FFoouunnddaattionion NeNewwss From the McHenry County Conservation Foundation Executive Director—We are Thankful for You As we rapidly approach the end of 2024 and wind down on our twenty 昀椀fth anniversary celebrations, we are all excited and eager to welcome the possibilities that lay before us in 2025. But, before we do that, we want to take a minute to look back on what your donations made possible for the Conservation District and its partner organizations this year. In 2024, donors were the reason we were able to: • Partner with Openlands, The Conservation Fund, the Illinois Audubon Society and several others to purchase 985 acres in Richmond, Illinois, which now links Glacial Park and North Branch Conservation Areas and creates the largest contiguous natural land area in Northern Illinois, and the third largest in the Chicago metro region. • Fund the Conservation District’s very 昀椀rst Artist in Residence. • Complete a 昀椀ve-year restoration project at Elizabeth Lake Natural Area focused on invasive species removal, which included in- house buckthorn removal and hiring a contractor with the appropriate equipment to apply herbicide to purple loosestrife and phragmites, two extremely invasive species that threaten the health of the site’s critical wetland. • Purchase a portable 昀椀re昀椀ghting unit, which is being used by the Conservation District’s prescribed 昀椀re team to support the restoration of conservation areas countywide. • Sow more than 585 pounds of native seeds and transform 25 acres at Glacial Park from working land back into native prairie. • Protect 40 acres of land in Hartland Township that links with Brookdale Conservation Area and neighboring conservation easements to create over 1,875 acres of natural landscape. • Plant more than 1,522 trees at sites across the county with Big Woods donations and volunteer help. • In partnership with Youth and Family Center, host multiple free camping trips focused on connecting families, particularly those with little to no camping experience, with nature. And all of this was accomplished thanks to supporters like you: people who are passionate about conservation, public lands and the future we leave for the next generation. Of the 635 annual gifts we received in the last year, over 81% of those donations were for $100 or less. This is a testament to how, when we all work together, we are able to make a huge impact on the spaces we care about and the world around us. Whether you give on Giving Tuesday, make a last-minute contribution on December 31 or give monthly, please know that you are the reason we are able to protect our prairies, revitalize our rivers, restore our woodlands, 昀椀ght climate change and so much more. We look forward to what you make possible in 2025! Sincerely, Shawna Flavell Executive Director, McHenry County Conservation Foundation Tamarack Farms in Richmond, Illinois for Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge / The Conservation Fund BECOME A CONSERVATION CHAMPION MAKE A GIFT Every dollar donated to the McHenry Online at mchenryconservation.org/Donate County Conservation Foundation supports By Check Issued and Mailed to: the vital work of the McHenry County McHenry County Conservation Foundation Conservation District and its partners Lost Valley Visitor Center while also enhancing our community. 7210 Keystone Road, Richmond, IL 60071 LEARN MORE: McHenryConservation.org Landscapes | Winter 2024-25 7