McHenry County Conservation Foundation

Gifts to the Foundation in 2023 supported the propagation of elktoe and heelsplitter mussels through a collaborative partnership between the McHenry County Conservation District and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Urban Stream Research Center. Yesterday, all of the surviving mussels were released into Nippersink Creek where they will contribute to the health and cleanliness of the waterway! That small mark on their shells allows Conservation District staff and volunteers to identify them and track their growth during future mussel surveys. This partnership continues for another year, with a focus on propagating black sandshell mussels in 2024/2025.

??????The opening bell has rung and OAKtober is offically in full swing! Looking for ways to participate? Join us at Coral Woods Conservation Area between 1 and 3p on Oct 12 for McHenry County Conservation District's annual Big Woods planting. Or, make a gift to the Big Woods and help buy the trees we need to keep rebuilding McHenry County's oak woodlands. ?????? https://lnkd.in/eTKWqe5M

Yesterday, it was our honor to team up with so many other McHenry County not-for-profit organizations to help kick off?Stryker Sage's 2024 Employee Giving Campaign! It's inspiring to hear stories of the impact happening everyday in our community and how it is made possible thanks to community partners like Stryker Sage and their employees.

If you notice your drive or hike up to Glacial Park's Lost Valley Visitor Center is looking a bit more open, you have Scot Forge interns and seasonal staff to thank. They spent two hours clearing invasive brush alongside the entrance road yesterday! We are honored to have Scot Forge in our community encouraging their employees to make a community investment with a lasting impact. THANK YOU!

?? Come out for a burger and support our mission! ?? We share our sincere thanks to the Woodstock Moose Lodge 1329 for supporting us in a Burger Night, on Thursday, July 25, from 5PM-7:30PM. ?? See you there!

? ?? ?? Last week, children from the Youth and Family Center of McHenry County experienced the great outdoors at McHenry County Conservation District's Harrison Benwell Conservation Area. They had a fun-filled nature education outing, where they were able to share time with a Box turtle and a friendly Fox snake. ?? Donor gifts to our Foundation help to support the bus transportation costs for these excursions. Thanks to all who provide to our vision and support nature experiences for all!

?? Come out for a burger and support our mission! ?? We share our sincere thanks to the Woodstock Moose Lodge 1329 for supporting us in a Burger Night, on Thursday, July 25, from 5PM-7:30PM. ?? See you there!

?? Camp season is in full swing at McHenry County Conservation District, and last week we had the chance to lend a hand at an Eco Explorer Camp day, where campers spent the day canoeing down the Nippersink. During their adventures, they met with a French-Canadian Voyager (District staff member, Kim) who led them to a fur trading post where they learned a little bit of French, a bit of Potawatomi, and even more about the history of our area. After a successful fur trade, they continued down the creek and then hunted for mussels. ?? Your gifts help provide scholarships for these multifaceted educational programs where children from all walks of life have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of nature. ? Thanks to all who support our mission and environmental enrichment for all!

?? Without caterpillars, there would be no butterflies! ?? ?? Thanks to our generous donors and past volunteer planting days, a multi-year reintroduction project, to increase the available host plants for Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies, began. As part of this project, over 4,000 host Chelone glabra - Turtlehead plants - were planted in 2021 and in 2022. Baltimore Checkerspots are rare across the region - and all sightings are extra special! ?? This year, District staff members have observed webbed nests with young Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillars - on the host plants that were planted as part of this initiative. These larvae will eat and grow before they overwinter in the leaf litter until next spring, when they will become next year's adult Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies! ?? Thanks to all of our donors who help us with our mission to protect and restore open land for wildlife!

?? Stop by our table and say hello on Sunday, July 14! We look forward to seeing everyone on Woodstock Square! ??