Volunteers Needed!!!

All work days are on Saturday from 9:00 AM till Noon. Please dress for the weather and outdoor work. We will meet at Walnut Glen Park (Walnut St. And Longfellow St., Glen Ellyn). We will be removing non-native plants, seeding, planting and doing erosion control on a remnant woodland. This site has never been developed or farmed, and flora grows as it was before settlers came to this area. The site is a glacial kame, with many unique species. You will be able to hike the trails with us and learn about the flora that grows here.

For dates of work days and more information contact:
Bruce Blake- River Prairie Group - Prairie Restoration Chair
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Volunteer
Steward/Glacial Ridge FP
Rllnstns1@aol.com
630-629-2520

The Illinois Prairie Path Native Plant Restoration Project

The IPP Native Plant Restoration Project is a conservation project that is being coordinated by the Sierra Club's River Prairie Group and the Illinois Prairie Path. The IPP is a multi-use trail that starts in Maywood, splits off in Villa Park to form the Great Western Trail and continues west through many different towns. The IPP is on land that once was a railroad right of way. It was the first rails to trails conservation project in the country. It is maintained by different municipalities and groups.

Don Kirchenberg, President of the Illinois Prairie Path, has suggested that we get together with him and others in the IPP to look at doing a project on a site called "The Special 8." The "Special 8" is an 8 acre site by Glen Ellyn, between the Prairie Path and the Chicago and Great Western tracks. It is unique because it is an area that is called a kame. Kames are isolated glacial features that comprise mounds of water sorted gravel and sand left by melting ice along the front margins of glacial moraines. It has been left untouched by development because it lies between the two rail lines. Anyone who would like to be involved with conserving this area contact Bruce Blake. We would like to start by planting native plants. There are very few species of native plants that are left in this part of the state because of development and farming. There are many forbs and grasses we could plant. This project would show what was growing on the prairies before our time.It would involve landscaping and planting. We would like to form a committee to decide what to plant   and to organize volunteers.