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Archive for the ‘Citizens for Conservation’ Category

Upcoming local and nearby plant sales

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, Fundraisers, Going green, Organizations, Resident Spotlights, Topics Of Interest on April 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Citizens for Conservation’s Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale will offer more than 200 species of plants for home gardeners. Online ordering is available through April 15. | Courtesy of Donna Bolzman

Citizens for Conservation’s Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale: Order deadline is April 15. Online ordering for Citizens for Conservation’s 28th annual Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale is available at citizensforconservation.org. CFC’s sale offers more than 200 varieties of native plants, including perennials, ferns, sedges, grasses, shrubs and trees. This year’s sale will also feature two special garden packages, featuring plants that support pollinators. Orders are filled on a first-come, first-filled basis, so order early, and preorders are encouraged if you have a specific plant in mind. There is a pre-order minimum charge; details are on the sale website. The in-person sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4-5 at CFC’s Hill ’N Dale Preserve in Barrington Hills. Online order pickup will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 3 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the sale site. CFC members will also be able to shop the sale on May 3, and members get a 10% discount all days. For information, contact (847) 382-7283.

Kane DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District Native Trees, Shrubs and Plant Sale: Order deadline is April 12 for trees and shrubs and May 17 for plants. Ordering is open for native trees, shrubs and plants. The digital catalog is available on the organization’s website, it can be printed if you choose. Download the order form, complete your selections and follow the instructions to submit the order and payment. The Northern Illinois Worm Farm will be on hand at pick up days with fresh, local worm casting and worm castings tea for sale. For information, kanedupageswcd.org/kd.

The Schaumburg Community Garden Club Native Plant Sale: Deadline to order is April 19. The Schaumburg Community Garden Club is currently taking preorders only for its annual Native Plant Sale, featuring native wildflowers, grasses, perennials, trees and shrubs. Order at schaumburggardenclub.org. Orders can be picked up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday May 18-19, at Spring Valley Nature Center and Heritage Farm. Information regarding pickup location will be shared at the time of your online order. The pre-order deadline is April 19. For information, schaumburggardenclub.org.

Dahlia Plant Sale: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. The Central States Dahlia Society is holding its annual Dahlia Plant Sale. Experts will be on hand to answer all your questions. For information, call Jim at (847) 343-4396.

Gardners of Central Lake County Plant Sale: 8:30-11 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at Crawford House, 817 Lake St., Libertyville. Sale, which will be held rain or shine, includes annuals, bedding plants, herbs, houseplants, natives, perennials, vegetables. Plants are grown by seeds, bulbs, bare root and cuttings. Cash or check accepted. For information, gardenersofcentrallakecounty.org or email juliancindy@hotmail.com.

The Garden Club of Lake Zurich Spring Plant Sale: 8:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 18, at Ela Area Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich. The club offers hundreds of member-grown perennials, seed grown annuals, natives, woodland plants, saplings, vegetable seedlings, ground covers, houseplants, herbs, garden décor and plant grow lights. Get expert advice from Master Gardeners and other members of the club. Sale held rain or shine. Cash/check/credit cards accepted. Come early as plants go quickly. For information, gardencluboflakezurich.org.

University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the University of Illinois Extension grounds, 100 S. Highway 45, Grayslake. University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners will hold its annual plant sale featuring a beautiful selection of nursery grown varieties not readily available at traditional garden centers — natives, new cultivars of perennials, grasses and pollinator-friendly plants. Many varieties of homegrown tomatoes, along with other vegetables and herbs, will be available. In addition, shop the “Garden Treasures” for new and gently used items to enhance your landscape. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions, help with plant selection and offer gardening advice. All proceeds support projects and programming for volunteers, youth and adults in Lake County. For information, call (847) 223-8627 or visit extension.illinois.edu/events/2024-05-18-lake-county-2024-plant-sale.

