It Takes A Village ("Almost a Religious Experience")

The planet and its biodiversity need more Friends.

Communities of care are coming together around the Earth.

In this example, a conservation community was honored by state, county, and local elected officials. In the process, much was revealed. 

The newspaper headline invoked the sacred - referring to the feeling a person can get by being able to do this much good! Stewards feel honor as we work. But some elected officials also saw a helpful opportunity to celebrate something very American, in the best sense.

With food, work, and speeches, instead of recognizing a person or two, the elected officials wisely honored eighty-three individuals (see below) - cited with specifics of their accomplishments. Thousands more were honored indirectly, for decades of work to restore biodiversity to the 410-acre Somme preserves. 

The Northbrook village President was there, along with many other local, county, and state officials. Presenting the award proclamation was Commissioner Scott Britton of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

John McCabe, the Forest Preserve director of resource management told Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press reporter, "If it wasn't for these volunteers, some of these most critical sites would have been lost to us." The volunteers work collaboratively with Preserve staff on these challenges. 

Biodiversity in the world today does not survive without care. Species populations fade miserably away, despite being on "protected" conservation lands. Indeed whole communities of plants, birds, pollinators and all need to be saved from extinction at many sites.  

Before

An oak woodland choked with buckthorn, old oaks dying, little biota at all, except the invasive buckthorn.

After

Hundreds of species of animals and plants of the oak woodland are now coming back. 

The resolution by which Forest Preserve President Preckwinkle and the Board recognized the Somme stewards and Friends of Northbrook Forest Preserves is below: 

The event started out in the woods We cut and burned invasive pole trees, while Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press photographer Karie Angell Luc documented the day.

Being in the woods, we had adventures. Someone found a pile of blue-spotted salamanders under a log, too near the fire.

We moved them away, of course, allowing opportunities for education, awe, and ecology. 

At break time, we repaired to the shelter ...

... where a feast was laid out, sociability ensued, and then the proclamation was presented.

Posing above are 18 volunteers, Commissioner Scott Britton (holding the proclamation) and Northbrook President Kathryn Ciesla (third to Scott's right). 

It was a sweet day. Some saw it as a questionable interruption of our urgent work. But events like this are "political" in the best sense. American democracy has an iffy rep these days, but through its processes the Forest Preserves and Nature Preserves System were established. They prosper or decline in proportion to what kind of stewardship they get. Today's celebration affirmed a model for how humans can organize ourselves for something good, for species other than us - collective action motivated by something beyond ego and selfishness. It generated understanding, support, and friends. 

The Earth needs more of this.

Friends of Northbrook Forest Preserves

 

The righteous List of People who take Special Initiative

 

April 2023

 

We stewards are a team. We try to resist hierarchy among ourselves as much as practical. We collaborate, and many help at much more than what’s shown below. But this list attempts to indicate many of the principal contributions.

 

Certifications and authorizations come principally from the Cook County Forest Preserves. Trainings are by CCFP staff and stewards with specialized training from Chicago Botanic Garden - Plants of Concern Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Illinois Department of Agriculture (herbicide certification), Bird Conservation Network, Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network of the Chicago Academy of Sciences and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Calling Frog Survey, and the Chicago Wilderness Alliance. 

 

Stewards

 

Chipilly Woods: John Cherry 

 

Somme Prairie Nature Preserve: Laurel Ross and Lisa Musgrave

 

Somme Grove Prairie Nature Preserve: Stephen Packard and Eriko Kojima

 

Somme Woods: Linda Masters with zone stewards Christos Economou, Stephanie Place, Rebeccah Hartz, Eriko Kojima, Sai Ramakrishna, John Paterson, Jim Hensel, Matt Evans, Emma Leavens, Katie Kucera, Paul Swanson,  Donna Wittert, Paula Kessler, Carole Ortiz, Diana Economou, Stone Hansard, Beata Fiszer

 

