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In the Northwest
Herald, July 17th, 2008
Seneca Township estate-home proposal fails
WOODSTOCK – Environmental concerns killed a proposal to build a dozen
estate homes on 98 acres in Seneca Township.
The proposal failed to get enough votes Tuesday among McHenry County
Board members to gain approval. Petitioner Arthur Schueler Jr. asked to
get the land northeast of Kunde and North Union roads rezoned from
agriculture to estate.
The proposition came from the Zoning Board of Appeals without a
recommendation in part because of the environmentally sensitive nature
of the property, which contains numerous wetlands and several branches
of the Kishwaukee River.
Supporters, such as Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, and Anna May
Miller, R-Algonquin, said the owners pledged to preserve the wetlands
and that 70 percent of the property would be preserved as open space.
“I don’t see a better opportunity for true conservation design than
this,” Miller said.
But a majority of the board disagreed, siding with objections raised by
the Seneca Township Board and The Environmental Defenders of McHenry
County. The McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation District also
raised concerns about the potential for contaminating the river and
groundwater supplies.
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/07/17/news/local/doc487edadbc4d53881206487.txt
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In the Daily Herald, July 14, 2008
Digging out in Harvard: Score one for the
environmentalists.
A state appeals court ruled last week that Harvard
officials improperly approved plans for a gravel mine on 792 acres near
the city's northwest border because they did not first consult with the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The unanimous ruling, which upheld a 2007 decision by a
McHenry County judge, is a victory for the McHenry County Defenders, a
local conservation group hoping to put a halt to mining operations until
more study of its environmental impact can be done.
The Defenders sued Harvard trying to block the city's
deal to allow mining by Meyer Material Co. the suit claimed, among other
things, that the city did not adhere to a state requirement that it
consult with the DNR before allowing mining operations.
In particular, the group cited concerns about the
mining's impact on the Blanding's turtle and slippershell mussel, two
threatened species found on the site. Questions also surfaced over how
the work would affect the nearby Becks Woods and Piscasaw Creek nature
areas.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=220500&src=4 |
| Friday June 20, 2008 The Northwest Herald
Algonquin
showcases its conservation community
By DAVID FITZGERALD
ALGONQUIN – The big
purple butterfly painted across Jackie O’Connor’s face wrinkled as the
10-year-old poured a milky, blue liquid onto some potted grass. The
liquid filtered through the dirt and rocks, and then it dripped into the
bottom half of a 2-liter bottle much clearer and less blue than it
started.
“Dirt is a natural filter,” said Cynthia Kanner of the McHenry County
Defenders.
The Defenders’ booth was set up to let children see firsthand how an
aquifer works, and, more basically, to tell them that their water
actually comes from under their feet.
The Defenders were just one of nearly 20 booths set up along the Woods
Creek bike trail at Algonquin’s sixth annual Conservation Community Day.
“Each year we try to make it more and more interactive,” Assistant
Village Manager Jeff Mihelich said.
This year, participants at the free event could take home
energy-efficient light bulbs and rain gauges along with ideas for
conserving resources and being friendlier to the environment.
“We do this event because we believe that the natural areas here are
very important to the community and help make Algonquin what it is,”
said Andrew Bogda, who works in the village’s community development
office and helped organize the event.
Friends Sydney Nemtuda, 9, and Kendall Douglas, 8, both of Algonquin,
said they learned about native plants, what items they can recycle, and
how water comes from the ground to their faucet. The duo agreed that it
was a great way to start summer vacation.
“This gives residents an opportunity to learn about our natural
environment and be able to see what village officials and organizations
are doing to help protect it,” Bogda said.
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/06/20/news/local/doc485c5e97a5363557444647.txt |
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April 20, 2008 The Northwest Herald
County groups
celebrate early Earth Day fun
CRYSTAL LAKE – Earth Day
is not officially recognized until Tuesday, but that didn’t stop McHenry
County environmental-protection groups that kicked off the celebration
and advocacy a little early.
Saturday’s Earth Day commemoration educated participants on ecology, the
natural world and simple lifestyle changes they could make to protect
the environment. It was a combined effort of two of the county’s leading
environmental advocacy groups, the McHenry County Conservation District
and the McHenry County Defenders.
