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University of Illinois Champaign, Illinois 2006, Boneyard Creek Day, Environmental Literacy

BACKGROUND Campus Profile The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a four-year, public, research, land-grant university located in the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign. The Boneyard Creek runs through the middle of campus. Total enrollment is 41,938 undergraduate and graduate students. Students can choose from more than 150 majors within 16 colleges and instructional units. Principal research facilities include the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the Institute for Government and Public Affairs, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Contacts Jack Dempsey Karie Neukomm Executive Director Facilities and Services Facilities and Services Environmental Compliance Phone: 217-333-3655 Phone: 217-244-3222 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

C. Eliana Brown David B. Wilcoxen Coordinator Assistant Director Facilities and Services Facilities and Services Environmental Compliance Environmental Compliance Phone: 217-265-0760 Phone : 217-333-3655 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Goals The goals of the university’s Boneyard Creek Community Day included the following: • Create an event where students can interact with community members and where each participant can feel that he or she has personally assisted in making the community a better place. • Achieve compliance with the university’s MS4 Storm water Management Program. One goal is to label 50 percent of targeted storm drains by 2008 with a storm water message, labeling storm drains helps educate campus members about storm water runoff. • Clean and beautify the campus and the portion of Boneyard Creek that runs through it. • Encourage student environmental stewardship by facilitating event participation.

Accomplishments The university’s accomplishments include the following: • University representatives served on the Boneyard Community Day Organization Committee and helped organize the first annual event. National Wildlife Federation • Campus Ecology Yearbook • 2006

• The University surpassed its goal; students labeled 74 percent of targeted drains two years ahead of schedule. The total number labeled was 256 of 345. • University students picked up trash in 12 campus areas and volunteers picked up two and a half truckloads, or approximately 2.5 cubic yards of trash. • The Illinois Student Senate selected Boneyard Community Day as the kickoff event for National Volunteer Week. The Senate recruited registered student organizations for the Day of Service Project through an online application and other media advertisements. Of the nearly 300 participants, approximately 100 were university students. • An unexpected accomplishment was the creation of the foundation for future interactions between the university, the cities of Champaign and Urbana, the campus volunteer groups, and the local environmental interest groups.

Challenges and Responses The university’s storm drain labeling and trash pickup were not the only Boneyard Community Day activities. Both cities sponsored their own storm drain labeling and trash pickup. The Urbana Park District sponsored creek bed naturalization, where each activity had its own registration booth. To ensure that participants went to the correct activity, volunteers began at a main registration table, where organizers assigned them to other stations. This method was successful and enabled volunteers to receive supply kits and to get to work quickly.

Ensuring participant safety was a challenge. Possible options included closing university streets during the event, which was not optimal, plus providing safety vests. Don Archer, representative for the city of Champaign, suggested providing orange t-shirts for the dual purpose of improving visibility and serving as a thank you gift for participants. He also suggested providing safety flags. J.B. Webb, assistant director of safety at the university, determined which streets posed the greatest safety concerns and should be avoided. Accordingly, volunteer maps did not include drains on those streets. Those measures improved safety with minimal disruption to the campus.

ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT Leaders and Supporters Prairie Rivers Network representative Kim Erndt and community member Joe Petry chaired the Boneyard Community Day Organization Committee. They did a great job of leading a diverse group that included the Champaign Park District, the Urbana Park District, the Rotary Club, the Urbana Middle School, the university, and the cities of Champaign and Urbana. The committee gathered support from the Illinois Student Senate, a local advertising agency, and several service organizations. For a complete list of sponsors, see the website at www.boneyardcreek.org. City of Champaign representative Don Archer selected high-quality storm drain marking materials and provided detailed instructions and signs. His contributions were essential to a successful day. Katie Dunne, Illinois Student Senate representative, and other Senate representatives did an excellent job of motivating student participation and of demonstrating proper labeling technique.

Cooperation among the university groups was excellent. Chad Kuperschmid, of the university’s planning resources, deserves special mention because he provided detailed storm drain maps. Several students commented that the maps were an excellent resource. Other notable contributors include Amy Sponsler from Volunteer Illini Projects, who recruited the Illinois Student Senate,

National Wildlife Federation • Campus Ecology Yearbook • 2006 • Page 2 and Keith Erickson of the university’s utilities division who lent his planning abilities to the event.

Funding and Resources The university contributed approximately $2,100 for materials. It maximized cost savings by partnering with Champaign and Urbana. The university’s utilities division provided monetary funds, while administrative officials sanctioned the use of staff members’ time for the event. The Illinois Student Senate contributed funds for t-shirt and lunch costs.

Community Outreach and Education The university’s effort was part of a larger event that facilitated interaction between the students and the community. The Boneyard Creek Community Day Marketing Subcommittee arranged a press release. Media coverage included the Internet, the radio, and the local and college newspapers.

Climate Change The Boneyard Creek Community Day indirectly addressed climate change by sponsoring the clean up and restoring of a local habitat. Healthy habitats act as carbon sinks for harmful greenhouse gas.

National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology® Program The Prairie Rivers Network is the National Wildlife Federation state affiliate. Its direction was instrumental to program success.

CLOSING COMMENT The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the surrounding communities were able to have a successful event because of the cooperation among organizers, the common goal of improving Boneyard Creek, the enthusiastic and motivated participants, and the overwhelming amount of support within the university. The organizers held a post-event critique during which everyone agreed to sponsor the event again next year.

National Wildlife Federation • Campus Ecology Yearbook • 2006 • Page 3