Restoring Our Land, Restoring Ourselves
Cardinals, juncos, sparrows, and goldfinches flutter about the prairie, gathering seed as a red-tailed hawk swoops from his circle in the sky to harvest a meadow vole in the grasses.
Frigid January air does not beckon the passive visitor to spend time outdoors, but for Citizens for Conservation (CFC) volunteers, January is a quintessential month to work outdoors and create healthier landscapes in and around Barrington.
At winter work days volunteers boldly blaze through deep snow to areas where they work to remove invasive vegetation, haul it to burn piles, and sow seed in the voids to restore local natural areas to their former grandeur. In area elementary schools, Nature Ladies teach children about local wildlife, and in the community, education volunteers lead programs to enrich the lives of people from all walks of life. People connect with each other and their environment as Citizens for Conservation contributes to a healthier Barrington community. Here are some of the ongoing CFC projects, and thoughts from the volunteers who bring them to life.
At the hospital
“There’s such healing in nature at every level, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional,” says Julie Zuidema, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital’s Manager of Volunteer Services and Community Relations. “You feel like you’re connected to the ages with seed collection and distribution,” she explains. “It helps you clear your mind and really be in the moment.”
Realizing the importance of this connection to nature, the Advocate Good Shepherd’s landscape staff and green committee are partnering with CFC to develop a prairie behind the hospital that will be beautiful, low maintenance, and healthier for the environment than conventional grass turf.
“Any time you can get out and connect back to the earth you’re going to have a better outlook – a better sense of yourself in relation to the world,” says Zuidema. Local pediatrician Dr. Everett Weiss agrees. “Nature, with its vastness, has a calming effect on children and adults alike,” states Dr. Weiss. “Negative energy dissipates as easily as leaves blowing in the wind. Stress, which has been demonstrated to have ill effects on health, is greatly diminished when people spend time in natural open spaces; stress is diminished merely by having a window in one’s office space looking out upon natural open spaces. These positive forces contribute to the health of a community and the individuals who inhabit it.”
“I think one of the coolest things is bringing the young people into nature with Nature Ladies and 4th-graders in the prairie,” says 9-year CFC volunteer Zuidema. “Any time you can touch those kids, you’re touching the future.”
CFC staff director Sam Oliver agrees. “It’s really not just about acres saved, it has to go deeper – into our psyche – [like] when we took all of the 4th-graders out and one of the little girls said, ‘I think I want to do this’ or ‘how can I do this when I grow up?’”
For Tom Vanderpoel, his connection with the land began with his mom, dad, and four brothers. Wade, a chief investment officer for First Bank of Chicago, retired when he was 55 and “put all of his energies into CFC,” serving as the organization’s president three times and as a board member for 23 years. He worked with “a lot of partners and like-minded individuals [to] save 2,200 acres of forest preserve lands and about 300 acres of CFC land,” explains Tom Vanderpoel.
“We got our love for conservation very early in our lives,” continues Vanderpoel. “Many of my nieces and nephews are very interested in conservation. Every one of them has come to work days. A couple of them have received 10-year Shooting Star awards. Hopefully, all of them will receive the 20-year award named after my dad. Our hopes are as they become adults, their interest in conservation will grow more and that they will continue to pass this down.”
Dr. Weiss believes there are many factors that contribute to the health of a community, “but it is also a community’s attitude toward these [natural] spaces that allow for healthier lifestyles,” he notes.
“CFC teaches that we have a connection to the land within our community and instills a sense of responsibility in our children and our children’s children with regard to the importance of the continued restoration and preservation of such spaces,” says Dr. Weiss. “With each passing generation, the lives in the community continue to improve.”
A regional view
“The more we can protect open spaces the better off we will be as a region,” states Barrington Area Council of Government’s (BACOG) executive director Janet Agnoletti, indicating also that 99 percent of our water – private and municipal in the Barrington area – comes from a shallow aquifer system.
“The majority of Barrington Hills is in critical recharge areas,” adds Agnoletti. “We either allow [water] to flow away and be lost to the area, or encourage water to get back into the aquifers.”