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Home & garden calendar March 17-22

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, Entertainment, Going green, Organizations, Topics Of Interest on March 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Citizens for Conservation’s Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale will offer more than 200 species of plants for home gardeners. Online ordering is available through April 15. | Courtesy of Donna Bolzman

Plant sales

Citizens for Conservation’s Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale: Order deadline is April 15. Online ordering for Citizens for Conservation’s 28th annual Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale is available at citizensforconservation.org. CFC’s sale offers more than 200 varieties of native plants, including perennials, ferns, sedges, grasses, shrubs and trees. This year’s sale will also feature two special garden packages, featuring plants that support pollinators. Orders are filled on a first-come, first-filled basis, so order early, and preorders are encouraged if you have a specific plant in mind. There is a pre-order minimum charge; details are on the sale website. The in-person sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4-5 at CFC’s Hill ’N Dale Preserve in Barrington Hills. Online order pickup will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 3 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the sale site. CFC members will also be able to shop the sale on May 3, and members get a 10% discount all days. For information, (847) 382-7283.

March 17

Northern Illinois Gesneriad Society Show and Sale: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Free. Gesneriad show and sale. The gesneriad family contains some of the most decorative and widely grown tropical plants including lipstick plant, primrose, gloxinia and African violets. Explore the beauty of about 50 exhibits featuring 20 different types. Learn about the diversity of their flowers and foliage, and see free demonstrations on propagation, soil and more. Shop for cuttings, tubers and rhizomes. For information, chicagobotanic.org.

March 19

Mount Prospect Garden Club: 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, at Chalet Nursery, 3132 Lake Ave., Wilmette. Jennifer Brennan, horticulture information specialist and manager of the Chalet education center, presents “Cool Season vs. Warm Season Planting.” Brennan will examine the respective challenges of planting in the spring or planting in the fall. For information, gcmp.weebly.com.

Enchanting Spring Dish Garden: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Capture the essence of springtime. Combine bulbs in various stages of bloom with textural ferns and moss to get you in the mood for what’s coming soon outdoors. These miniature woodland landscapes can be kept indoors as a centerpiece or outside when the weather warms up. Watch them grow and change, enlivening your tabletops with an early glimpse of spring. All materials included. $99/$124. chicagobotanic.org.

March 20

Prairie Gardens for the Home Landscape: 9 a.m. to noon on three Wednesdays, March 20-April 3, at Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle. Join Prairie Steward and Master Gardener Cindy Crosby in this class to plan a prairie garden that is beautiful in all four seasons of the year, then take home ideas on how to maintain it. Explore the ideas behind the native plants movement, and discover why what you plant in your yard makes a difference. Learn about native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs that may work well for your yard and understand their light, soil and water needs. Then, proactively plan for some of the difficulties that prairie gardeners encounter, and take home ideas on how to solve these challenges. You’ll leave with a personalized list of prairie plants for your yard, and ideas about where to put them so you are ready for spring native plant sales. $94-$110. For information, mortonarb.org.

Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh will talk about using herbs in your cooking to make it more delicious and enjoyable at the March 21 meeting of the Garden Club of Inverness.

March 21

Garden Club of Inverness — Be an Herbal Gourmet: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 21, at All Saints Lutheran Church, 630 S. Quentin Road, Palatine. Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh, is the creator and owner of Backyard Patch Herbs, an online purveyor of salt-free, gluten-free, preservative-free herb cooking and tea products. By adding the most basic herbs to your culinary palette, you can make your cooking more interesting, delicious and enjoyable. Marcy will demonstrate how to create herb mixtures to replace salt in food, and techniques for infusing vinegar, sugar, compound butter and herb paste. Discussion of herbs and samples of herbs included. For information, gardenclubofinverness.com.

Ornamental Edible Plants: Virtually from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, through the Chicago Botanic Garden. With our garden spaces being “sacred real estate,” why not maximize those spaces with plants that offer both beauty and flavor? Ornamental edibles include a wide range of amazingly handsome plants that offer visual impact and have value in the kitchen. You will learn about a wide range of plant varieties and how to incorporate them into your designs and containers. This class will be taught online via Zoom. All registrations must be submitted online two days before class starts. $32/$40. chicagobotanic.org.

