Events

The Illinois Nature Preserve Commission is celebrating its 60th anniversary. This is a good time to reflect on past achievements (Illinois Nature Preserves Commission 60th Anniversary (arcgis.com), but more importantly, it is a good time to have a realistic discussion about the future of our nature preserve system and how we can adequately steward these places in times of budgetary uncertainties, climate change, and a proliferation of invasive species. Good things are happening. A new chapter seems to be unfolding with the formation of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves (Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves | DeKalb IL | Facebook) and a renewed emphasis on the role of people in nature. We’ll talk about how volunteer restoration communities – friends for our nature preserves – can play (and have played) a crucial role in preserving biodiversity in Illinois. In this area, there’s a couple groups that have been working on this – one that’s made significant progress at Kishwaukee Fen, a small but important site in the village of Lakewood – and a one-month old group just getting started on an exciting new management strategy at Volo Bog. We’ll talk about what kind of work these groups are doing, how partnerships between staff and volunteers make an impact, and why volunteers are such an important part of caring for these sites.

Bios (young pup and old dog):

Johnathan Sabath (young pup) has worked to support the Illinois Nature Preserve System as a Field Rep with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves since January of this year. In his role, he spends most of his time working with volunteer stewardship communities at sites throughout NE Illinois. Recently, he’s helped new groups get established at Volo Bog, Illinois Beach State Park, and Superior Street Prairie – and in McHenry County, he’s worked closely with the Friends of Kishwaukee Fen – which you’ll hear more about in the presentation. Connecting everyday people to the most important natural places in our state, and working with them so they become experts in the ecology and care of these sites is one of the most important ways Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves helps protect nature in our state. We’ve seen this make a difference not just by preserving the biodiversity at these sites, but through stewards building community with each other and with nature.

John Nelson (old dog) has worked as a staff member of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission since 2000. His first assignment was as a Northeast Illinois Threats Program Manager. This primarily involved protection of nature preserves from adjacent development threats during a period of rapid urban expansion in McHenry, Lake, Kane, and other nearby counties. No one else wanted this job! In 2005, John began work as a Field Representative for the Commission in Northwestern Illinois. Today, John represents the Commission’s work in Northeastern Illinois following the retirement of Steve Byers. So, John has worked most of the Northern portion of Illinois on behalf of the Commission for 23 years. In addition to helping protect and dedicate sites into the Illinois Nature Preserves System, John helps manage and restore sites with a wide-variety of landowners – both public and private.