Spring cleaning required a pair of good work gloves at the April 4 Restoration Workday at Grainger Woods in Mettawa.
The Saturday morning workday drew regular volunteers, but also newcomers, who were shown battery pruning tools used to remove woody invasive buckthorn.
Volunteers gathered in the Wright Woods parking lot at 9 a.m. before driving a short distance to the Lake County Forest Preserves area along Everett Road in need of buckthorn culling.
Skies were overcast with weather in the upper 50-degree range. The workday was interrupted by a sudden downpour at 10:20 a.m.
After a tool safety session taught by Kelly Schultz, stewardship ecologist II with the Lake County Forest Preserves (LCFPD), volunteers ventured into the grassy land to locate deciduous buckthorn. Here was a respite of natural calm, void of suburban reminders, despite a cluster of cell phone towers unseen but within close proximity.
Grainger Woods is a State Nature Preserve dedicated by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC), Schultz said, adding INPC approval means Grainger Woods is among the “best of the best in Illinois.
“Dedication only occurs when there are rare plants, rare animals, rare ecosystems, rare geology or a combination of those features,” Schultz said. “This extra status gives the preserve extra protections and also the pride in having an outside agency confirm that this place is amazing.
“This preserve is home to some really special plants and animals,” Schultz said. “There is a rich diversity of ferns, rare violets, state-threatened and state-endangered sedges.”
LCFPD has more than 200 miles of trails, “but Grainger Woods is one of the special sites that does not,” Schultz said, adding volunteers who join a workday “get VIP access” to noteworthy spots with the guidance of Kathleen Marie Garness of Forest Park, Grainger Woods site steward.
“Grainger Woods is one of the most biodiverse remnant natural areas … with over 400 species of vascular plants noted, of which at least 90% are native,” Garness said, adding, “It also has a sizable bird list,” with pileated woodpeckers and various owl species.
“Our most recent exciting find a few years ago was learning that the 40-plus acre portion of the east side which for over 15 years I had thought was just an old, plowed agricultural field, was, in fact, a remnant oak savanna that had been grazed but otherwise had quite a lot of of the original savanna and prairie soil and flora intact,” Garness said.
“Oak savannas are some of the rarest ecosystems in the world, so we were quite excited about this discovery, which came on the heels of its first-ever prescribed burn a few years ago,” Garness said.
“It is also home to a beautiful stand of northern flatwoods, another rare ecosystem,” Garness added.
Volunteers on April 4 came from North Barrington, Beach Park, Vernon Hills, Wadsworth, Deerfield, Libertyville, and Mettawa.
“This is our home turf, really, in terms of forest preserves,” said repeat volunteer Evan Craig of Vernon Hills who was accompanied by spouse Paula Craig.
“It’s a treat every time we get to work here,” Evan Craig said. “It’s an opportunity to really preserve stuff.”
Garness was inspired by Evan Craig to notice that, “Long term volunteers develop a special relationship with the site, learn where all the things are, and form a surgical strike team that can take out the invasives in these sensitive areas and avoid the use of heavy equipment that could really mangle up the roots of rare plants sleeping just below the soil level.”
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Eric Meyers of Wadsworth is new to workdays and participated, “just to be outside,” and to, “maybe learn something.”
Volunteer Barbara Bell of Libertyville said, “I really enjoy the outdoors and we’re doing some good for the outdoors and I think it’s really important, especially in today’s day and age because global warming is a true threat.”
Mark Mattis of Beach Park said, “I just like getting out in nature.”
“I just enjoy learning,” volunteer Sally Faber of North Barrington said.
Reginald Raffay of Deerfield volunteers because, “It’s a workout, it’s a source of joy.
“You meet no bad people volunteering,” Raffay added.
Anyone interested in volunteering can find the calendar of upcoming workdays at www.lcfpd.org/workdays
No experience is necessary. Restoration Workdays occur at dozens of sites around Lake County, some on weekdays and some on weekends.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for PIoneer Press.