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One acre at a time: Barrington’s Citizens for Conservation reconnects the suburbs with Illinois’ Prairie State origins

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, Organizations on March 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Matt Van Acker saws down one of the main branches of an overgrown buckthorn plant. The woody shrub, originally introduced to North America in the late 1880’s as an ornamental plant, spreads rapidly and crowds out native species. | jwhidden@dailyherald.com

By Jenny Whidden

Every Thursday and Saturday morning, Matt Van Acker puts on his work gloves, grabs his curved hand saw and leaves his home in Barrington on foot, walking south across a vast swath of open marshland. Often, he is accompanied by the distinct bugle call of a sandhill crane flying overhead.

Finally, cresting a small hill, Van Acker arrives at an overgrown patch of invasive buckthorn where several other people already are at work sawing away at the stubborn, woody plants. Soon, the group of volunteers will replace the European shrubs with native prairie plants, driven by a vision of what the land might have looked like hundreds of years ago.

“In the long run, it’s going to be a good change,” said Van Acker, who began volunteering with Barrington-based Citizens for Conservation a few years ago when he first looked out his window and saw the restoration crew. “I get to gaze across the prairie and see the progress.”

The natural area near Van Acker’s home is one of 14 locations managed by Citizens for Conservation, a volunteer-run nonprofit that is slowly but surely transforming the 777 acres in its care from open fields and abandoned farmland into native prairies, wetlands and savannas.

The task is easier said than done — especially with limited insight into what that acreage looked like in the past. The group’s primary references include photos from 1939 county mapping data, public land survey notes from the 1830s and clues from the land itself.

“As we restore, we look across the landscape to see what’s there and we look at the soil,” group Vice President Jim Anderson said. “The intention of CFC is to go slow and get it done correctly.”

Though the progress is a slow march, 12-year volunteer Steve Smith said one of the reasons he’s come to enjoy conservation so much is how tangible the work is.

“If anybody told me 12 years ago I would find conservation and stick with it, I would’ve told them they’re crazy,” Smith said with a chuckle. “It’s a wonderful way to connect the dots (of nature).”

Since first trying out a workday all those years ago, Smith said he still learns something new about ecology and restoration each day.

“Every time you ask a question, there are 10 questions after that,” he said.

Despite nearly 50 years under its belt, Anderson said the group as a whole also is mindful that they don’t know everything.

“As restoration ecologists, we still don’t know what we’re doing. We’re learning all along,” he said. “By bringing back the heart of the system, we’re hoping we’re bringing everything along.”

Read more here.

Jenny Whidden is a climate change and environment writer working with the Daily Herald through a partnership with Report For America supported by The Nature Conservancy. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.

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Saturday Citizens for Conservation Hill ’N Dale Preserve Restoration Plans presentation available on Zoom and dial-up  

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, Organizations, Resident Spotlights, Topics Of Interest on January 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Hill n Dale

UPDATE: Saturday’s program on Hill ‘N Dale Restoration Plans will now be broadcast live.

Please stay safe during the upcoming weather.

Related: “Citizens for Conservation Hill ’N Dale Preserve Restoration Plans presentation”

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Citizens for Conservation Hill ’N Dale Preserve Restoration Plans presentation January 13th

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, County, Fundraisers, Land Use, McHenry, Resident Spotlights, Topics Of Interest on January 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Hill Dale

Guest Speaker: Jim Anderson, Vice President, Citizens for Conservation

Date: Saturday, January 13, 2023

Time: 9:30 a.m. coffee, conversation, displays, handouts; 10:00-11:30 a.m. program

Location: Barrington Village Hall, 200 S. Hough Street; free parking behind building

While CFC’s acquisition of 246 acres along Spring Creek saved the former horse farm from development, the hard work is just beginning. Learn about the process to restore the critical wetland, sedge meadow, wet prairie, prairie, and savanna communities.

Jim Anderson is Vice President of Citizens for Conservation’s Board of Directors and an active restoration volunteer. He is former Director of Natural Resources for Lake County Forest Preserves. Jim also serves on the Steering Committee of Chicago Wilderness Alliance.

