Jon Favreau

Project to restore Danada wetlands, prairie

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and DuPage County Stormwater Management are working together to create and restore wetlands and prairie at Danada Forest Preserve in Wheaton.

The project will restore approximately 21 acres of wetlands and 23 acres of prairie on the south side of Butterfield Road a half-mile west of Naperville Road, improving habitat for native wildlife and allowing the land to better accept, store and clean stormwater.

The land at one time contained these important habitats, but in the late 1800s farmers tilled the prairie and buried clay tiles to drain wetter areas for crops and pastures.

Plans call for disabling the buried tiles and installing features that will bring back more natural groundwater conditions. Crews will also mow and remove weedy trees and brush, control invasive plants and reintroduce native vegetation to improve the ecology of the site.

Funding is being provided by DuPage County’s Fee in Lieu of Wetland Mitigation Banking Fund, which is used to offset the loss of similar habitat during development.

Danada Forest Preserve and its trails will remain open during most of the work, but the district may need to temporarily close trails and natural areas for visitors’ safety. Construction activities should be substantially completed by 2018. and initial maintenance activities should be completed by 2022.

Climate change, other issues subjects of film fest 

Elmhurst Cool Cities and Elmhurst College will host a screening of the documentary “Time to Choose” as part of the 2017 One Earth Film Festival at 1 p.m. March 5, at Elmhurst College, Illinois Hall, Schaible Science Center.

The One Earth Film Festival presents compelling environmental films and programming to bring about an understanding of climate change, sustainability and the power of people, and to initiate positive actions for the planet.

“Time to Choose” addresses the challenges of climate change and humanity’s race against the clock to implement solutions. Oscar-winning documentary director Charles Ferguson looks at the threats we face as well as the stories of innovators, leaders and average citizens fighting on the front lines for a cleaner, more sustainable world.

A short question-and-answer period with environmental advocates will follow the film.

In addition to Elmhurst, two other organizations will screen One Earth Film Festival movies in DuPage County. College of DuPage will screen “Crying Earth Rise Up” 7 p.m. March 7, at the Health & Science Center (HSC 1234), and the Village of Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission screens “Death by Design” at 7 p.m. March 9, at the College of DuPage, Health & Science Center (HSC 1234).

Coldwell Banker offices hold their first chili contest 

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Central DuPage and Glen Ellyn offices present their first Chili Cook-Off, 5-7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Coldwell Banker’s office, 610 E. Roosevelt Road, Suite 100, Wheaton. Entry fee is $10 per person. Children under 7 eat for free. Participants can vote for their favorite chili and bid on silent auction items. Proceeds will support the Coldwell Banker Charitable Foundation and Special Spaces. For more information, call (630) 752-2900.

NAPERVILLE 

VFW fish fry tradition continues 

The Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 continues its all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry Feb. 24. The dinners will be held from 4:30-8 p.m. Fridays through April 14. The membership offers the dinners as a great place for a family dinner or to get together with friends to celebrate the end of the week. The menu varies, but there will be two kinds of fish, chicken, salad, vegetables, plus rolls, dessert and coffee. The buffet is prepared by Belgio’s Catering. The full menu is available at www.napervfw3873.org, and more information is available by calling (630) 420-9820.

The Judd Kendall VFW Post is at 908 W. Jackson, and offers full bar service. Pricing remains unchanged from last year. Dinners are $12 for adults, $10 seniors and $7 for children, 4-11. Children 3 and under eat for free.

ELMHURST  

Obama speechwriter to discuss 2016 election  

As chief speechwriter and senior aide to President Barack Obama during the 2008 and 2012 elections, Jon Favreau was at the center of the storm for two successful presidential campaigns.

Drawing on his unique perspective and ability to “get behind the words we speak,” Favreau will present “Tweets, Speeches and Storytelling: Messages from the 2016 Election” 7 p.m. March 9, in the Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel on the campus of Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst.

As part of the college’s Rudolf G. Schade Lecture Series, Favreau’s talk will explore the messages and moments that had the biggest impact on the 2016 presidential election, with insights into Donald Trump’s rise, Hillary Clinton’s challenges, and the effects of the media and the national mood following one of the most unusual races in American history.

Favreau began writing with President Obama in 2005, when Obama started his first term as a U.S. senator from Illinois, and had a hand in crafting nearly every major speech that the president delivered over the last eight years. Favreau’s passion for writing and public service first developed at the College of the Holy Cross, where he graduated with degrees in political science and sociology in 2003. The co-founder of Fenway Strategies, Favreau has consulted and written speeches for celebrities, Fortune 500 CEOs and nonprofit leaders, and has been featured in Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He also is a columnist for The Daily Beast website, and taught a seminar as a visiting fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

Admission is $10 for the general public and free for Elmhurst College students, faculty, staff and alumni. Purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.com. For more information, call (630) 617-5186.