$25,000 Enbridge Fueling Futures Grant Awarded to Support Conservation District’s Prescription Burn Program On behalf of the Conservation District, the Conservation Foundation was awarded a $25,000 grant from Enbridge’s Fueling Futures program. Funds will be used to purchase a 200 gallon portable 昀椀re昀椀ghting unit, an essential tool for land managers who use prescribed 昀椀re. The District’s previous portable unit was nearly 20 years old and reaching the end of its useful life. Regular implementation of prescribed burns by trained professionals in both prairie and BECOME A woodland habitats helps control invasive plants from competing with native species. CONSERVATION CHAMPION Prescribed burning helps recycle nutrients into the soil, promotes the growth of native species, and allows for the creation of a mosaic of habitat for a variety of plants and animals Every dollar donated to the McHenry including numerous threatened and endangered species. By conducting controlled burns County Conservation Foundation supports great strides have been made in restoring our conservation areas to a healthier and more the vital work of the McHenry County sustainable condition. The District typically conducts an average of 29 prescribed burns Conservation District and its partners, while on roughly 1,770 acres of land each year. also enhancing the health and vibrancy of our community and its residents. Make a Gift: Online: McHenryConservation.org/Donate By Check: Payable & Addressed to — McHenry County Conservation Foundation Lost Valley Visitor Center 7210 Keystone Road Richmond, IL 60071 Learn More at McHenryConservation.org McHenry County Conservation Foundation Awarded Nicor Gas Oak Ecosystem Conservation Grant Big Woods Donate a Tree! The Conservation Foundation was awarded a $9,997 Nicor Gas Oak Ecosystem Conservation Community Projects grant to assist with woodland reforestation e昀昀orts at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area. The funds were applied to the Conservation District’s Donate a native tree or shrub in celebration, Big Woods planting program, where nearly 600 native trees and shrubs were planted on in memory, or in love of the woodlands. 10+ acres at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area as part of two OAKtober planting parties. Tree and shrub plantings will restore During the 昀椀rst planting party, District sta昀昀 and volunteers reforested the heart of historically wooded sites and reconnect Marengo Ridge by planting 350 oak trees and shrubs on 5.8 acres. This tree planting existing stands to create contiguous oak completed a 27-acre restoration area within the 818 acre woodland site. The second savannas and woodlands. volunteer planting involved the planting and caging of 240 trees on 4.5 acres, and With your help, the Conservation District included a guided, educational hike where attendees learned about woodland will purchase native trees and shrubs and management and invasive species management best practices. plant them each fall on District sites that When mature, these plantings will connect a fragmented woodland and create functional were historically wooded. Through this habitat for numerous species, including four of the Illinois Department of Natural program, we plan to restore and recreate Resources’ 昀椀ve focal species of concern: the Acadian Flycatcher, the Eastern Whip-poor- will, the Northern Flicker, and the Redheaded Woodpecker. Additional species that will the “big woods” of McHenry County. be positively impacted by these plantings include Blue winged warbler, wood thrush, MCCD.me/BigWoodsTreeDonation American woodcock, Brown Creeper, Brown thrasher and Eastern Towhee, all species of concern, and the state threatened Black Billed Cuckoo. We are grateful for your support of our The “Big Woods” once covered over a third of McHenry County, and these programs treasured oak savannas and woodlands. support McHenry County Conservation District’s e昀昀ort to reestablish and reconnect hundreds of acres of woodland across the County. Since 2016, more than 4,155 native trees and shrubs have been planted on over 50 acres, supporting the long term goal of improving the health of our county’s oak ecosystems by 昀椀lling in the fragmented landscape with contiguous woodland communities. MCCD.me/BigWoodsTreeDonation 4 Landscapes | Winter 2023-24