Few April showers: Very dry start to 2021 leaves more than half of Illinois abnormally dry, and here s how it compares with previous years chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dale Bowman
Here are some preliminary details from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for those interested in applying to be part of the next class of conservation police officers. And I know more than a few readers are interested.
The application period runs through May 31. The hope is to hire up to 25 CPOs in December.
Here are the details from IDNR:
Interested in a Career in Law Enforcement? IDNR Wants You.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources accepting applications for Conservation Police Officer Trainee now through May 31, 2021
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is seeking applicants who are ready to combine a love of conservation, wildlife and natural resources with law enforcement and public safety. The Department is beginning the search for Conservation Police Officer (CPO) Trainees with the intent to hire up to 25 officers in December 2021.
Provided by Chris Belz
This sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report contains everything from a Chicago actor meeting a king to big bass pulling up to lots of varied big fish at Clinton Lake.
Actor
Joseph Sikora, product of Notre Dame College Prep and Columbia College, found some time for fishing between some recent shoots.
Lifelong friend
Hey Dale,
Appreciate your column and have enjoyed it for years thank you!
Find attached photo of Chicago’s very one, actor Joseph Sikora, who caught this 18lb King off of St Joes thanks to In the Box Charters.
Joe is currently filming Power 4ce in Chicago and had time to go fishing in between shoots.
Dale Bowman
“Did any of the neighbors see?’’ my wife asked.
In a yellow slicker, I had picked young dandelions from our lawn in the rain this month, then prepared them.
I’ve had an interesting spring foraging or, more accurately, wandering around.
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On Saturday, I wandered around a favorite morel-hunting area. There were no morels, despite friends sending photos of good finds.
But mayapples caught my eye. They had grown much in two weeks, some nearing a foot high. I bent to see downy yellow violet, violets and spring beauty up close.
Sizing up mayapples last weekend while wandering around sorta looking for morels mushrooms.
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IMAGE: The timing of floral resources complicates life for the rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, a new study finds. This bee is foraging on the flower of the bee balm,. view more
Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. For more than a decade, ecologists have been warning of a downward trend in bumble bee populations across North America, with habitat destruction a primary culprit in those losses. While efforts to preserve wild bees in the Midwest often focus on restoring native flowers to prairies, a new Illinois-based study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded landscapes.