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Greetings volunteers! This month we will meet a week early to avoid Memorial Day weekend. We'll resume cutting & stacking brush east of the oak knoll, and also pull any remaining garlic mustard encountered. Please join us this Sunday, May 19, from 9-11AM.Garlic Mustard
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/indiana/stories-in-indiana/garlic-mustard/
THE GROUP
We meet once a month at Sterne's outdoor pavilion, 5617 Hillside Dr. from 9-11AM. Volunteers have a chance to learn about restoration ecology and what makes Sterne’s Fen special. Please bring a water bottle and a pair of work gloves. The park district will supply loppers and bow saws. Invasives like honeysuckle and buckthorn are crowding out the native fen species. The brush also prevents the use of controlled burns on the fen. Email Brice Alt, volunteer site steward, to receive a monthly workday reminder: [email protected]. Our next two Sunday work dates are: June 23 and July 28.
THE PARK
Sterne’s Woods & Fen became an Illinois State Nature Preserve in 1994 to preserve and protect its unique ecology. A fen is a rare type of wetland in which cold groundwater that is high in calcium and magnesium seeps to the surface. The unique water chemistry supports plants that grow nowhere else. Sterne’s Fen is home to at least 10 rare or endangered plant species. The surrounding parkland acts as a buffer to the fen and includes prairie, oak savanna, and flatwood ecosystems. Every one of those ecosystems can benefit from the efforts of volunteers. Join us once a month and learn about them!
THANK YOU
Many thanks to the local groups who have volunteered with us at Sterne's: the MUDD trail running club, the Silver and Sleepy Hollow Creeks Watershed Coalition, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, the BREAK, the Cary-Grove National Honor Society, Jacobs High School Interact, Harvard High School, Crystal Lake South Elementary, Algonquin Library Teens, Girl Scout Troop 888, Cub Scout Pack 156, Boy Scout Troops 158 and 368, and area geocachers. We can accommodate community groups! Just give us a heads-up of how many volunteers to expect.
NEWS
A video about Sterne's Fen:
Park district updates: https://www.crystallakeparks.org/project-updates#SternesFen
Who was Ted Sterne? The Crystal Lake Historical Society article: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h61unofnnnx06kg/Ted%20Sterne%20.pdf?dl=0
ECOLOGIC RESTORATION
By volunteering at a Sterne's workday you're helping with the ecologic restoration of an exceedingly rare type of habitat.
To learn more about restoration ecology, here's a quick video:
Sterne's Fen has a management plan: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ekp2nfniddn1d6/1989%20management%20plan.pdf?dl=0
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Sterne's Fen Nature Preserve, 5311 E Hillside Rd, Crystal Lake, IL 60012, United States,Prairie Grove, Illinois