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The Education Outreach Program of the Illinois Natural History Survey is varied, diverse, and ever-changing. Philosophically, outreach at the Survey is centered around one simple statement by our first chief, Stephen A. Forbes. In 1891 Forbes wrote, "The children [and adults!] must be drawn towards and not away from the woods and fields and waters and must be led to see more clearly..." Thus, our main goal is to help our citizens see more clearly, and therefore appreciate more deeply, Illinois' incredible biological heritage.

We use many means to bring Illinois citizens into intimate contact with nature in the state. Among theses are

* designing, constructing, and staffing exhibits about nature in Illinois--Chicago Sportmen's Show at McCormick Place in Chicago

* encouraging middle school girls to explore science as a career--Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science (GEMS) Program

* training Illinois citizens in rigorous scientific methods of ecological monitoring to assist scientists in keeping tabs on the state's ecological health--Illinois EcoWatch Program

* developing innovative ways to teach everyone about the world of insects--Insect Theatre

* training school teachers about biodiversity, wetlands, and biological control--Purple Loosestrife Educational Program

* conducting workshops throughout the state for education institutions and government agencies

* conducting field trips to natural areas throughout the state to bring citizens face to face with the natural world

* bringing the wonders of nature to inner- city children and giving them hands- on experiences--Community Youth Creative Learning Experience (CYCLE) Program.

Education outreach assistant Carie Nixon teaching school children at Homer Grade School about insects.







Summary of Eduction Outreach Program Activites for FY99

Publications-- 10
Boards & Committees Served-- 18
Public Presentations-- 52
Queries Answered-- 500

Outreach Activites of All INHS Staff

The activities of the Education Outreach Program at INHS are supplemented by an amazing array of outreach work accomplished by all researchers at INHS. The Education Outreach Program serves as a clearinghouse for the public, who frequently request speakers and presenters from the Survey. As illustrated by the table below, INHS' outreach extends well beyond the walls of its headquarters in the Natural Resources Building in Champaign. From public schools throughout the state to international meetings of professional scientific organizations, INHS' reach truly has become global in scope.

Summary of Total Education Outreach Activities of INHS for FY99

Publications-- 380
Species Identified-- 20,319
Boards & Committees Served-- 120
Public Presentations-- 368
Queries Answered-- 3,248

Much of the Survey's scientific, outreach, and educational activities involve its collections and, increasingly, the databases developed from collection- building activities. Several scientific disciplines rely on collections of biological organisms. Systematics, the study of the diversity of life, in particular the study of evolutionary relationships and determination of appropriate names to be applied to populations, traditionally has been the primary interest of scientists working with collections. At the Survey, data extracted from collections, especially data on spatial variation in populations, have been used by systematists to determine which species are found in Illinois. This information can be used directly or indirectly by any resident of Illinois with an interest, for example, in controlling pests or in protecting rare species, or in using wildlife for recreational purposes, such as nature photography, hunting, and fishing.

INHS Insect Collection manager Kathy Zeiders with a small portion of the insect collection.









Scientists other than systematists, particularly ecologists and conservation biologists, increasingly are turning to collections to understand the temporal changes taking place in the state's biological communities. Changes in species distribution and abundance, including the loss of native species and invasions of exotic species, are of general concern to most people and often are best documented and most easily explained by databases built from collection-oriented research. Data associated with the biological collections of the Illinois Natural History Survey provide some of the most effective means for providing the public with information about changes that are taking place in the Illinoisenvironment.

With continued modification of natural habitats, the value of collections to society will increase. For many areas, the only records of a species' presence will be the specimens in institutional collections. Fortunately, the Survey has collections that are among the largest and most valuable of any state- supportedinstitution. These collections provide valuable information to decision makers and other citizens of Illinois concerned with protecting the environment. Much of the information used by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to recognize endangered and threatened species, to identify outstanding natural areas, and to develop management programs come from data associated with the Survey's collections.

The Survey's collections are heavily used by Survey scientists, scientists at other institutions, educators, and members of the general public They are used in studies leading to reports on the Illinois environment, in scientific publications, and in exhibits.

The primary mission of the library is to meet the diverse research needs of the INHS scientists and staff members. This is becoming increasingly more difficult due to the information explosion, the World Wide Web, and the trend towards electronic information sources. Fortunately, the INHS Library is also a University of Illinois departmental library, and the university generously provides the INHS library with an annual materials budget and full access to its library services and electronic resources. In return the INHS Library staff offers the UIUC community access to its collection and the same high-caliber services that are available to the INHS staff. The public is also welcome to visit the library and use its resources.

In spite of the many staff changes it was a very busy and productive year for the library. The library's materials budget was $58,454, a slight increase from last year's amount, so it was not necessary to cut any journal subscriptions. The library added 548 new monographic titles to its collection this year: 131 titles were purchased, 150 titles were selected on the UIUC approval plan, and 267 titles were received as gifts from generous donors or were received through our exchange program. It was an active serials binding year with an addition of 846 bound journal volumes.