And hundreds of residents seized the day Saturday afternoon. Some
strolled through the Prairieview Education Center’s main building; some
played educational games or made environmental-themed crafts in its
barn; some hiked the center’s sun-dappled trails.
Others dropped off old tennis shoes, computers, cell phones and compact
fluorescent light bulbs to be recycled. Still others shopped for native
plants and solar panels for their houses.
Deb Chapman, education services manager for the conservation district
and Earth Day co-chairwoman, said grass-roots efforts to protect the
Earth were on the rise. Environmental policy has made headlines and
become a political hot-button issue as concern over the climate grows.
“This is looking really, really good,” Chapman said. “You really had to
ride the wave that started with climate change and fuel prices.
“People seem to be paying more attention and taking action.”
People such as Carole Goodspeed and her daughters, Elena, 6, and Marla,
5. The Cary family trades the car keys for tennis shoes
whenever possible, Carole Goodspeed said, and soon will break out the
bicycles.
It’s easy to understand why, if you’re Elena Goodspeed.
“It helps a lot not to make the environment dirty and the world dirty,”
she said.
Carole Goodspeed admitted that she had become more
environmentally conscious since the births of her daughters. Teaching
them environmental stewardship, she said, also teaches them a lot about
life.
“It makes them more conscious about their choices,” she said. “It makes
them more aware of their resources and that [life] is not just about
them.”
That’s the type of attitude that Earth Day co-Chairman Bill Donato said
he liked to hear.
Donato, who has watched the annual celebration grow over the years, said
a recent population boom had led some county residents to take
environmental advocacy into their own hands.
“As McHenry County grows, people were [watching] natural areas being
torn down for subdivisions,” Donato said. “They’re thinking, ‘Hmm, maybe
we don’t want this sprawl.’”
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/04/20/news/local/doc480b18682fc86075924357.txt
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| April 4, 2008 The Woodstock Independent
Go green while saving green
By ELIZABETH HARMON
Anyone who thinks going green means spending big bucks on a host of
expensive eco-friendly products should talk with Alice Howenstine.
Howenstine, co-owner of the Pioneer Tree Farm in northern McHenry
County, has lived green her entire life. She learned to do it the hard
way, growing up during the Great Depression. “We were living green back
then but that wasn’t what anyone called it. We didn’t think of it as a
chore, but a challenge,” she said.
For years, she’s carried in her own grocery bags, recycled, planted her
own
organic vegetable garden — nourished with homemade compost — and
whenever possible, prefers to repair items instead of replacing them.
Her environmentally-friendly lifestyle is defined more by what she
doesn’t buy, rather than what she does. To Howenstine and her husband,
Bill, it’s all about
creativity. “I like to look at a problem and look at a creative way to
solve it by trying to reuse what we have,” she said.
Read the whole article
HERE. Scroll down to page 6.
Use a washable coffee mug at work and keep one in the car.
Take 5-minute showers.
Buy recycled toilet paper.
Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins.
Use fans instead of air-conditioning.
Air-dry your laundry.
Reduce packaging by buying in bulk.
Reduce your meat consumption.
Before you buy, ask yourself if it is a necessary purchase.
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| February 23, 2008, Northwest Herald's
"On the Record"
Recharge
groundwater
Minimizing water use at home will help
"If there’s a town or business in McHenry County looking to expand
its wastewater treatment operations, chances are Cindy Skrukrud is keeping
a watchful eye on their efforts.
As a clean water advocate for the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club,
Skrukrud monitors discharge permits issued by the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency and works with municipal officials to minimize the
amount of pollution that is deposited into rivers and streams.
A Richmond area resident, Skrukrud, 53, has an undergraduate degree in
agricultural science and a Ph.D. in biochemistry. She serves as chair of
the McHenry County Defenders’ water resources protection committee and
leads the Fox River Study Group, which studies water quality issues in the
Fox River.
Skrukrud spoke with reporter Jocelyn Allison recently about why protecting
groundwater is a top environmental concern in McHenry County."
Click
HERE to read the full article.
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February 9, 2008, Northwest Herald's "In Motion"
Alice Howenstine is interviewed at the Defenders'
batteries and bulbs recycling drive in Woodstock.
CLICK HERE for the video. |
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Environmental
Defenders of McHenry County 
