Environmental Defenders

Mission Statement

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a citizen organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. We are committed to building sound ecological relationships between people and the natural world that supports all life.

To achieve the aim of environmental preservation and improvement, we provide the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation.

We advocate policies which protect drinking water supplies and conserve land for open space and agriculture. We demonstrate waste reduction through recycling drives and reuse centers. We encourage natural resource protection through native landscaping and stream protection programs.

What have we been up to lately?

Proposed Oakwood Hills power plant: The Water Resources committee met to formulate questions and concerns about this proposal, and will be presenting them to the Oakwood Hills zoning board on Thursday, July 24.

Preservation

· Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge – served as fiscal agent for friends’ group

· Farmland Preservation – served on Local Foods Taskforce to increase viability of small farms and promote local foods; advocated successfully for increased agritourism opportunities for small farmers in the County’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)

· Water Resources Preservation - Created Silver and Sleepy Hollow Creeks Watershed Plan; formed and facilitate SSHCW Coalition; facilitate the McHenry County Watershed Roundtable; member of FREP, KREP, Fox River Study Group; advocated successfully for watershed protection in County’s UDO

· Green Infrastructure – helped with effort to create Green Infrastructure Plan for McHenry County; advocated successfully for inclusion of green infrastructure protection in County’s UDO

Protection

· River clean-ups – collaborate with Sierra Club and SSHCW Coalition to conduct two or three river clean-ups each year around the county; conduct It’s Our River Day annually in Algonquin in collaboration with the village

· Recycling - hold monthly recycling drives to collect items that are not collected curbside; annual Earth Day Recycling Drive; collaborate with County Health Department for annual Spring recycling drive; recycle at special events – Mozart Festival, Nippersink Music Festival, Wasted Plains Festival, Pickle Palooza, etc.; collaborating with County Fair Board and Ecossential Solutions, Inc. to begin recycling program at County Fair; small-business cardboard recycling project; electronics restoration project; serve on Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute planning group

· Native Habitat Protection – collaborate with MCCD, CL Park District, and SSHCW Coalition for multiple habitat restoration workdays each year in Silver & Sleepy Hollow Creeks Watersheds; reestablishing habitat restoration work on two roadside prairies – Triangle Prairie in Woodstock and O’Brian Prairie north of Greenwood; conduct annual workdays on Defenders’ and Soil and Water Conservation District’s properties in Woodstock

· Transportation Planning – advocated for “complete streets” planning in County’s 2040 Transportation Plan; collaborated with McHenry County Bicycle Advocates to collect hundreds of signatures for bicycle lanes/paths in the Plan; met with IDOT representatives to preserve oaks and Sleepy Hollow Creek in Hwy. 31 widening project

· Miscellaneous – served on taskforces to create McHenry County’s Wind Energy Ordinance, Solid Waste Reduction Plan, Water Resources Action Plan

Education

· Earth Day Celebration – annual event at Prairieview Education Center in collaboration with MCCD – multiple committees’ activities

· It’s Our River Day – annual event on Fox River in collaboration with Village of Algonquin – presentations and educational materials

· Tabling at events – environmental information provided at Algonquin Conservation Day, Natural Landscaping Seminar, Garden Fest, Green Living Expo, McHenry County Fair, music festivals, and at our documentary showings

· Environmental Documentaries – show several documentaries annually at MCC in collaboration with Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute and the MCC Sustainability Center – examples: Gasland, Bag It!, Sun Come Up, Queen of the Sun, Chasing Ice, The Price of Sand, etc.

· BYO Bag McHenry County – beginning educational campaign to reduce plastic bag use in County

· Green Drinks – in 5^th year of serving on planning group and facilitating monthly Green Drinks events at Dukes

· State & Regional Environmental Issues – collaborate with Illinois Environmental Council and Environmental Law and Policy Center to educate and advocate about broader issues that affect our county

Fundraising Efforts, including our Green Spot Used Book Store, used books sales, Eco-friendly Food and Beer Fest at Duke's, Pioneer Tree Farm Christmas tree sales, County Fair ticket sales, Use-It-Again Garage Sales

(Whew!)

Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, 110 South Johnson Street, Suite 106, Woodstock, Illinois 60098

815-338-0393 mcdef@owc.net