Urban Stream Research Center tours to be offered Saturday
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is conducting behind-the-scenes tours of its Urban Stream Research Center from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11.
The center, typically closed to the public, is located in the Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, near Butterfield and Winfield roads.
Tours depart every 30 minutes and cost $5 per person. Register at www.dupageforest.org or call 630-933-7248.
Participants will be given a glimpse inside the state’s first facility dedicated to raising freshwater mussels, federally endangered Hine’s emerald dragonflies and other aquatic species, district officials said in a news release.
Tours offer a chance to learn how district ecologists are improving the region’s watersheds by expanding the populations of mussels, crayfish, insects and fish.
The district has propagated, reared and released nearly 31,000 sub-adult mussels into the DuPage River, Fox River, Lake Michigan and Des Plaines River to boost declining populations, the release said.
Two Naperville caddies win full-ride college scholarships
Two Naperville golf caddies are among 83 high school seniors from the Chicago area to receive full housing and tuition college scholarships from the Western Golf Association.
Erin Arnold, a student at Naperville North High School, and Peter Schneider, a student at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, are the local recipients of Evans Scholarships.
Erin was sponsored by the Cress Creek Country Club and Peter by the Naperville Country Club.
The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years, a news release said. Glenview-based Western Golf Association oversees the program, which is the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.
Selection criteria is based on a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character, the release said.
When the national selection process is complete, about 360 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded scholarships.
Evans Scholars have a cumulative 3.3 grade point average and a 98% graduation rate. About 40% are first-generation college students and 95% are employed or enroll in graduate school within six months of graduating college, the release said.
