Get Garden Help From the Chicago Botanical Garden

Visit us onsite or online: the Chicago Botanic Garden offers its resources to all gardeners.

At the Garden, you can take a course, attend a lecture, buy a gardening book, meet 2.2 million garden plants, or have your mystery plant identified.

Online gardeners can help themselves to all the detailed plant and gardening information we provide to make their own gardens healthy and beautiful.

Online Gardening Illinois' Best Plants Detailed information describes the best plants for your garden. Plant Introductions Learn the latest new plants offered through the Chicagoland Grows Plant Introduction Program. Invasive Plants List Don't plant these! Learn to recognize and remove these least-wanted plants, and what to use instead. Listen to Denise Corkery's Gardening Tips Weekly Podcast A Master Gardener for more than 15 years, Denise Corkery brings the wonders of the plant world to millions of gardeners throughout the Chicago area. Listen to her weekly broadcast that discusses a variety of gardening topics. Monthly Gardening Checklists See what needs to be done in your garden — and when to do it. Plant Profiles Discover worthy plants for your garden. Gardening Techniques From creating a wreath to saving seeds, you'll learn "how-to." Pests & Problems Find out what you need to know, with information from cicadas to the Emerald Ash Borer. FAQs Check out our popular gardening questions- and-answers site.

At the Garden Plant Information Service We answer 31,000 questions each year. Find your answer with one of the options at the left or call the Plant Information Hotline at (847) 835-0972. plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. What's In Bloom? Which plants are blooming right now? The School of the Chicago Botanic Garden Classes abound for adult and child gardeners of all levels. Members receive discounts. The Library View rare horticultural treasures plus 25,000 gardening books, videos, magazines, and more. Members have check-out privileges. Explore the Garden Plan many visits to see all 23 display gardens plus the 3 natural areas. Plant Collections Locate exactly where all the 2.2 million plants are displayed.

About Chicago O'Hare Airport, ORD O'Hare International Airport is the second busiest airport in both the United States and the world. In 2008 the airport had 881,566 aircraft operations, an average of 2,409 per day. It is the largest hub of United Airlines (whose headquarters are in downtown Chicago) and the second-largest hub of American Airlines. It is operated by the City of Chicago Department of Aviation, associated with an umbrella regional authority. In 2007 O'Hare International Airport won the Global Traveler Award for Best Airport in North America. O'Hare International Airport was voted the "Best Airport in North America" for 10 years by readers of the U.S. Edition of Business Traveler Magazine (1998 - 2003) and Global Traveler Magazine (2004 - 2007). Brief History The airport was constructed between 1942 and 1943 as a manufacturing plant for Douglas C-54s during World War II. The two million square-foot factory needed easy access to the workforce of the nation's then-second-largest city, as well as its extensive railroad infrastructure. Orchard Place was a small pre-existing community in the area and the airport was known during the war as Orchard Place Airport (hence the location identifier ORD). Douglas Aircraft Company's contract ended in 1945 and the facility was chosen by the City of Chicago to meet future aviation demands. Though its familiar three-letter code ORD still reflects the early identity of the airport, it was renamed in 1949, after Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a World War II flying ace. The first commercial passenger flights were started there in 1955 and an international terminal was built in 1958, but the majority of domestic traffic did not move from Midway until completion of a 1962 expansion at O'Hare. The arrival of Midway's former traffic instantly made O'Hare the new World's Busiest Airport, serving 10 million passengers annually. In 1997, annual passenger volume reached 70 million; it is now approaching 80 million. Modernization plan O'Hare's high volume and crowded schedule can lead to long delays and cancellations that, due to the airport being a major hub, can affect air travel across the United States. In 2004, United Airlines and American Airlines agreed to modify their schedules to help reduce congestion caused by clustered arrivals and departures. City management has committed to a $6 billion capital investment plan to increase the airport's capacity by 60% and decrease delays by an estimated 79%. Four runways will be added and two decommissioned in order to give the airfield an eight-runway parallel 6+2 configuration similar to that in Dallas. This plan was very controversial as the added improvements can increase the air traffic only slightly with the FAA rules. The Modernization Plan is now under construction, and an additional runway and Air Traffic Control Tower were commissioned on November 20, 2008. Design efforts are underway for the remainder of the program, which includes three runway projects, a new western terminal complex and an automated people mover system. The O'Hare Modernization Program has submitted an application to the Federal Aviation Administration to use approximately $180 million in Passenger Facility Charges to fund design work, which will begin in early 2009.

We are proud to announce the launch of the new Chicago O'Hare International Airport website www.ohare-airport.org. It provides comprehensive real time flight information on arrivals, departures and delays, terminals and maps, parking, transportation, directions, food and shopping, hotels, etc.

