Who: Tom Vanderpoel, 58, of Fox River Grove has been a volunteer for more than 30 years with the Citizens for Conservation, a non-profit organization restoring land in the Barrington area.
What he does: Vanderpoel is a member of the group’s board and chairman of the restoration committee. He leads work days with other volunteers, collecting and planting native seeds or plugs (native plants that are grown in a nursery when seeds are not available), removing non-native invasive plants and cutting brush.
What he does in real life: A self-employed residential landscaper, Vanderpoel also incorporates ecological restoration in his business as a consultant.
Why he does it: Citizens for Conservation, which owns 400 acres of its own land, works with local villages and forest preserve districts to obtain open space by buying or accepting donated land, Vanderpoel said.
“Once we get the land we try to restore it and manage it,” he said.
Educating the public is also a high priority and lectures are presented to community groups and schools on topics ranging from deer control and coyotes to water conservation and water gardens, Vanderpoel said.
“Illinois was once made up of a mosaic of prairies, savannas and wetlands,” Vanderpoel said. “All three ecosystems have long since been destroyed by development.”
The goal is to restore the natural processes of the land such as hydrology, fire and biodiversity. But the cycle of nature never ends, Vanderpoel said.
“The encouraging thing is we volunteers that have been here awhile start to see the enormous changes in the land,” Vanderpoel said. For example, he said, sandhill cranes, a threatened species in Illinois, have returned to Flint Creek Savanna. Their babies, called colts, are able to fly off each fall.
“That’s the kind of feedback we get that we are really accomplishing something,” Vanderpoel said.
How you can help: Spring work days are from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursdays and Saturdays. Meet at the Citizens for Conservation headquarters, 459 W. Illinois Highway 22, Barrington. Look for the white farmhouse with the silo across from Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. Bring work gloves. Tools will be provided. Call 847-382-SAVE (7283).