ecology

From Daily Herald, May 15, 2018: In honor of Arbor Day, Fermilab in Batavia recently held a volunteer workday with the goal of creating a shrub land habitat for rare birds.

Eastern prairie fringed orchids are planted at seven sites throughout its campus, promoting the growth of this rare species.

Dr. Betz was known, at Fermilab, for creating and overseeing the prairie planting project.

With 6,800 acres of natural habitat, Fermilab gets help from dedicated citizens who help maintain a landscape where native species flourish.

Beginning in August, Fermilab’s Batavia Road gate came under the watchful eyes of several sandhill cranes. As employees and visitors alike passed through the gate, it would be difficult to miss these stately sentinels.

From the Kane County Chronicle, Aug. 3, 2016: When the Fermilab Natural Areas organization does habitat restoration, it means more than just pulling weeds. Volunteers may also end up learning about ecology.

From WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, April 27, 2016: The bison herd at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory just got a little bigger. On Tuesday, the first bison calf of 2016 was born at the particle physics laboratory located in suburban Batavia, roughly 35 miles from Chicago.

Fermilab welcomed the first baby bison of 2016 on Tuesday, April 26, increasing the herd size to 18. As many as 14 more calves are expected before early June.

Fermilab’s popularity as a birding site is its diversity of species, a measure of the quality of the habitat. Birders have found 287 bird species at Fermilab.

Hear about the history of the prairie on Sept. 30 and join in the annual prairie harvest on Oct. 3 and Nov. 7