Following the success of their previous collaborations, Illinois Hiking and Backpacking Trails, Revised Edition and A Guide to Mountain Bike Trails in Illinois, Walter and George Zyznieuski offer this concise and handy resource for all outdoor enthusiasts interested in the outstanding nature centers and interpretive trails throughout Illinois. The 135 sites detailed in this illustrated guide are located in municipal and county parks, forest preserves, state parks, wildlife refuges, and the Shawnee National Forest. Sites range from the Apple River Canyon State Park in northwest Illinois to the Cache River State Natural Area in southern Illinois. This guide will assist individuals and groups in successfully planning visits to these areas by clearly identifying trails that are fairly short and well suited for families and those nature centers that provide hands-on experiences viewing wildlife and nature exhibits and participating in a nature program or activity. Also, those trails that are accessible to families with strollers, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly are identified with symbols and described throughout the book. Detailed descriptions of each center and trail are included along with directions, some maps and photographs, hours of operation, and contact information, including web sites, where available. Sixty-seven nature centers and interpretive trails are featured for northern Illinois, including Chicago Botanic Garden, Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary and Volkening Heritage Farm, The Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, and the Black Hawk State Historic Site. For those interested in central Illinois, forty-one nature centers and trails are listed, including Kickapoo Creek Park, Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, Valentine Park, Salt Fork River Forest Preserve, Merwin Nature Preserve, Forest Park Nature Center and Adams Wildlife Sanctuary. Twenty-seven nature centers and trails are described for southern Illinois. Among these are Lusk Creek Canyon, Giant City State Park, Cache River State Natural Area, Ferne Clyffe State Park, Rim Rock, and Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.

What is tenure? It is a policy which gives teachers a permanent contract ensuring them a guarantee of employment like for life. Tenured teachers cannot be fired unless for just cause such as gross misconduct, or incompetence. Proponents of teacher tenure say that it is good. They argue that tenure prevents teachers from being fired for inappropriate reasons; tenure protects teachers from false accusations; tenure reduces teacher anxiety and allows them to become even better educators; properly used, tenure creates an environment where teachers are encouraged to improve; and lastly tenure protects good but veteran teachers from being fired for being too expensive. Opponents of teacher tenure say that it is bad. They argue that tenured teachers if they are ineffective are often extremely difficult to dismiss; dismissing tenured teachers takes a long time and is often extremely expensive; almost every k-12 teacher receives tenure whether they have earned it or not; and last but not least teacher tenure leads to complacency. The purpose of the book is not to further debate the pros and cons of teacher tenure. Rather it examines the critical elements to better prepare teachers for the tenure application and the tenure decision makers to make better informed evaluation. Teacher Tenure: An Analysis of the Critical Elements begins with an unlikely introduction of a story that uses rhetorical comparison of the shoe experience to connote the wisdom of the teacher tenure process.