Virtual series to explore the world 'Under Our Feet'
As part of the Start in Your Yard initiative, the Wild Ones of Greater Kane County, Gail Borden Library and the Elgin Sustainability Commission are hosting the four-part series "Under Our Feet." The series is offered at 7 p.m. via Zoom. To sign up for the free programs, visit startinyouryard.com/community-read/.
The virtual program will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 17, with "The Field Museum: A Savvy Soil Story."
Carter O'Brien, who worked as the Field Museum's Sustainability Officer, 1997-2022, will relate what happened when they converted their bluegrass turf to native plants. He loves to tell this story, to tell what they found in a six-year study - and you will enjoy hearing it.
It will continue on Feb. 21 with "What Is Soil: What Do I Need to Know?" with Mark Bramstedt, a soil scientist/soil classifier with over 45 years of field experience in the classification and interpretation of soil and soil properties. He will make sure you have the basic understanding - what soil comprises, how it is formed, how and why soils differ, plus signs of healthy soil.
The third program will be "Drama Beneath Our Feet: Soil Organisms and Organic Matter" by Emma Leavens, Morton Arboretum on March 7.
Life under the soil is amazing - complex, intertwined, and surprising! Did you know there are 57 billion tiny nematodes for every person on the planet, and more than a billion organisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil? Learn about cooperation, intelligence, and communication underground.
The series will wrap up on April 18 with "The Soil at My House: What Does All This Mean to Me?" featuring a panel with Stacy Zuber, soil health specialist with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for the state of Illinois; Gary Swick, Friends of the Fox River president and a former District 300 teacher; and Corey Begalka, who has worked an independent plant seeker and seed collector for the Chicago Botanic Garden. They will talk about the basic principles of building healthy soil at home, techniques to use, and soil sampling and testing. They will draw parallels between these restorative gardening practices and regenerative agriculture, which is gaining prominence. Questions welcome.
Community Read
The 2023 Community Read is the 2020 nonfiction book "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Future" by British biologist Merlin Sheldrake.
There's no better topic to stretch your imagination, put humankind's accomplishments into perspective, and introduce you to the hidden intelligence of nature. Soil is alive - despite common misunderstandings.
Learning about what's going on beneath your feet can help you appreciate the living web you are part of.
For information on the Start In Your Yard initiative or the Community Read, visit startinyouryard.com/community-read/.
New to native gardening? Get a certificate of participation to redeem at the Greater Kane Wild Ones native plant sale in May.