Chapter Events

Illinois, along with the rest of North America, was not always where it sits today on a globe. Many millions of years ago, the land we now call Illinois was actually the bottom of a shallow tropical sea. This history is important because that sea formed the bedrock of the Midwest which is the foundation of our soils.

The prairie is a uniquely American biome, found nowhere else on earth outside of North America. There are many reasons that stretch out over hundreds of millions of years of geologic time and human history why this specific type of grassland developed here. Come join us for a trip through time to discover what ancient forces formed the very land we live on and the impact man has had on the landscape over the past several thousand years. Jeff will cover the adaptations prairie plants have evolved to live here and how we too can share in the benefits they provide for our environment.

Speaker: Dr. Jeff Hoyer -?Advanced Placement Environmental Science and biology teacher at Deerfield High School.

Jeff Hoyer has a B.S. in Genetics from the U of I Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph. D. in Biology from Northwestern University. He was president of the Network of Environmental Science Teacher from 2003-2013. Jeff has been sharing his passion for the environment with anyone who will listen for?more than two decades. ?He has been named educator of the year three times by his fellow environmental educators and is active in several teacher education programs in the Chicagoland area.? Working with his students, Jeff has created one of the best outdoor classrooms in the country and is currently expanding his program to include a native plant nursery at the school.? The goal of the outdoor classroom is to get more students and teachers exposed to our native plants and animals.