We Want You... to Serve as a McHenry County Conservation District Jen Eiseman Board of Trustee! Spend some time with us protecting our county's water, wildlife and way of life— McHenry County Conservation District is seeking Quincy Egert Ashley Laugal Brad Wackerlin two new Board Trustees to serve a 5-year term beginning July 2024. The Board of Trustees, CONGRATULATIONS! comprised of seven (7) members, represent the FIND YOUR WILD 2023 SUMMER CHALLENGE interests of ALL citizens in the County (people, 昀氀ora and fauna) in a non-partisan role. WINS IPRA STATE-WIDE OUTSTANDING PROGRAM AWARD Board members develop long-range plans, establish The Illinois Park & Recreation Association announced Find Your Wild Summer policy and chart a strategic course and direction Challenge as the state winner of the Outstanding Program Award for 2023. for the preservation of, education about and The District was recognized at the IPRA’s Annual Conference held in January. recreational use of the county’s natural and cultural The county-wide scavenger hunt encouraged game participants to resources. complete "missions" by exploring conservation areas, doing an outdoor Quali昀椀cations: Resident of McHenry County; activity or attending a special event, answering trivia questions, and taking Quali昀椀ed voter, and cannot hold any other political and submitting many pictures along the way, while earning points. o昀케ce and are not o昀케cers of any political party; The challenge amassed over 1,100 individual and family participants who Demonstrated interest in purposes of the District checked in at conservation areas over 5,400 times and submitted over 5,200 (preservation, education and recreation). photos. The campaign successfully reached new and existing audiences Interested candidates should submit completed applications while getting participants outdoors and educating them about the work of McHenry County Conservation District. to the County Board o昀케ce by 3 p.m., Wednesday, April 24. The success of the program is attributed McHenry County Government Center to that fact that it was a free, on-your-own 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098 time activity, close to home, that appealed to all ages and abilities. The challenge Interviews are conducted by the county’s Planning, also included incentives and prizes that Environmental and Development Committee, with encouraged participants to try new activities, a recommendation to the County Board Chairman. visit new sites and hike new trails. In late May, the District will launch the 2024 edition of Find Your Wild with new sticker Visit mchenrycountyil.gov/departments/county-board/county- designs and new missions to complete. We invite everyone to join in the fun! board-committees-and-appointments For more information visit >> MCCD.me/FindYourWild In Every Issue WE ARE HIRING! INSIDE 8 | Volunteer Opportunities Join Our Team this Summer — Features If you love the outdoors, enjoy interacting 10 | Seasonal Sightings with the public and desire camaraderie that 2 | F oundation News Nesting Birds comes with working with a diversi昀椀ed team of 4 | Back Into the Wild professionals, then you belong with McHenry 吀栀e Remarkable Recovery of Programs County Conservation District! We are leaders in Wildlife Species in Our Region 14 | S ummer Camps 2024 environmental stewardship and collectively, sta昀昀 / Endangered & 吀栀reatened 18 | Special Interest / Outdoor holds an impressive wealth of knowledge all within Recreation one agency. Species: On the Brink Our team members are passionate about our 12 | Spring Into Spring! 20| Nature Exploration / Outside mission and share the vision of safeguarding and Wild昀氀ower Viewing / Prairie Adventures appreciating our natural resources. Trail Clean-Up / Hikes With 22 | Se lf-Guided Opportunities Open Positions: Mike 23 | C alendars • Marketing and Promotions Intern 24 | Campgrounds 13 | Earth Day 2024 25 | District Sites Map • Outdoor Education Program Leader 16 | Special Events Editor: Wendy Kummerer • Park Maintenance Seasonal Worker Layout & Design: Sarah Lorenz • Restoration Ecology Field Crew Stargazing / Living History Front cover: White Trillium by Linda Gurgone • Wildlife Resource Center Seasonal Open Houses / Craft Brew Back cover: Shooting Star by Caitlynn Martinez-McWhorter Crawl / Sites Seldom Seen Photographic Contributors: Weg Thomas, sta昀昀 and others as indicated.MCCD.ME/EMPLOYMENT Landscapes | Spring 2024