president of the Illinois Native Plant Society. A native of Minnesota, Chris moved to Illinois from California in 2004 and received a Master’s Degree in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign in 2007.  He was a regional ecologist for the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory Up date in southern Illinois from 2008-2012. Chris teaches the Flora of Southern Illinois at Southern Illinois University in the summer and a variety of classes at Northern Illinois’ Morton Arboretum.  He is an accomplished photographer and author of several publications about natural area in Illinois. He is known as Illinois Botanizer and can be reached by email at botanizer@gmail.com 

Other events taking place this fall and winter

December 7 – Annual meeting, Election of officers and Christmas Party 

To get an accurate meal count, please RSVP by December 3.

Following the meal will be a short business meeting including a discussion of chapter leadership for 2020.  Members may also pay 2020 dues at the meeting.

The buffet dinner preliminary plans are for:

• Fried chicken and roast beef
• Vegetable lasagna
• Roasted red potatoes with artichokes & feta
• Green beans
• House salad
• Rolls
• Coffee and iced tea
• Please bring your own adult beverages.

Cost should be about $10.00 per plate.  Payment is due the evening of the party.  We do ask if you reserve a plate, please make sure you reimburse KVAS.

We will be looking for a few homemade desserts (ideas:  cheesecake, cookies, cake/bars) to finish off the meal.  Please let Susan know if you will be attending and if you can bring a dessert to share – home phone (618) 282-2914, cell phone (618) 978-1470, e-mail harbaugh@htc.net – by December 3.

● Directions to 1204 Raymond Drive, Red Bud –

1) from Waterloo and points beyond:  as you enter Red Bud, watch for Construction Supply (lumber yard) and just past that, make a right on Country Club, then just inside the subdivision, make a right on Raymond.  The house is at the corner of Raymond and Clarence.  Please enter via the front door.

2) from Hecker, Baldwin, Ruma and points beyond – at the four way stop in downtown Red Bud, choose Route 3 west (heading toward Waterloo) and proceed 0.9 of a mile.  Watch for Clarence, then after that will be Country Club.  Make a left onto Country Club, then just inside the subdivision, make a right on Raymond.  The house is at the corner of Raymond and Clarence.  Please enter via the front door.

December 21 – Christmas Bird Count, Kaskaskia River bottoms, Baldwin Lake, Peabody Fish and Wildlife Area.

 

New Improved KVAS Website

KVAS welcomes in 2017 with a new and improved website to serve our members and further our mission to promote the conservation of natural habitats.  Look for more great content to be added soon!