Getting Ready for Spring!

There is so much going on this year at TLC -- or there are so many cool projects in the works, especially for Spring! Here is a run down on the next few months:

- March 29th, prescribed/ecological burn training at TLC offices with burn at Westwood Park

- April 5th, ecological burn training at Prime Industrial Park, McHenry, coordinated by TLC for the business park's business owners (like Medela, Follett, and others) who are interested in using ecological burning to manage the nice wetland that is in the middle of the park

- April 5th, Garden Fest at MCC - TLC will have a booth there, giving local residents a chance to order their 60 gallon rainbarrels at a wholesale price of $79!

- April 19th, TLC sponsored Ephemeral Ponds program in Alden Township with Fish & Wildlife Service's Mike Redmer

- April 23rd, Deadline for Rainbarrel orders

- May 9 & 10, pick up Rainbarrels at the TLC office

- May 10th, TLC-sponsored Seeps, Springs & Streams program in Alden Township with Sierra Club's Cindy Skrukrud

- May - date to be determined - Project Quercus training for oak woodland monitors!

Check out the TLC website: http://www.conservemc.org/ for more information!

We love Chad!

Chad Pregrake, President & Founder of Living Lands & Waters is our new hero!

As personable as he is enthusiastic, this young man and his "take no prisoners" style of hands-on conservation charmed about 200 people at TLC's Annual Meeting Sunday January 27th.

Technical glitches with the audio visual equipment didn't phase him, and in some ways, probably made the program that much more charming!

Chad shared his story of how he started Living Lands & Waters, a non-profit organization that has been working for 10 years to clean up the Mississippi River and other major rivers in the United States.

As a teenager, Chad helped his brother, a commercial fisherman, with claming, spending hours in the dark, on the bottom of the Mississippi River blindly searching for clams. In the process, he learned how filthy the river was - decades-old piles of tires, barrels, cars, broken boats, refrigerators - you name it, he saw it.

As Chad researched how to tackle the problem, he found out that no one was working on it, and all the government agencies said there was no money to do anything about it.

So he decided to go the NASCAR route and seek corporate sponsors. As Chad quipped "I can wear patches!" (like the NASCAR drivers do). He picked up the phone and called Alcoa - one of the largest corporations in his hometown of East Moline (the Quad Cities of Illinois & Iowa). And he kept calling, and calling, and calling, until one day he got the President on the phone who agreed to give him 10 minutes.

Well, 10 years, and 24 million pounds of garbage later, Chad has had a huge impact! A houseboat and fleet of barges comprise the "World Headquarters" of Living Lands & Waters - a mobile operation that inspires hundreds of young people to volunteer as crew members to do the hard, filthy, and often dangerous work of cleaning up our nation's rivers!

The core message that Chad brought to our audience is that everyone can make a difference - you just have to make up your mind that that is what you want to do, and then go for it!

1415

1415

Not the year, but the number: 1,415

is the number of acres that TLC - working with private landowners, communities & developers - has permanently preserved since 1991 through conservation easements, land donations and land acquisition.

732 of those acres were preserved in 2007! (If you're doing the math, that means 682 acres were preserved prior to 2007).

We completed 11 projects in 2007, and nine of those were in the last two weeks of the year!

No wonder we're tired!

Mouse Control Update

NOTE: if you are at all squeamish, do not read this article!

We arrived in the office this morning to a dead, headless mouse! Last fall, we adopted two kittens to help with controlling the mouse population (the mice have made themselves known by little droppings on our desks, in our coffee cups, and the occasional gnawed piece of chocolate).

There's our Trixie with the lifeless body. I'd be happier if it weren't so grizzly. (I've been told that this is how nature works - predators and prey...)

But, what about the head? Did they eat it? Eeew!

Also, who was the killer? Lil' Ed or Trixie? They're about the same age, and the same size. But neither seemed to show much interest in the dead little mouse.

An hour or so later, I noticed Lil' Ed playing with something near a rug in my office... You guessed it, the head!

Ick.

At least we know Lil' Ed & Trixie are earning their kibble.

We've been preserving land like crazy!

2007 has been a hugely successful year for TLC's land conservation efforts!

At the December 17th board meeting, we officially hit - and passed - the 1,000 acre mark with the signing of five conservation easements totalling 383 acres! That took us to about 1150 acres)

And as of December 27th, we passed the 1,300 acre mark when an additional three easements (211 acres) and one land donation (44.6 acres) were signed by the board.

To put that into perspective, consider this:

A Section of Land is 640 acres - 1 square mile. TLC has now preserved more than two square miles of land in McHenry County. But, the impact of the land conservation projects TLC is completing will have more of an impact for more people in the county than a 2-square-mile block of protected land.

Two of our 2007 easements are to preserve farmland - a 158 acre parcel on the west side of Woodstock, and a 150 acre parcel on the northeast side of the City! For all future residents who drive the roads that pass these properties, they will be able to enjoy a scenic view of farmland, and will know that the land will not be developed - ever!

Seed Sharing Day

About two dozen people came out to Alden Township October 27th for the third annual "Seed Sharing Day" where local landowners open up their restored properties to other landowners from across the county to gather seeds of native plants for their own restorations.

TLC's Linda Balek worked with the WPPC's Carol Rice & Jim Keenen - and the five local landowners who opened their properties- to coordinate the event this year.

One feature of the event (shown above) is the collection of native seeds that local landowners gather prior to the event and make available to participants. This allows people to obtain seed for species that may have set their seed earlier in the year (like spring or early summer flowering plants).

This year, WPPC member and Nature Preserve owner, Jeanine Dammann brought along about two dozen small Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) seedlings that she claims grow like weeds by her house. People with savannas were encouraged to take the dogwoods for planting at their own properties. This is a beautiful, small native tree that grows in the understory of oak woodlands and savannas. The tree has clusters of small, white flowers in late spring, clusters of small, dark, blue-black fruit in summer, and reddish-purple fall color. Horizontal branches give the tree a unique layered appearance.

TLC's first FUNdraiser a success

Thank you to WGN radio's Kathy O'Malley and Judy Markey for hosting TLC's first FUNdraiser on Sunday, October 21st.

About 115 people attended the event at Boulder Ridge Country Club in Lake in the Hills, and got to visit with the "Girlfriends" before, during and after a live auction that Kathy & Judy conducted for TLC.

Items ranging from an antique quilt to Oprah tickets caught the attendees' attention, and led to some fierce bidding competition!! By the end of the event, about $10,000 was raised through auction items and raffle ticket sales. The funds will make a big difference in TLC's ability to continue our record-setting land conservation work into 2008 and beyond!

Special thanks needs to go to board member Lorna Gladstone for bringing the "Girlfriends" to McHenry County, and for arranging for all of the amazing silent and live auction items. Another big thank you goes to Cheryl Perrone and Jody Powers for making everything run so well - they had things well organized before we even arrived to set up.

And a huge THANKS to Kathy & Judy!! They definitely put the "FUN" into fundraising!