Cost: CFC members attend free as a benefit of membership. Program fee is $10 for non-members.

RSVP is required. Hope to see you there!

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Citizens For Conservation receives support from DAR

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, Signal Hill NSDAR on December 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »

DAR CFC

Submitted by Ruth Groth

Citizens for Conservation recently received financial support from the Barrington-based Signal Hill Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

The volunteer-based nonprofit organization is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment that once covered northeastern Illinois.

CFC is based in Barrington, where volunteers work to restore and maintain over 777 acres across 14 separate nearby locations. Their efforts are restoring the beauty and biodiversity of the land for generations to come.

The Signal Hill Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in Barrington in 1972. The volunteer women’s service organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Due to fundraising efforts throughout 2023, the chapter was able to contribute financially to a number of 501(c)3 organizations, specifically in the areas of historic preservation, education, patriotism, conservation and Native Americans.

Since its founding in 1890, more than one million women have joined NSDAR both nationally and around the world.

Membership in NSDAR is open to any woman aged 18 or older who can prove lineal descent from a Patriot of the American Revolution.

For more information, visit signalhilldar.com.

Related: “A community success at Evergreen Cemetery”

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Why forest preserves are conducting more controlled burns

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, County, Lake, Topics Of Interest on December 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Cuba Marsh

By Mick Zawislak | Daily Herald

Lake County Forest Preserve District crews working at Cuba Marsh near Barrington and Rollins Savanna near Round Lake Beach on Wednesday certainly couldn’t hear passersby but likely knew what they were thinking.

“It’s almost Christmas. What are you guys doing?” said Dave Cassin, manager of landscape ecology.

Favorable weather and a renewed effort to train volunteers has allowed the district to initiate more controlled burns covering more acreage than in a typical fall, he said.

So far, there have about 30 prescribed burns spanning about 1,500 acres, which is “significantly more than average,” 15 to 20 burns on 800 to 1,200 acres, according to Cassin..

“We probably have about 15,000 acres in some sort of priority rotation,” he added.

Controlled burns are regarded as an important, efficient and cost-effective land management tool to maintain and restore ecosystems and provide a benefit for visitors.

“These areas they like to walk and hike wouldn’t look the same if we didn’t do it,” Cassin said.

A controlled burn can accomplish in several hours what it takes a crew of six to do in a month, when it comes to curbing the spread of buckthorn, Cassin said. Burning also eliminates organic debris that can smother other plants and permits more sunlight and warmth in spring, among other benefits.

Read more here.

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“Forest Preserve Master Plan Presentation for Horizon Farm & Spring Creek” meeting cancelled

Posted in BACT, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Citizens for Conservation, Cook, County, Ethics, Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation, Flint Creek/Spring Creek Watersheds Partnership, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Land Use, Massbach Hounds, Organizations, Politics, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Transparency, Unions on December 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

FPDCC Horizon

The Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) presentation of long-term plans for Horizon Farm & Spring Creek scheduled for tomorrow evening has been cancelled.  Before posting news of the cancellation, we’d hoped to announce a new date, however recent news of the Forest Preserves of Cook County General Superintendent stepping down squashed that plan.

Once a new date, time and location is announced, we’ll be sure to post it.

Related: “Barrington Hills Park District soliciting recommendations regarding, ‘Future development of Horizon Farm and Spring Creek’”

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Horse lovers trying to save racetrack at Horizon Farm Forest Preserve, while bird and nature lovers question the impact

Posted in Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Audubon Society, BACT, Barrington Hills Polo Club, BH Polo Club, Citizens for Conservation, Commercial Horse Boarding, Cook, County, Crabtree Nature Center, Deception, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, FPDCC, Friends of Forest Preserves, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, Going green, HARPS, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Organizations, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, The Other Half, Traffic, Unions on August 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

HF

Front to back: Robert McGinley, Dan Lobbes, Renae Frigo and David Holman head back after checking the status of a former dam on Goose Lake in Horizon Farm preserve on Aug. 18, 2023, in Barrington Hills. Members of the Barrington Area Conservation Trust and The Conservation Foundation were out surveying Horizon Farm as part of an annual effort to track changes on the property. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

On a group tour of Horizon Farm Forest Preserve and its rolling pastures, a visitor joked that it would make a great par 3 golf course. Nature lovers shuddered at the thought, though such a use is prohibited on the site.