The long-anticipated Illinet On-line library system was activated in August. Illinet On-line is a service provided by the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization, which links the services of 45 member libraries thoughout Illinois. Illinet On-line provides a World Wide Web interface that helps users access library data with browsers, such as Netscape and Internet Explorer, from their personal computers at work or at home. Illinet On-line also allows users to determine what materials thay have checked out and to connect to other resources on the Web.

The Survey's Assistant Librarian, JoAnn Jacoby, with the library's display of Stephen A. Forbes memorabilia honoring the first INHS chief.








The library had the good fortune to enlist the services of Leah Watts, a library practicum student. Leah's class project was to revamp the INHS Library's Web page. The finished product was so successful that six months after its inception the Web page received an award. The library's Web page has been designed to provide the staff with quick access to the most commonly used library resources, such as the UIUC on-line catalog, Life Sciences serial databases, and interlibrary loan. One notable feature of the INHS Library's page (www.library.uiuc.edu/nhx) is its serials database. This database was recently completed by Jessica Beverly and contains the complete INHS Library's serial holdings, which presently contains 1,825 unique serial titles.

Last year the INHS Library received two new rooms for the collection and the growing needs of the staff. One of the rooms became the library staff's office area; the other now holds the library's circulating books. Later in the year the serials were spaced out to accommodate future growth and the reference collection was weeded and rearranged according to call number order. All of the INHS Library's 39,000 volumes were moved one way or another in the past year!

Interlibrary loan and article photocopying are necessary services that the INHS Library offers its users. JoAnn Jacoby manages the hundreds of requests that are received and has been very successful in quickly supplying copies of articles to our users. The library is able to offer this important service due to the dedicated efforts of Liz Day, our part-time photocopier, and Joanna Moy, our work study student. Liz also makes sure the books and journals are shelved properly and are kept in good shape.

The library's exchange program, which is also managed by JoAnn Jacoby, is a crucial source of journals and books. The library presently has 413 active exchange partners throughout the U.S. and the world.

Categories of INHS Publications

* Bulletin: published continuously since 1876, this peer-reviewed journal reports on significant research findings by Survey scientists and other researchers in natural history.

* Biological Notes: published since 1933, this peer-reviewed publication presents research findings at INHS in a shorter, more concise, and less technical manner than the Bulletin. Each issue of the Bulletin and Biological Notes is mailed to various scientific and educational institutions throughout the world; additional copies are requested by ecologists, conservationists, and others throughout the nation.

* Manuals: published at irregular intervals since 1936, these field guides provide detailed descriptions and illustrations of a particular group of species, such as freshwater mussels, longhorned beetles, and amphibians and reptiles.

* Special Publications: the content of this series varies widely, from a collection of classroom activities for teaching biodiversity to school children to a compendium of the history and research of waterfowl in Illinois.

* Illinois Natural History Survey Reports: provide up-to-date information and announcements on many of the research activities of Survey scientists. This bimonthly newsletter has been in continuous publication since 1962 and is free of charge to the public. Call the Survey Distribution Office at 333-6880 to be added to the mailing list.

* Educational Materials: for both students and teachers in the natural sciences. These materials include posters, slide sets, classroom activities, laminated fact sheets and species identification cards for the yard and garden, and publications devoted to specific topics in natural sciences written for school children.

* On-line Publications: some of our publications are now accessible on the World Wide Web (Web). These include Illinois Natural History Survey Reports, INHS Annual Reports, INHS Manual 5, (Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest), and the INHS Publications Catalog. Prices and ordering information for our publications and educational materials can be obtained at the Publications Catalog Web site at URL: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/pub-catalog/spring98/ index98.html or by contacting our distribution office at 333-6880 for a free copy of the INHS Publications Catalog.

INHS Publications Produced During FY99

* Bulletin 36(1), Acute Toxicity of Ingested Zinc Shot to Game-farm Mallards

* Bulletin 36(2), Natural History of the Bird-voiced Treefrog and Green Treefrog in Southern Illinois

* Special Publication 21, Waterfowl of Illinois

* Manual 7, Waterfowl of Illinois Abbreviated Field Guide

* Manual 8, Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois

* Illinois Natural History Survey Reports (numbers 352-357)

Two of the new INHS publications produced recently.

Publications Authored by INHS Researchers During FY99

In addition to publications produced by INHS, our researchers contribute a significant number of articles to prominent scientific journals throughout the world as well as technical and research reports to government agencies on the state and federal levels. The table below illustrates the types and numbers of publications produced by INHS researchers during FY99.

Type of Publication

Scientific Journals-- 165

Technical Reports-- 154

Miscellaneous-- 61