Native landscapes impact water, soil, and air quality. “Prairies and aquatic plants absorb nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia, and produce oxygen,” explains Vanderpoel. Extensive root systems absorb more water than lawns, pavement, or farm fields reducing floods and erosion.
Mapping water quality in the region to monitor any changes in the quality of groundwater, BACOG is working to get everyone with wells to participate in annual water quality testing. Comparing chloride levels prior to 1965 with those of today, Janet Angoletti attributes the increase of this pollutant in groundwater to the increased use of road salt in winter. “Plants don’t absorb sodium or chloride,” notes Tom Vanderpoel,
Since 2008, CFC’s summer interns have been monitoring nitrate, phosphate, ammonium, and oxygen levels at six test sites along Flint Creek. “From start to finish our native swale system is absorbing nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia, and keeping water oxygenated,” says Vanderpoel. “We are definitely doing something for the health of people.”
Taking a breath of fresh air, one may still encounter pollen, but many native plants once thought to provoke allergies (such as goldenrod) are pollinated by insects rather than the wind. For those concerned about the hydrocarbons associated with global warming, Vanderpoel explains, “Natural areas lock up hydrocarbons in their leaves and roots much better than farm fields or a suburban lawns.” Vanderpoel compares restoration combined with preservation to turning the clock back and moving away from the edge of the cliff to reverse damage and make things better.
Improving the quality of life
For CFC volunteers, restoration work does more than improve the land, it improves their lives.
“There’s no question that our work days are giving people exercise,” says Vanderpoel. “You’re chopping trees down then dragging them through snow. You’re exercising your heart [and] keeping weight off.” While the number of calories burned varies with the work day, volunteering to help with natural areas restoration activities can serve as a valuable source of cross-training.
“The more time people spend outdoors, the less time they are sedentary in front of the computer or television, both of which are greatly correlated with high body mass index and obesity,” says Dr. Weiss.
“When people are happy doing something that is worthwhile, they feel good.” says Vanderpoel. Dr. Weiss agrees. “Volunteer work for an organization like CFC whose mission and efforts are to preserve the natural landscape in the community is hugely important to bettering peoples’ lives in the community.”
“For reasons beyond restoring beauty and value to a community, natural spaces give the community a place to escape, a place to explore, a place to calm, a place for our children to play, and one for families to grow and develop,” adds Dr. Weiss.
Sam Oliver agrees. “Our interests [at CFC] are healthy ecosystems, stewardship (the relationship between land and people), community building, and being of service (able to provide information and education to people). I think natural areas help us have a healthier community.”
Citizens for Conservation Activities
Since 1971, more than 3000 acres of land have been protected by CFC in the Barrington area (including CFC’s 374 acres) with the help of community partners, forest preserve and village officials.
Winter work days are held every Saturday from 9 – 11 a.m. and begin at CFC headquarters, a white farmhouse with a silo across from Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, at 459 West Highway 22 in Lake Barrington. Volunteers bring their own work gloves and dress for the weather. CFC provides
the tools.
Upcoming Programs:
CFC hosts community education programs each month at the Barrington Area Library at 9:30 a.m. Admission is $10 for non-CFC members and free for members.
Saturday, Jan. 21
Topic: Outdoor Lighting
Drew Carhart explores the effects of artificial lighting on the environment.
Saturday Feb. 25
Topic: A Tale of Two Wetland Creatures: Contrasting Conservation Issues Facing Turtles and Frogs
Michael Redmer imparts understanding and ideas for protecting wetland species.
Leave No Child Inside Programs
As part of the Leave No Child Inside initiative, CFC offers youth and family programs. Advanced registration is required. Admission is charged.
Saturday, Jan. 21, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Raptors in the Sky and Flight Program
Dawn Keller presents an outdoor raptor program at Flint Creek Savanna.
Saturday, Feb. 18, 1 - 3 p.m.
Great Backyard Bird Count
CFC volunteers and the naturalists at Crabtree Nature Center will teach participants how to identify and count observed bird species.
For more information, call CFC at 847-382-SAVE (7283) or visit www.citizensforconservation.org
April Anderson is a naturalist and writer working to promote healthy, sustainable living through positive relationships with humanity and the natural world. She may be reached at teamnature@owc.net.