Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon welcomes new staff member

Erich Murphy, Canton Daily Ledger
·2 min read

LEWISTOWN — The University of Illinois-Springfield’s Therkidsen Field Station at Emiquon has welcomed Christa Christensen as its new education coordinator and facility manager.

Christensen came to Therkidsen Field Station at Emiquon (TFSE) from Illinois State Museum-Dickson Mounds.

According to a news release, while at Dickson Mounds, “Christa provided unique opportunities for adults and youth to explore, discover and learn about the world around them through various hands-on school and public programs and events, including the award-winning monthly program series 'Tot Time', archaeology and nature camps, live music events, Earth Day in the Parks, and numerous other family events that highlighted astronomy, geology, and history.”

Christa Christensen
Christa Christensen

“I am looking forward to working with Christa to expand and formalize our educational offerings,” TFSE Director Tom Rothfus said. “The Emiquon Preserve provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about an ecological restoration project and explore how different systems are connected to each other.”

Already familiar with the area and the Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, Christensen has worked closely with Emiquon Partners Forbes and Illinois River Biological Stations, The Nature Conservancy and the USFWS Illinois River Refuges Complex to offer the annual Fulton-Mason Eagle Day, Paddle Emiquon canoe and kayak event, as well as other programs and projects that illustrate the attributes of the Emiquon Preserve.

Christensen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2000 and a Master of Arts in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University in 2002.

Adding to her expertise, Christensen has worked abroad at Hamar, Norway, and closer to home in Colorado, Michigan and in suburban Chicago. Her professional background includes museum administration, facility and collections management, informal education and exhibits, fundraising and marketing.

“I look forward to continuing to work on providing members of the surrounding communities, particularly high school students, opportunities to learn about science and nature,” Christensen. “The Emiquon Preserve is an amazing place and it’s in ‘their own backyard’! The field station provides the expertise, space, and quality equipment to learn about the diverse ecosystem at Emiquon.”

TFSE will be offering new field trip opportunities, focusing on macroinvertebrates, mussels and the overall significance of Emiquon, this fall. High-school teachers are encouraged to participate in a virtual information session on Thursday, April 4, or Monday, April 15, from 3:30-4 p.m., to learn about these field trips. Online registration information will be available soon at uis.edu/emiquon. New public programs being developed include an open house, water sampling and viewing your finds under the microscope, hikes, prairie walks, and workshops.

For more information about the field station or research and program opportunities, please visit uis.edu/emiquon or contact Education Coordinator and Facility Manager Christa Christensen at cchris5@uis.edu or Director Tom Rothfus at troth3@uis.edu.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Christensen moves from Dickson Mounds to Therkidsen Field Station