Nachusa Grasslands in Ogle County, Illinois is a sample of how extraordinary leadership by both volunteers and staff, restored a quality habitat unprecedented in ambition, scope, and diversity. Preserve Manager Bill Kleiman recalls, “When Nachusa first started out, the prairie remnants were dingy, brush filled, bisected by fences and fence row trees. Some of the prairies were so heavily grazed they looked like lawns with thorn bushes for cattle shade.” In 1986 the Nature Conservancy acquired 400 acres of small prairie remnants scattered among cornfields. In 2014, 25 years and 3,000 acres later, it is home to 700 native plant species, 180 species of birds — and now wild bison:
Wild Things 2015 Keynote: 0.01 Pat Hayes, introduction; 6:45 cook county board president Toni Preckwinkle, welcome; 16:45 Bill Kleiman, keynote speaker
Both volunteers and professionals remain crucial to this important and unpredictable drama.
Wasn’t the 2015 Wild Things Conference terrific? (Read about it and some of the other the past Wild Things conferences.) The volunteers who brought you the 2015 conference, plus new volunteers are creating this community website and blog to keep you abreast on the latest happenings—we invite you to join the conversation.
Readers of our blog will find feature articles on a wide range of topics:
Arts, Culture, Heritage, Tools for Educators, Youth
Individuals really can make a difference, as the 2015 conference presentation “Wild Things – People make the difference”17mb, prepared by Pat Hayes and Karen Tharp beautifully illustrates.
Through citizen science, volunteers monitor wildlife such as birds, frogs and plants, working with best practices developed and supported by professionals from a wide range of institutions.
Similarly, volunteers also work to restore wildlands habitat in conjunction with organized volunteer groups and agencies. Please join and support them.
