Category Archives: Natural and Agricultural Sciences

09.06.22

LLCC honey harvest Sept. 8

On Sept. 8 (rain or shine), members of the Prairie State and Lincoln Land Beekeepers Associations will be on hand demonstrating the process of honey extraction from the beehives at the West Lake Nature Grove, 2321 West Lake Shore Drive, Springfield.

Honey super removal will start at 10 a.m. Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate protective gear. At minimum long pants and a long-sleeved shirt are required. A bee suit and veil are ideal during this portion of the demonstration.  There will be a limited number of suits and veils available for participants to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants, without protective gear, can also observe from a safe distance away from the hives.

Once the honey supers are removed, we will move to the Kreher Agriculture Center, Room 1131 for a demonstration on how to extract the honey from the frames.  Protective gear is not required for this portion of the event. Participants will be allowed to help with the extraction process and sample the raw honey.

For more information about the event, contact Dave Cox, professor of biology, at dave.cox@llcc.edu or 217-786-4909.

08.15.22

LLCC welcomes new vice president and two deans

LLCC welcomed a new vice president and two new deans this summer.

Kelli SinclairKelli Sinclair joined LLCC Aug. 1 as vice president of student services. “Kelli has more than 20 years of proven leadership experience in community college student affairs and enrollment management.” said Charlotte Warren, Ph.D., president of LLCC. “We welcome her expertise, enthusiasm and commitment to student success.”

Sinclair previously served as executive dean for student success and retention at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill. Earlier, she served as associate dean of enrollment management at Elgin Community College and associate/interim director of university admissions at Aurora University. She is a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and has taught college classes in disability studies, College 101 and psychology. Sinclair holds a master’s degree in counseling with a higher education emphasis and bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University.

Also new at LLCC are Dr. Kalith Smith, dean of social sciences and business, and Brent Todd, dean of natural and agricultural sciences.

Dr. Kalith Smith“We are pleased that Dr. Kalith Smith and Brent Todd have joined LLCC. They are both champions for helping students discover their potential and prepare for their future,” said Dr. Vern Lindquist, vice president of academic services.

Dr. Smith previously worked at the New Mexico Military Institute for 16 years, most recently as the associate dean of student success. He earned a doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a guidance certificate from New Mexico State, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Texas Tech.

Brent ToddTodd most recently served as dean of instruction at Lincoln Trail College for five years. Prior to that, he was a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University, teaching biological sciences and botany, and also worked at SIU School of Medicine and Lake Land College. He is pursuing a doctoral degree in public administration from University of Illinois Springfield and holds a master’s degree in biological sciences, a bachelor’s degree in botany from EIU and an associate degree from Danville Area Community College.

08.11.22

Bird Banding Station fall season

Aug. 18 will be the opening day at the LLCC Bird Banding Station for the fall season.

If you are interested in following daily/weekly banding activities, there are two Facebook pages: Lincoln Land Community College Bird Banding Station (daily reports/photos of our banding activities at LLCC) and Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders – LLABB (~ weekly reports/photos of banding activities at other sites throughout central Illinois).

View spring 2022 bird banding highlights.

07.05.22

Spring 2022 bird banding highlights

Spring 2022 was LLCC’s 19th banding season (ninth spring season) since the station’s inception (fall 2012). Below are a few of the highlights:

  • We banded 1,776 birds of 99 species over 51 banding days. This translates into 34.8 birds banded per day.
  • We also had 467 repeat captures (birds banded earlier during the spring 2022 season) and 105 return captures (birds banded during a previous season).
    • Two of the more interesting recaptures were a Blue Jay that was originally banded in fall 2013 (at least nine years old), and a Downy Woodpecker and Black-capped Chickadee that were both originally banded in fall 2015 (each at least seven years old).
  • Our highest one-day total for the season was 129 birds banded on May 4.
  • The top five species banded (by abundance) for the season were as follows — species (# banded): Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler (184), Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco (152), Swainson’s Thrush (147), (Western) Palm Warbler (142) and Gray Catbird (101).
  • The cumulative total number of birds banded (over 19 seasons) at the LLCC BBS is 31,574 birds.
  • We added five new species banded this season to the cumulative station total (currently at 133 species): Great Blue Heron, Eastern Screech-Owl, Yellow-throated Vireo, Hooded Warbler and Lark Sparrow.
  • Regarding milestones, our 30,000th bird (a Swamp Sparrow) was banded on April 8.
  • Our fall banding operations are scheduled to begin Aug. 18, 2022.

If you are interested in following our daily/weekly banding activities, we have two Facebook pages you are welcome to follow: Lincoln Land Community College Bird Banding Station (daily reports/photos of our banding activities at LLCC) and Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders – LLABB (~ weekly reports/photos of banding activities at other sites throughout central Illinois).

Tony Rothering, professor of biology

06.22.22

New weather station at LLCC

Wondering what the weather might be like on the Springfield campus? The new weather station on top of Sangamon Hall can provide the info you’re looking for! From a camera view looking north over Lake Macoupin to the current temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, precipitation and more. Hourly observations, daily observations and stations graphs are also available — great data that you can follow for your own interest or use in your courses. A weather monitor is found in the display case on second floor of Sangamon Hall (by the greenhouse). You can also access the information now available from LLCC’s online weather center.

One piece of weather data found on the weather station is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). Please select the link to learn about the WBGT. What is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature?

Questions? Please contact Dean Butzow, professor of geography.

06.02.22

Welcome Daniel Fleming

Daniel FlemingDaniel Fleming has joined LLCC as chemical hygiene officer. He previously taught biology and chemistry in St. Louis. He earned a master’s degree in biology with an emphasis in human physiology and a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from University of Central Arkansas. Daniel can be reached by phone at  217-786-2337 or by email.

Welcome Daniel!

05.26.22

Ag communications judges needed

LLCC Agriculture is hosting the Illinois FFA State Ag Communications Contest on June 13 and 14, and we need a few more judges.

On June 13, teams will be working on their individual practicums which consist of web design, video production, writing a feature story or writing a blog post. After the students are done with their area, I will email the student work and scoresheets to judges to evaluate and score. We are looking for three judges willing to judge the individual practicums remotely.

On June 14, teams will be presenting their marketing plan to a panel of judges at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel next to the BOS Center. Judging will begin at 8:30 a.m. and go through 3:30/4 p.m. with lunch and snacks/drinks provided. We are looking for one or two judges willing to judge the team presentations.

Please email Bill Harmon or Holly Bauman if you are interested in helping or have questions.

Thanks!

05.03.22

LLCC’s Blake Joyner wins statewide geography award

Blake JoynerBlake Joyner of Springfield, a student at LLCC, was recognized April 29 with the Illinois Geographical Society Community College Outstanding Student Geographer Award.

The award goes to a student who has excelled in geography courses at their community college. Joyner received a financial award and a one-year membership to the Illinois Geographical Society.

A sophomore at LLCC, Joyner is an outfielder on the LLCC Loggers baseball team. He plans to transfer to Mississippi State University in the fall and major in broadcast meteorology.

“Blake is a dedicated student. He worked extremely hard in his classes and truly excelled in geography courses, especially the weather and climate course,” said Dean Butzow, LLCC professor of geography. “He is a person who will make a positive difference in the world.”