So Many ELECTIONS!!

Happy Tuesday! Thanks to everyone who joined us Saturday at Dixon Waterfowl Refuge – and a SPECIAL thanks to everyone who drove! Don’t forget to thank and tip them!

Photos from the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RB HAPPENINGS…

1. This Saturday, April 2, we’ll be voting for new members of the executive board and working in the South Arboretum Woods. Candidates will be able to give speeches and answer questions at the beginning of the meeting. The ballot will open after this and remain open until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, April 5. To vote, you must have attended at least 3 Red Bison meetings since August. Afterwards, we’ll take care of some odds and ends in the SAW: removing honeysuckle, consolidating fallen branches, and cleaning and sharpening tools. We will meet at the RB shed (scroll down for the map) at 10 AM. If you need help getting there, a group will gather at the FAR (South Side) bus stop at 9:45 AM. COVID precautions: Be sure to get tested within 72 hours of the event! Bring a couple spare masks! Sign into MyMcKinley / take a screenshot to show your negative test, including the date.

2. Red Bison Reads Books (RBRB) will meet again on Sunday, April 3 at 3 PM (new time) at ACES Library Room 309! If you’d like to join OR if this time does not work for you, please reach out to me at <vijayms2@illinois.edu>! We are reading selections from Braiding Sweetgrass (purchase or check out through UIUC libraries) — take a look in the documents below for each week’s readings.

Meeting 1

>> Meeting 2 <<

3. Dr. Joy O’Keefe, assistant professor and Wildlife Extension Specialist at UIUC, will be joining us on Sunday, April 10 at 1 PM at the RB shed to give a talk on her work on diversifying the Illinois Master Naturalist Program. This is a great opportunity to learn about and discuss issues of diversity in ecology, a field dominated by white men. In the event of poor weather, we will be meeting in Mumford 313. COVID precautions: A negative COVID test within 72 hours will be required to attend this event, and masks will be required if we meet indoors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXTERNAL EVENTS and OPPORTUNITIES…

1. Following the previous student elections, the position of Student Trustee and various seats in the Urbana-Champaign (Academic) Senate are still open. To fill these positions, a special election will take place April 12 and 13. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 1 at 5 PM; you may find out more here. This is a great way to be involved in high-level campus meetings. If you are passionate about the environment (or other issues) and want to make some big changes, we strongly encourage you to apply.

2. The Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) is looking for a new co-president (preferably a rising sophomore or junior) to replace outgoing co-president Maria Maring. The SSLC holds monthly meetings with the leaders of campus environmental organizations to coordinate events and bring these organizations up to speed on the activities of their peers. Estimated time commitment is about 2 hours a week. If you’re interested, please fill out this form. Again, this is a great way to get involved in high-level conversations on campus and coordinate big projects.

3. From March 24th to April 28th, the Metropolitan Food & Environment Systems Student Association is hosting “Reimagining our Food Systems.” This series of four talks features lectures from food innovators and entrepreneurs of color working to make our food system more socially and environmentally responsible. You can register here; check out the attached flyer for more information! Thanks to RB member Noah Bell for sharing this with us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feel free to email us with any questions!

Vijay Shah

RB Secretary

redbison.rso@gmail.com

Join the RB GroupMe! Email us to unsubscribe.

TWI Event **Open to All**

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful spring break — and that you’re ready to get back into the swing of things!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RB HAPPENINGS…

1. This Saturday, March 26, we’re heading out to the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in Putnam County to help The Wetlands Initiative remove invasives! Sign-up for this workday has reopened! Please fill out the carpool form below to ensure you’ll have a ride!

>>>> Carpooling Website <<<<

>>>> Website Tutorial <<<<

We will be meeting at 7:45 AM and driving about 2 hours to get to the Refuge. We’ll cut, drag, and possibly burn honeysuckle for about 3 hours with breaks, from 10 AM to 1 PM. After that, we’ll have lunch, and folks who want to stay will have the opportunity to get a tour of the Refuge. Snacks will be provided, but please bring your own lunch and water bottle! Also, we may be working in wet or muddy areas, so boots are recommended. Finally, remember to bring your binoculars if you want to birdwatch! Drivers, the address is 9231 State Route 26, Hennepin, IL 61327.

Fire safety: Since there may be fire at this week’s meeting, we will require you all to be especially conscious of what you’re wearing. Long pants will be required and jeans are preferable. Long sleeves are recommended. Do not wear any synthetic or plastic materials (polyester, nylon, etc.)! They can melt and stick to your skin! Wearing closed-toed shoes will also be necessary, and please be sure to bring plenty of water for yourself.

COVID precautions: Be sure to get tested within 72 hours of the event to keep everyone safe! Bring a couple spare masks! You should sign into MyMcKinley to show your recent negative test result / take a screenshot that includes the date of the test result. Please roll down your windows (at least partially) and keep masks on while in the car!

2. Elections are just around the corner! If you are interested in running for the Executive Board, please complete this interest form by 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 27. If you are on the fence, fill out the form anyway and feel free to reach out to us with your questions or concerns! On Saturday, April 2, candidates will have a chance to give speeches and answer questions prior to our workday. Voting will begin after this meeting and will remain open until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, April 5.

3. Red Bison Reads Books (RBRB) will meet for the first time on Sunday, March 27 at 12 PM in the ACES Library (room TBA)! If you’re interested in joining, please fill out this when2meet and reach out to us with any questions!

First up will be selections from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer — take a look at this document for what to read and potential discussion points. You may order a copy (physical/e-book) here or through UIUC Libraries. If you’re concerned about having a copy of the book in time to read for our first meeting, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXTERNAL EVENTS and OPPORTUNITIES…

1. From March 24th to April 28th, the Metropolitan Food & Environment Systems Student Association will be hosting “Reimagining our Food Systems.” This series of four talks will feature lectures from food innovators and entrepreneurs of color working to make our food system more socially and environmentally responsible. You can register here; check out the attached flyer for more information! Thanks to RB member Noah Bell for sharing this with us!

2. Illinois Student Government’s (ISG) Committee on Environmental Sustainability (ESC) and Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) have been working super hard to write this letter to Chancellor Jones, President Killeen, and a whole bunch of other people to make 5 demands concerning fossil fuel divestment. You can add your name to this letter in support of transparent, accountable, and just climate action on campus!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feel free to email us with any questions!

Vijay Shah

RB Secretary

redbison.rso@gmail.com

 

Join the RB GroupMe! Email us to unsubscribe.