The sites accepting credit cards for reservations are the following sites:

Chain O’Lakes	Fox Ridge	Pere Marquette	Rock Cut
Jim Edgar Panther Creek (Cabins, Shelters, Group Camp Only - NO CAMPSITES)	Ramsey Lake	Sangchris Lake	Shabbona Lake

• E-Mailed reservation forms will NOT be accepted.
• The applicable first night's camping fee will be required along with the reservation fee.
• Sites may be reserved from May 1 through October 31. Some sites accept reservations year-round; please contact individual sites for this information.
• Mailed reservations must be received seven days in advance of the camping date to insure the reservation.
• A daily lottery will be conducted for mail-in reservations. Up to six mail-in reservations per envelope, per person will be accepted for campsites or shelters. Camping groups may mail more than six reservations per envelope as long as no more than six are for one individual.
• A specific site may be reserved if it is located in the reserved campground.
• A site may be reserved for a maximum of 14 nights.
• Reservations will be held until 3 p.m. of the day following the first night's reservation.
• A reserved camp site must be vacated by 3 p.m. on the last day of the reservation period.

Costs

The reservation fee is $5.00, plus the first night's fee for each camp site reserved. This $5.00 reservation fee is non-refundable unless the campground is closed by the Department of Natural Resources. Payment for reservations must be confirmed by the site. The site will mail a confirmation notice to person making reservations. The $5.00 fee is in addition to the regular camping and utility fees.

Listing of all Camping Fees

To Reserve a Campsite You Must:

1. Complete the Campsite Reservation Form, and

	These have site specific reservations forms, click on the park name for their form:
		Argyle Lake	Pere Marquette	Shabbona Lake
		Eldon Hazlet	Rock Cut	Starved Rock
		Lake Le Aqua Na	Sangchris Lake	Walnut Point

2. Pay the $5.00 reservation fee plus the first night's camping fee.

• Please check the map for classification of camping at each site.
  
• If you are mailing the reservation, you must send the application form along with the appropriate fee directly to the Park. Make check payable to the Department of Natural Resources (Site Name).
  
• If you are using Visa or Masterard you can telephone the site or make the reservation in person at the following sites: Chain O'Lakes, Clinton Lake, Fox Ridge, Jim Edgar Panther Creek, Pere Marquette, Ramsey Lake, Rock Cut, Sangchris Lake and Shabbona Lake.

Remember:

1. The $5.00 reservation fee will NOT be refunded. The first night's camping fee will be refunded if cancelled in writing 3 days in advance.
   
2. Mail reservations will be accepted beginning January 2nd. The applicable first night's camping fee will be required along with the reservation fee.
   
3. In-person reservations and reservations using a credit card will be accepted beginning February 1st.
   
4. Reservations are not final until the fee is received by the site. A confirmation notice will be mailed to persons making reservations.
   
5. Reservations will be held until 3 p.m. of the day following the first night's reservation.
   
6. Campers must comply with all other Department camping rules which are posted at each site.
   
7. Reservation application and reservation fee must be received by the site seven days before the campsite is needed.

Illinois Travel Kit Order our complete travel kit, which includes the Travel Guide, a state park guide and a state map.	Illinois Travel Guide Download the 2009 Illinois Travel Guide and plan your next trip to Illinois like a pro. VIEW ONLINE DOWNLOAD NOW
Soul of Illinois Explore the soulful side of Illinois with the official Illinois African-American Travel Guide. DOWNLOAD NOW	Easy Access Chicago Get Chicago's first-ever comprehensive resource guide for travelers with disabilities and their families. DOWNLOAD NOW
Vive La Emocion Un guía completa para disfrutar de Illinois sólo, en pareja o con toda la familia. Paquetes para todos los gustos y bolsillos. Solamente en Español.ate map. DOWNLOAD NOW	Chicago Visitors Guide Your complete guide to attractions, events and accommodations within the City of Chicago.

• Order an Official State Highway Map
• Order an Illinois Travel Kit
• Sign Up for a Free Illinois Tourism eNewsletter
• Make Campsite Reservations
• Check Average Gas Prices
• Search for Convention and Visitors Bureaus

• Plan an Illinois Getaway
• Tour Illinois State Parks
• Map a Trip with RouteMap
• Statewide Roads Information
• Outdoor Recreation
• Fairs and Festivals
• Historic Sites/Museums
• Shop Offbeat Illinois

When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it's best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.

The Illinois Digital Archives (IDA) was developed to provide access to primary source materials in Illinois libraries, archives, museums, historical societies and other cultural institutions. Ida was unveiled in November 2000 as part of the Illinois State Library's Digital Imaging Program. It was designed to be a searchable repository for the Illinois State Library's digital collections as well as those of other libraries and cultural institutions in Illinois.

Since 1998 the Illinois State Library has awarded digital imaging grants to libraries in Illinois, using Library Services and Technology Act funds. Priorities for funding are proposals that digitize primary source materials, such as photographs, manuscripts, diaries, oral histories, maps and newspapers. One of the requirements of the grant recipients is that the digital collections produced with this funding are made available in IDA, and the results speak for themselves. IDA is enriched by these interesting collections of Illinois historical materials.

For more information about materials in the collections of the Illinois Digital Archives, contact any of the Contributing Institutions.

The Illinois Digital Archives is an OAI-compliant digital library and is a data contributor to Illinois Harvest.

See the contributing agencies
View a list of Illinois Digital Archives partners.

.