With more than 21,100 acres of land and more than 133 miles of trails, the Forest Preserve District of Will County relies on an important resource to offer programs to the public and to keep everything in tiptop shape: volunteers.
“The Forest Preserve District has more volunteers than paid staff, so they are a major support for the district to be able to have all these open spaces and to educate about these open spaces,” said Emily Kenny, volunteer services supervisor for the district. “We could not do it without volunteers.”
All told, the district has about 200 advanced, long-term volunteers and 900 others, which includes corporate groups who volunteer at least once a year.
District volunteers participate in a variety of programs, such as night hikes, litter cleanup, fall-themed events, trail sentinels and animal care at nature centers. Even costumed district mascot Willy Woodchuck, who walks around with kids and poses for photo opps, is a volunteer.
A big component of volunteer work this fall, however, is seed collection and brush control, which are crucial to keeping the forest preserves healthy.
Seed collection is necessary because “most seeds don’t travel great distances. If we are trying to increase any of the biodiversity at any of our preserves, if we collect seeds at one preserve and have another preserve that has a very similar habitat or ecotype, we can spread the seeds from one to another at a different time,” Kenny said.
Volunteers collect seeds in the morning after moisture has burned off. “We never collect more than 50% of any seed of any species or plant because we want the seeds to help the current habitat. Depending on the species, it could be us sniping the seed heads and putting them into a paper bag.”
The district makes it easy for volunteers, educating them and asking them to collect only one kind of seed at a time to make sure they are kept sorted and so volunteers can focus on a specific-looking plant to get used to spotting it.
Most of this season’s seed collection has been completed, but volunteer efforts are needed in the preserve year-round. The district now now is focusing on restoration work, including outings set for Nov. 17 at Monee Reservoir, Nov. 23 and 30 at Hickory Creek Preserve, Dec. 3 at Keepataw Preserve, Dec. 8 at Theodore Marsh, Dec. 14 at Whalon Lake and Dec. 19 at Lake Chaminwood Preserve.
In the spring, invasive plants such as garlic mustard will be removed.
“Brush control is usually invasive species that are monopolizing the sunlight that natives need to grow and survive,” Kenny said. “People in the 1800s could ride through forests but now it’s crowded by invasive species.”
Brush control volunteers are “trying to open up the forest floor for native plants so they can grow or the baby oak trees that will replace the mature trees that will eventually fall,” she explained. “A lot of plants have been brought in with settlers – buckthorn, etc., crowding out native plants and not allowing them to get sunlight. We want diversity, so even in our wooded areas, we’re trying to maintain an oak and hickory forest, so we might need to clear out some maple trees.”
Such work requires loppers, which the district provides, and sometimes chainsaws, run by certified volunteers. “If conditions allow, we’ll have a brush pile that we’ll burn right then and there,” Kenny said, adding that a certified “brush pile burn boss” oversees that task.
“It’s a certification that they make sure the pile isn’t getting too big, it’s being done properly, materials are being placed on it properly. Safety is very important. We’re not going to have people doing random things and hoping for the best.”
The district has two levels of volunteering: short-term or community volunteers, known as public offer volunteers, and Prairie People volunteers, who create a long-term relationship with the district. “They will have opportunities earlier than the public, self-schedule, go through an orientation. There’s a lot more process and involvement in that role because you’re potentially volunteering without staff,” Kenny said.
Those who opt to become Prairie People wear forest preserve logos while volunteering, and some have certification in such skills as chainsaws, herbicides and interpreting. In addition, trail sentinels are Prairie People. “They are the eyes and ears of the district. They go out and make sure there are no branches blocking trails after storms,” she added.
All volunteers are welcome, however, including families. Children as young as 10 can participate with a parent or guardian. For those volunteer events, staff provide additional support. Especially needed are volunteers in the southern and eastern preserves because the population in those areas isn’t as high.
“There are a lot of people in Naperville and Bolingbrook, but when we have an event at Goodenow Grove (in Beecher), it’s a lot of farms out there and people don’t want to travel there and volunteer for a few hours,” Kenny said.
One Prairie People member who enjoys helping with brush control is John Farque, of Plainfield, who’s been volunteering about three years. “I love when we do brush control, restoration, because you can see results. If you were to do a before and after, it’s apparent what you’ve done,” he said, adding that he’s certified to run a saw, apply herbicide or act as a brush pile burn boss. “I do assist with the controlled burns as well.”
Becoming a burn boss required training such as watching technical videos and demonstrating his skills. “You had to do two brush pile burns – one with the support of another person and the other one basically on your own,” he said. “It’s not something where you just say ‘ Hey. I want to do a brush pile burn!’”
In addition to making sure weather conditions are right, the dispatch office is notified, as well as lots of other people so authorities are alerted if calls come in about smoke.
Farque, primarily a volunteer steward at Hammel Woods in Shorewood, said he’s there almost every weekend and volunteers at other sites as well. “I love the outdoors, whether it’s hiking, birding, walking, biking, picnicking. I get to do all those things and volunteer at the preserve and make a difference, whether it’s restoration or cleaning up garbage,” he shared.
“I’m a trail sentinel so that means I’m actually volunteering and riding at the same time.”
He enjoys it so much, he’s recruited his son and wife to help out when they can. “It’s a great opportunity to meet other people and talk to other people. It’s not just work. … There are a lot of regulars that I see there that I’ve gotten to know over the last few years, and we talk all the time.”
Farque also called preserve volunteering “a neat opportunity to get outside and see things from a different perspective. As opposed to just walking through a preserve, you’re doing something to make it better, restore it, and trying to make it better for everybody. It’s a different perspective, but for me at least, it’s an opportunity and an honor to do it.”
To participate in a volunteer morning, complete a waiver online at www.volgistics.com/appform/699453379. Information is at 815-722-7364 or volunteerservices@fpdwc.org. Participants will receive an automatic reminder and detailed email with coordinators that lists parking, time, tasks to be done and contact information. The waiver is good through the end of the year.
Kenny said the benefits of volunteering for the district go beyond keeping the preserves in shape.
“If you’re helping with restoration, it’s a good workout. Even with our litter cleanup, people don’t realize. You’ll be tired after these two or three hours after volunteering. It also unhooks you from modern-day life and you sort of focus on what’s around you, and sometimes that’s good for your mental health – being out there in nature and that connection and not being connected to your phone or computer.”
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
