Cicadas (or is it locusts?) are coming!

There was an excellent article in the April 22nd Chicago Tribune Home & Garden section on the upcoming "invasion" by the 17-year periodic cicadas, brood XIII.

These red-eyed bugs were last seen in this area in 1990 - I lived in Vermont then, so do not remember that invasion, but I do remember the one prior - 1973. The noise. The bugs. The bulgy red eyes. The noise.

Well, they are set to return in late May. In 1990, they emerged on May 25th. Their emergence is triggered by their body temperature. Once they reach 64 degrees, they emerge from the soil and begin their brief above-ground lives!

Here is a link to Ms. Botts' blog Chicago Gardener: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/chicago_gardener/2007/04/nymphs_no_probl.html

As she points out repeatedly, cicadas are not evil - they may have bulgy red eyes, and may fly into people sometimes, and may seem to be everywhere, and of course they make that noise, but they are not evil. The insects have just one purpose when they emerge - to mate with other cicadas. Once that is done, the females lay their eggs in tree branches, and then they all die off - leaving those cool-looking shells behind.

The only caution I have found is to cover newly planted shrubs and newly planted small trees with tulle (ballerina skirt netting), but only if you actually have cicadas in your neighborhood. If your neighborhood did not have them in 1990, you will not have them this year. And , if your subdivision was built since the cicadas last appearance, you likely will not have them because the soil that the nymphs were living in is now gone.

So, if you are a light sleeper, buy some ear plugs, but otherwise, just sit back and enjoy this marvel of nature - years from now you will be talking about where you were during the 2007 cicada invasion!

Here is a link to another website: cicadamania that has links to a lot of cicada-related information. http://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/category/brood-xiii/

Mixed Election Results

Congratulations to MCCD for a big referendum win. The $73 million will help preserve about 4500 acres - just over 1% of the land in the county. Our community's future needs this, and so much more!

Nunda Township had mixed results - the open space plan passed by a good margin, but the funding to implement it appears to have failed by a couple dozen votes. I think this is the fault of the state statutes that dictate a rather onerous process for townships to establish and fund open space programs. The statutes require putting two questions forward, and even dictate the specific language that must be used.

I certainly hope the township goes for it again - they were so close, and despite what the local paper says, the township open space effort is not a duplication of services! Most of the township is not covered by a park district, and the parcels targeted for purchase (about 700 acres) will never be protected by MCCD. Here's to a successful vote next time!

The Water Authority vote failed. Kudos to the folks who at least got the issue into the public arena. I suspect that not only did the big blue signs (that the Illinois Assn of Realtor's money paid for) have an impact, but the vote represents the lack of awareness among the populace that there even is a problem. As long as unlimited water comes magically out of the tap, I suspect that most folks won't even think about where the water comes from!

Sadly, TLC member Dorothy Otis lost her re-election bid for the Marengo City Council. She will be missed!

Finally, three more TLC members are now elected officials! Congratulations to Nancy Gonsiorek, Marty Sobczak and Michael Walkup on their recent election victories. Nancy, President of the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee, was elected to her local school board, Marty, retired teacher, was elected to the Greenwood Village Board, and Michael, owner of Walkup Heritage Farm in Crystal Lake, was elected to the Crystal Lake Park Board.

Crowley Sedge Meadow burned!

Walking across the recently charred landscape at TLC's Crowley Sedge Meadow near Harvard, I actually caught myself doing a little dance! The site has never looked so beautiful!

This has always been one of my favorite places - the 6.7 acre "diamond in the rough" that TLC actually purchased in late 2003. I say "actually" because I am still amazed that we took that leap, especially at that time. McHenry County land is expensive, and in 2003, our finances were still a bit iffy. Yet, when it came right down to it, we knew that if we didn't buy the property, it would be lost - either through development or neglect.

After the fire, seeing all the blackened sedge tussocks (mounds of clumping grass) extending across the property, I knew that we had done a very good thing. TLC took a chance on a small site - a site that is on MCCD's natural areas inventory, but is too small and isolated to make it onto their acquisition list. Yes, a small site that the experts consider a high quality natural area worth protecting, yet because of its location and size, it would have been lost - if not for TLC.

The most common misunderstanding about TLC is that we are part of MCCD. Folks don't understand how we are different. Where do I begin?!

(1) We do not get tax money to pay our staff or to buy land. We raise our budget from private sources that include members and charitable foudations.

(2) Imagine a future where every child will be able to walk to a natural area - that is our vision for the county. You won't have to get in a car and make a special trip to experience nature - it will be part of your community - part of where & how you live, regardless of your income.

(3) We focus on preserving those resources that would otherwise fall through the cracks - those places like Crowley Sedge Meadow that all the experts say are worth preserving, but that no one else has the time or the will to save.

(4) We work primarily with private landowners to help them leave a legacy of natural lands for future generations. The vast majority of land in the county is, and always will be in private hands. TLC helps individual landowners make permanent commitments to keeping the land they love undeveloped.

I think that TLC fills a unique niche in McHenry County, and we accomplish things for land protection that - in all likelihood - would not be accomplished if we were not here. There are plenty of 6.7 acre parcels across the county that have homes on them - and you can bet that there will be plenty more in the years to come, but how many thriving sedge meadows are there? I'm thrilled to know that because of TLC - and our awesome cadre of volunteers, this little sedge meadow will be here forever!

Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority vote

I just received a packet in the mail from the Alliance for Land Agriculture & Water, the group that has spearheaded the creation of the water authority.

To be clear, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County has not taken an official position on the water authority - there are several positions represented on our board of directors.

Personally, I lean towards supporting the authority, and did in fact make a small donation to help them buy signs, but I live in the municipality of Harvard, which is excluded from the boundaries, so I cannot vote on the issue.

Back to the packet of information I just received. Included in the materials about the authority was an article by David Brandt, the NRCS Resource Conservationist for McHenry County. Dave wrote a very nice article supporting the authority - not in his official (guv'mint) capacity, but as a 25+ year resident of McHenry County.

I'd like to quote a few facts from Dave's article, just to give anyone who is undecided something to think about:

"...every bit of water we use in McHenry County comes from the ground."

"McHenry County's population will almost double by 2030 to about 500,000 people."

"Some municipalities have projected growth of up to 1280% of [their] 2000 [population]. Yes, that's correct, 1280%!"

"In 2000, the folks in Algonquin Township were using groundwater at a rate faster than the aquifer can supply it."

"I have heard that the protesters of the Water Authority say conservation is a good idea but the water authority is a bad one. Come on, who's conserving water? ... Developers and Mayors say [the water authority] is going to stop growth and that nobody can tell them what to do in their town or 1 1/2 miles out of it.... Maybe that is the problem. They have 100% of the power and nobody better get in their way. Currently, I cannot think of a single municipality with an ordinance addressing groundwater use or protection. Who's looking out for my drinking water supply? Nobody. Who's looking out for the rural folks' drinking water supply? Nobody. Who's looking out for the urban water users' water supply? Nobody. Who's looking out for the farmer who has a new subdivision sucking up groundwater right next to their well? Nobody."

Connect the dots. The water authority will have one job: to protect the water resources in the authority from overuse. The taxes will be minimal (for a $250,000 home, about $15 a year). As one friend of mine said "It's cheap insurance. If our water is overused, all our property values will fall, and we sure aren't gonna get Lake Michigan water."

For more information, call 1-866-649-9049 or email a-law@onebox.com .