But the comment illustrates the tension the Forest Preserve District of Cook County faces balancing preservation and recreation. The district’s main mission is to preserve open space, and provide “nature-compatible” recreation.

In the case of Horizon Farm in northwest suburban Barrington Hills, the issue boils down to whether to save a half-mile horse racing track. The nearly 400-acre preserve used to be a horse breeding and training ground. The track was used to train thoroughbreds for racing at the now-closed Arlington International Racecourse.

When the forest preserve district bought Horizon Farm out of foreclosure for $14.5 million in 2013, officials expressed openness to keeping equestrian uses of the site. But 10 years later, the racetrack sits filled with wild plants, unused, its railing falling apart. A big chunk of the preserve remains closed, and some trails are overgrown. Horse lovers and other preserve users are wondering whether the district will save the track.

“It’s really a prize,” Barrington Hills Park District President Dennis Kelly said. “There’s been a lot of interest in the equestrian community, but we have not gotten a response.”

Not everyone is married to the idea of a horse track. Friends of the Forest Preserves, an independent nonprofit, takes the general position that recreation in the forest preserves — from boating to fishing to camping — should facilitate enjoyment of nature.

“As soon as recreation becomes about the activity, that is not in line with what should be done with the forest preserves,” Friends President Benjamin Cox said.

The group supports horse trails since anyone can use them, but has not taken a position specifically on the horse track. Exclusive sites such as a golf course or baseball diamond are only for those uses, so Friends would prefer not to build those in the preserves.

Read more here.

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Winter is the best time to prune and inspect your trees

Posted in Citizens for Conservation, Going green, Topics Of Interest on January 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Beth Botts

Winter, when the branches of dormant trees are bare, is a good time to have them pruned. Oaks should only be pruned when they are dormant. (Beth Botts)

By Beth Botts
Morton Arboretum

The gray, still days of winter are the perfect time to prune trees. In fact, winter is the only recommended time to prune some species, such as oaks.

“If you prune oaks during the growing season, you risk spreading serious diseases,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. One of the worst is a fungal disease called oak wilt.

The oak wilt fungus is spread by a beetle that is attracted to open pruning wounds in trees and carries the spores from tree to tree. Since the beetles aren’t active in winter, the safe period for pruning an oak is between Oct. 15 and April 15, Yiesla said.

Oak wilt is difficult or impossible to treat, she said, so the best way to fight it is to prevent it. The most important thing a homeowner can do to protect an oak is to prune it only in winter, unless it has been damaged by a storm.

Winter is also the best time to prune other trees, when they are dormant and not actively growing, Yiesla said. As with oak wilt, the cold will reduce the likelihood of spreading other pests and diseases.

The bare branches also make it easier for a trained arborist to see the tree’s structure and check its health. And if the ground is frozen when trees are pruned, surrounding perennial beds and other garden areas won’t be damaged by professionals’ equipment.

Large, mature trees should be pruned by certified professionals. “A certified arborist has the training and equipment to do it safely,” Yiesla said. You can find a certified arborist through the website of the International Society of Arboriculture (treesaregood.org/findanarborist) or the Illinois Arborist Association (illinoisarborist.org).

Prune a tree yourself only if you can do it with your feet on the ground. Working above the ground to prune tree branches that may weigh hundreds of pounds requires the special safety training and equipment that professional firms have. “It’s easy to get seriously hurt pruning trees,” Yiesla said.

“Always err on the side of hiring a professional and keeping yourself safe.”

It’s a good idea to have large, mature, valuable trees inspected every few years, to catch any problems early. “That’s a good thing to do in winter too,” she said.

For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.

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