Join Us
Day: Meets 3rd Thursday of each month
Time: 7:00 pm
Location:
Virtually attended on Zoom
Chair:
Cindy Skrukrud
cskrukrud@gmail.com
- Mayors’ Monarch Pledge – Encouraging towns and townships in McHenry County to sign the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Since the Team began this effort in 2021, the number of pledgers from McHenry County continues to grow each year. We are so pleased that over a third of the pledgers from all of Illinois come from McHenry County.
- Best Management Practices (BMP) Talks and Tours – Showcasing innovative actions to protect our environment and promote conservation of our land, water and energy through the(BMP) Talks and Tours. Past events can be viewed here. These events are organized and hosted, in collaboration with the McHenry County Planning Department since 2022.
- Improvement to habitat for pollinators – through invasive plants removal and other restoration activities at sites Defenders owns and manages- Dean Street (owned by Defenders), Triangle Prairie (maintained for the City of Woodstock), O’Brien Prairie (maintained for IDOT), and a pollinator garden and Silver Creek streambank at McHenry County Fairgrounds.
- Improve conditions of waterways and watersheds – including monthly stewardship workdays at the Crystal Lake Park District’s Sternes Fen (Sleepy Hollow Creek watershed), annual stream cleanups with Boone-Dutch Creek Watershed Alliance, celebrating It’s Our Fox River Day, sponsoring Paddle the Kish in McHenry County and supporting the Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership.
- Watchdogging Development Projects – We are watchdogs for development inour county and advocating for conservation design that protects and preserves our county’s natural heritage, our streams and wetlands and our precious and vulnerable groundwater, the county’s sole source of drinking water.
- Distribute Information to County – We inform the public about water and natural resources protection at numerous fairs and events held every year.
- Co-Hosting Defenders’ Summer Interns – We provide hands-on experience in natural area management and water monitoring and learn about and engage in community outreach during the course of their internship.
Growing Summer- A Note For Next Year’s Interns
Written by Mills Guanci My internship taught me hard [...]
Say No to Toxic Pavement Sealants
Written by Gena Denkov During my internship, I’ve been [...]
Environmental Defenders’ Resources on Gravel Mining
This sheet provides links to resources developed by the [...]
Local Bird Seeks Recognition
Written by Mills Guanci Cover photo by Randy Schietzelt [...]
Defenders Interns Go Mussel Sampling!
Written by Mills Guanci Photos by Kentaro Inoue [...]
Environmental Defenders of McHenry County to Inform Residents of State & Federal Incentives Available for Energy Efficiency & Electrification
Written by Kaina Gonzalez Becoming energy efficient, [...]
Work Hard – Play Hard!
The Water and Natural Resources Committee sponsors several canoe/kayak outings each year. Contact the office if you are interested in joining us, and we’ll get you in touch with the trip coordinator.
Each participant must have a signed liability waiver, which you can download HERE.
If you don’t have your own canoe or kayak, you can rent one from a local outfitter or rental store:
- Flatwater Canoe & Kayak Rental: 8621 US Hwy 12, Richmond 815-353-7333, ed@flatwaterrentals.com
- Tippacanoe 262-342-1012
- Ed’s Rental 904 Front St, McHenry 815-385-3232
If you want to get out on your own in between these trips, check out all the outfitters who supply crafts for different rivers in IL & WI– http://www.paddleaway.com/rentals
Be an Advocate for Water, Schedule a Groundwater Power Point Presentation
The Defenders groundwater presentation “Water: Our Most Precious Resource” is a Power Point presentation that focuses on our water concerns in McHenry County and reviews basic information about the water cycle, groundwater aquifers, and recharge and discharge areas.
The importance of a healthy groundwater aquifer system is stressed and emphasis is placed on the fact that in McHenry County we must rely solely on groundwater for our drinking water; thus, maintaining the quality and quantity of our water is vital.
Any group, including high schools, businesses, clubs, and government offices would benefit from this presentation, which was carefully organized by the groundwater subcommittee of the Defenders Water Resources Protection Committee. To schedule a presentation, please contact the Defenders office.
Many ideas are presented that could be carried out by individuals, groups or governmental bodies to help preserve the quantity and quality of our water for future use.
