Black-crowned night heron 



ago. They reached 20 nests in the late seventies; last 

 year, they built 66. Black-crowned night heron numbers 

 increased by over 100 in just one year, from 273 in 1983 

 to 390 nests in 1984. And the great blue herons have 

 gone from zero in the mid-seventies to 38 in 1983, 57 in 

 1984, and 73 in 1985. 



And there's more. With Joe checking the place 

 carefully throughout the breeding season, we know that 

 small flocks of double-crested cormorants — another of 

 Illinois' endangered birds — stayed at the lake for most of 

 April and May last year, and two immature birds spent 

 the whole summer. A snowy egret wearing the exquisite, 

 lacy nuptial plumes of an adult bird ready to breed, spent 



Ninth Annual Spring Systematics Symposium 

 Saturday, May 10, 8:50am to 4:30pm 



This year's symposium topic is "Evolution of Human Hunting" 

 and features ten speakers. The preregistration fee (until April 10) 

 is $10. Registration after that date is $15. Registration forms may 

 be obtained by writing Dr. H. M. Nitecki at Field Museum; they 

 may also be obtained at the Museum on May 10 before the talks 

 begin. 



16 



June and half of July at the lake. Snowies are also en- 

 dangered here. They are known to nest in only two loca- 

 tions in the whole state. More adults showed up for the 

 last half of July, and Milosevich saw a group of two adults 

 and two immatures at the end of August. His cold- 

 blooded, objective, scientific side, reports "no evidence 

 of breeding," but his enthusiastic, hopeful, birder's side 

 says "I keep looking." 



The question now is whether there will be a place 

 for him to look. Will County Audubon Society has been 

 pushing for three years for protection for Lake Renwick. 

 The Will County Forest Preserve District has agreed to 

 buy it, and a federal grant has been obtained to pay for 

 half of the purchase. The state has agreed to pick up 

 another 25 percent of the tab, and a private organization 

 based in Chicago, The Upper Illinois Valley Associa- 

 tion, a group consisting mainly of prominent business 

 leaders who are interested in making a reality out of the 

 I&M National Heritage Corridor, has agreed to raise 

 funds to cover the other 25 percent. 



Chicago Gravel is eager to unload the property. 

 They are not making any money from it and they are still 

 paying taxes on the land. The vexed question is the 



