Preserving natural habitats for rare plants and animals in 54,000 acres in Cook County forest preserves is no simple task--especially when there isn't funding to staff all the work that should be done.
Invasive plants, for instance, must be replaced with native seeds. The populations of rare plants and animals must be monitored. Educational programs must be scheduled. And then there's organizing all the hard work.
"If it weren't for such a huge mass of volunteers, things just couldn't get done," said Sandi Stein, spokesman for The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that funds and trains a huge network of volunteers called the Volunteer Stewardship Network, or VSN, for such projects. "We really rely on them," Stein said.
The Nature Conservancy organized the volunteer network in 1983 to help preserve natural habitats for rare plants and animals on both private and public land. There are now more than 6,800 VSN volunteers in Illinois.
The Nature Conservancy recently honored about 20 Chicago-area volunteers for their efforts, primarily in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County doing restoration work.
Four of this year's recipients of the Outstanding Volunteer Achievement Awards are from the northwest suburbs.
Ken Schaeffer, 43, of Des Plaines, was honored for establishing prairie gardens at the Maine Township office in Park Ridge, the Emily Oaks Nature Center in Skokie and Oakton Community College in Des Plaines.
He and other volunteers transplant native prairie plants from areas slated for development to these gardens. Then they collect the seeds from the transplants, as well as from others found in remote places along railroad tracks and high-tension wires, so they can be sown in protected areas. He also spearheaded the restoration of an oak savanna along Central Road in Des Plaines, which was dedicated to Oakton Community College for its 25th anniversary.
"Everything that's worked on, in theory, is protected, so you know it's not going to be destroyed. It gets you out there working with nature," said Schaeffer.
The other three area award recipients donate most of their time to the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, located on Illinois Highway 59 just north of Golf Road. They are all involved in a wide variety of restoration projects, including seed collecting, brush clearing and the removal of non-native brush.
Ellen Sweeney, 34, of Elgin, serves as youth stewardship coordinator at Poplar Creek. Among her responsibilities is organizing field trips so local school groups can participate in restoration activities at the forest preserve. She also coordinates an annual walkathon at the Crabtree Nature Center and arranges tours of the forest preserve.
Jill Flexman, 42, of Elgin, helps recruit new volunteers and matches them with jobs where their skills are most needed, including restoration work and the mailing of newsletters to fellow volunteers. She was a key organizer for the Prairie Festival at Poplar Creek and is active in daily restoration projects.
"It's very rewarding," said Flexman. "I can definitely see a difference where we removed weeds and planted seeds. Now we have over 100 species of native plants growing in our prairie."
David Webb, 36, of Schaumburg, is involved in a coyote-monitoring project at Poplar Creek to help experts determine what the animals are eating and the range of their territories. He also takes the public on evening walks in the hopes of hearing coyote howls, and he monitors the reptile and amphibian populations at the forest preserve.
"I've always appreciated the outdoors, and getting involved with this is a good opportunity to learn about the flora and fauna that's out there," said Webb. "I feel (the award) is a big honor. It's in recognition of the years of service and being able to volunteer and being part of a team."