Certified chain sawyers: John McMartin, Joe Handwerker, Tom Bragiel, John Mahal, Lew Brashares, Estelle Ure, Sai Ramakrishna, Allen Giedraitis, Jonathan Sladek, Rett Donnely, Erin Faulkner

 

Brush Pile Burn Leader certification: Kathy Wassman, John McMartin, Paula Kessler and many others

 

Seed harvest, prep, and broadcast: Christos Economou, Rebeccah Hartz, Steph Place, Carole Ortiz, Donna Wittert, Paula Kessler, Amy Broussard, Diana Economou,  Sai Ramakrishna, Matt Evans, Beata Fiszer, Jim Hensel, Fred Ciba, Linda Masters, John Paterson, Russ Sala

 

Herbicide license: John McMartin, Russ Sala, Paula Kessler, George Westlund, John Paterson, and many others

 

Workday leader certification: Linda Masters, Stephen Packard, Laurel Ross, Lisa Musgrave, Eriko Kojima, Sai Ramakrishna, Paul Swanson, Steph Place, Jim Hensel, Matt Evans, Katie Kucera, Estelle Ure, Christos Economou, Diana Economou

 

Safety task force: Ed Samson, Steph Place, Matt Evans, Sai Ramakrishna, John McMartin, Estelle Ure

 

Trails maintenance: Estelle Ure, Russ Sala, Tom Dallinger, John McMartin, Bob Miller, Joe Handwerker, John Mahal, Jim Hensel

 

Representatives to FPD Key Stewards meetings: Paul Swanson, Lisa Musgrave, Sai Ramakrishna, Eriko Kojima, Linda Masters

 

Plant Monitors: Lisa Musgrave, Laurel Ross, Stephen Packard, Emma Leavens, Sai Ramakrishna, John Cherry, Eriko Kojima 

 

Individual Plant Species Stewards: Mike Zarski, Sheila Hollins, Lisa Musgrave, Emma Leavens, Eriko Kojima,

 

Bird Monitors: Danny Leggio, Stephen Packard, Melissa Foster, Chris Monaghan

 

Butterfly Monitors: Ryan Chew, Laurie Leibowitz

 

Calling Frog Monitors: Eriko Kojima, Rebeccah Hartz

 

Shrub and young oak stewardship: Sai Ramakrishna, Matt Evans, Steph Place, Eriko Kojima

 

Instagram task force: Josh Breer, Andrew Condrell, Kaitlin Cywinski, Sofie Richter

 

Tool maintenance task force: Ed Samson, Jim Hensel, Matt Evans, Linda Masters, Russ Sala, Bob Miller, Estelle Ure

 

New Year’s Bonfire Celebration team: Ed Samson, Jim Hensel, Steve Tattleman, Russ Sala, Linda Masters, Rebeccah Hartz, Marty Maneck (bagpipe), John Paterson (art), Eriko Kojima

 

Friends of the Chicago River’s Chicago River Day Somme Woods site captain: Jim Hensel

 

Treat Bakers at volunteer events: George Westlund, Jim Hensel, Carole Ortiz, Donna Wittert, Linda Masters, Kim Ciba

 

Friends of Northbrook Forest Preserves organizers and convenors: Stephanie Place, Jim Hensel, Pat Johns, Linda Masters, Mike Piskel, Rob Sulski, Donna Wittert, Carole Ortiz, Russ Sala, Ed Samson, 

 

Eco-hike leaders:  Rob Sulski, Steph Place, Stephen Packard, Donna Wittert

 

Recruiters: Jim Hensel, Rae Goodman-Lucker and family, Josh Breer, Andrew Condrell.

 

Media and communications: Steph Place, Jim Hensel, Steve Tattleman, Pat Johns, Eriko Kojima, Carole Ortiz, Donna Wittert

Our apologies to the many people who deserve more mention. But we hope this list gives you a flavor of how this community thrives. 

Acknowledgements

This post benefitted from edits and proofing by Emma Leavens and Eriko Kojima.