Home to Roost Helping city folks raise chickens!

This a FREE event hosted by Conservation Plainfield that includes exhibitors with educational displays, demonstrations of sustainable products and practices, sales of “green” products and services, and fun entertainment for all ages. It is a community-wide environmental education event and Conservation Plainfield’s primary fundraising activity for the year.

Some of the activities planned for the day include:

• Dave DiNaso’s Traveling World of Reptiles (an up-close, live, hands-on experience about reptiles and amphibians from around the world). Visitwww.travelingworldofreptiles.com for more information.
• Incredible Bats will be giving a multi-media presentation on how beneficial these creatures are to us and our world. Sharon and Dan Peterson have over 15 years of experience in the conservation of bats. They will have live Egyptian Fruit Bats and African Straw-Colored Fruit Bats at the show. Bring your digital cameras or camera phones because after the program a half an hour will be provided for children/families to take their own picture with a bat. Visit www.incrediblebats.com for more information.
• Learn about and try Geo-Caching (an outdoor activity using a Global Positioning System – GPS receiver to hide and seek containers called geo-caches or caches that contain log-in sheets and sometimes trinkets). Visitwww.gonil.org for more information on geo-caching.
• Workshop on wind energy (a renewable energy source) that includes the making of a wind turbine model you can take home. There will be two workshops with a maximum of 25 wind turbine model kits for each workshop – one model kit per family. If interested in attending this program, stop by the Conservation Plainfield welcome booth and register.
• Learn about raising backyard chickens at home. There will be a presentation with live chickens on how to properly raise chickens at home and the benefits of doing so by Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consulting. The Midwest’s only chicken consultant, Jennifer Murtoff provides compassionate, homespun consulting and emergency care for backyard chickens in the Chicagoland area. A farmer’s granddaughter, Jennifer’s passion for fowl developed as she acquired a number of kinds of birds in south central Pennsylvania. Her flock included chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quail, peafowl, pigeons, and golden pheasants. She offers information and resources on chicken care from chick to adult, and, while she is not a veterinarian, can provide emergency advice and troubleshooting.
• Exhibit on composting at home
• An Electronics Recycling Drop-off will be provided by New Life Electronics Recycling (for a list of items that will be accepted, download the attachment on the homepage or down below).
• An empty ink and toner cartridge recycling drop-off will be provided by Cartridge World, 4722 Caton Farm Road, Plainfield.
• Conservation Plainfield will also be accepting batteries and cfl (compact fluorescent light) bulbs for recycling. Please be sure to tape both ends of the batteries prior to dropping them off.
• Working Bikes will be accepting bicycle donations at the event.  The bikes do not have to be in working condition. Working Bikes collects and gives away over 6,500 used bicycles a year. They repair and give away bicycles to local social service agencies, as well as international non-profit bike projects that distribute them to those in need.
• Make a Craft to Take Home (a fun activity for children and families to make something out of everyday materials you recycle at home).
• Rain Barrel Sales (for more information on Conservation Plainfield’s Rain Barrel Program and to place an order, download the attachments on the homepage or down below). Starting March 23 and running through the expo, Conservation Plainfield will be holding a spring rain barrel sale. Rain barrels can be purchased for 25% off the regular price.
• Native Plant Sale (download the order form on the homepage or down below). Please note that if you join Conservation Plainfield as a member you can get free plants. Individual memberships get three (3) free plants, and family memberships get six (6) free plants.
• Raffling off of Gift Baskets and a Rain Barrel
  • Stop by Conservation Plainfield’s welcome booth and get one free raffle ticket.
  • Those that buy a 50/50 raffle ticket will get one additional ticket for the basket/rain barrel raffle.
  • Those that join Conservation Plainfield as an individual member will get three extra raffle tickets, and those that join as a family member will get five extra raffle tickets.
  • All items will be raffled off at 2:00. Winners will be posted at the Conservation Plainfield welcome booth. Winners need not be present.

Don’t forget to check back on occasion for updates on the day’s activities and exhibitors that will be participating because we are still planning and confirming other activities and in the process of booking exhibitors.

If you are interesting in volunteering to help set-up, break-down or work the event, please contact us.

Conservation Plainfield began as a collaborative effort of the five units of local Plainfield government: Village, Park District, School District, Library District, and Township. We have grown over the years and have become more volunteer-driven with membership comprised of nearly 50 residents and businesses. Our organization holds a series of events and projects each year, including clean-ups, park enhancement projects, and collection days. Conservation Plainfield relies on modest membership dues and public donations to meet its mission of environmental education and awareness.