Sixteen-thousand acres, 178 people, five different tasks and one goal: conservation and preservation

Through seed harvesting, plant and wildlife monitoring, participating in restoration workdays and serving as site stewards, the Natural Areas Volunteers for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County work together to accomplish the one goal of conservation and preservation.

Weekly, from mid-October until mid-November, the seed harvest volunteers, known as our "Seed Team," gather to collect native plant seeds. The purpose behind seed harvesting is to help establish native landscapes in our newer preserves or to help improve the quality and diversity in various lower-quality sites. At the end of our seed collecting season, the Seed Team gathers for a seed mixing and processing day, where we make different seed mixes for the various habitats we’ll be planting in and then enjoy a potluck lunch. During the winter, volunteers complete the process and help us sow the seed mixes they made in November. Last year, volunteers collected about 650 pounds of seed, including about 100 different species.

The District’s plant and wildlife monitoring volunteers work in collaboration with the Chicago Wilderness’ Habitat Project and the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Plants of Concern programs. Volunteers monitoring rare plants and wildlife, such as frogs, birds, butterflies and dragonflies, collect data and analyze this data to detect population trends over time. These trends help the land managers identify any problems with the land management, and, if a problem exists, the volunteers help with providing solutions to the problem. The District currently has 40 plant and wildlife monitors on Kane County Forest Preserve sites and is always looking for more.

For beginning volunteers interested in conservation, our monthly restoration workdays are the perfect opportunity to get involved. At 13 different forest preserves throughout Kane County, volunteer stewards hold monthly, sometimes weekly, restoration workdays. During workdays, volunteers help remove invasive plants, collect or sow native seed and/or clean up the site. Last year, the District had 115 workdays!

Volunteer stewards take a preserve "under their wing" and help carry out the District’s annual management plan. As mentioned above, they carry out monthly, sometimes weekly, restoration workdays and coordinate the volunteer work that goes on at these workdays. Stewards must have knowledge of native Kane County species, local land management practices, obtain an herbicide license and be at least 21 years old. A few sites where stewards have been very active include Dick Young Forest Preserve in Batavia, Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin and Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock.