The city of Elgin plans to spend about $430,000 over 10 years to restore and enhance Hawthorne Hill Nature Center’s ecological habitat.
Davey Resource Group has been tentatively hired to do the work at the 67-acre site, once a Girl Scout camp site, starting this fall. The company will be paid $24,000 in the first year, but the cost will vary in the subsequent years, officials said.
“This fall’s efforts will be primarily focused on mapping and planning to identify priority areas, with completion anticipated by the end of the year,” Elgin Parks Superintendent Greg Hulke said.
The Parks and Recreation Department started collaborating with local ecologists and vegetation experts on Hawthorne Hill last year, with staff deciding to take a phased approach to restoring the center’s grounds.
One problem is that invasive plants and weeds have started dominating some parts of the property at 28 Brookside Drive, according to city documents. They threaten the biodiversity and health of native habitats and could cause a decline in native vegetation, a loss of wildlife and the degradation of the overall ecosystem.
Among the invasive plants are buckthorn, garlic mustard and Japanese honeysuckle, and the plan is to remove them next year, Hulke said.
In the following years, work will expand to include more intensive tasks, such as manual brush removal, invasive species management and prescribed burns, he said.
“By continuously monitoring and mitigating the spread of these species, nature centers safeguard biodiversity and promote ecological balance,” he said.
Elgin had been using volunteers to maintain the center and its grounds, and that worked for a while, Hulke said.
“While these volunteers successfully managed the center for several years, many have since stepped away and others have found the upkeep increasingly demanding,” he said. “As a result, city staff have gradually taken on greater responsibility, particularly over the past four to five years, as the maintenance needs have expanded.”
With the city’s growing inventory of parks and the increasing demands on staff, it’s become difficult for the department to dedicate the necessary resources to fully restore the center’s property to its natural state, Hulke said.
The center will remain open as the work is done but some sections may be temporarily closed to accommodate what’s needed, he said.
Anywhere between 300 and 400 people visit the center each month for programs, events and rental of the facility for such things as for baby showers, birthday parties and other gatherning. It has two miles of walking rails, an outdoor nature play area and a pollinator garden.
“Our nature and conservation programs are designed to engage a diverse range of age groups, from preschoolers to adults,” Hulke said. “We offer an array of experiences, including free drop-in sessions, one-day registered classes, special events and camps,” he said.
According the city’s website, the land on which the site sits became a camp in 1938 when the Cosmopolitan Club of Elgin donated 22 acres east of Brookside Drive to the Elgin Girl Scout Council. It was known as Camp Hawthorne Hills and for 34 years was used for overnight camping and summer day camps.
Two ponds were created in 1975 on the west side of the road when soil was needed for a neighboring subdivision, the website said. Two years later, the city purchased the campgrounds and 45 acres west of Brookside to preserve the natural area, which eventually opened to the public in 2005.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
