Volunteers sought to help in prairie cleanup

OK, so the holidays are pretty much over and it's time to get serious about some cleaning.

Drag the Christmas tree out to the curb. Check.

Pack the lights away for another year. Check.

Head out to a forest preserve and whack some unwanted buckthorn. Huh?

Well, if you're looking to work off some of those extra holiday pounds (Gee, thanks Aunt Alice, more gingerbread cookies!) the DuPage County Forest Preserve District has an idea for you.

Oh, sure, you could do some extra Pilates, but why not mosey out Saturday morning to Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville and help the ecosystem, and your heart rate, by removing some nonnative plants to make room for the good stuff.

Neil Quigley, who works as a human resources assistant in the forest preserve district's volunteer office, says a prairie steward will greet volunteers at 9 a.m. at the preserve on Plainfield-Naperville Road about a half-mile south of 75th Street and explain exactly what needs to be done.

Depending on the number of folks who participate, the plan is to spend up to three hours hacking unwanted plant invaders that, if left unchecked, eventually would create a “tangled bramble.”

Quigley says there are usually between two and 30 people who show up for such restoration projects to work with longtime steward Joe Suchecki to keep Springbrook as natural and native as possible.

The project is open to anyone — kids younger than 14 must be accompanied by an adult — and you can register by calling (630) 933-7681. If you decide to help, it's a pretty good idea to wear boots and jeans and otherwise dress for the weather.

Quigley says the district provides the equipment to remove the invasive plants and while you can work as much or as little as you please, you'll find yourself pretty much in the middle of the prairie.

“It's pretty straightforward,” he says, so don't worry if you're less Johnny Appleseed and more Johnny Big Screen TV.

The truth is, the forest preserve district regularly depends on volunteers to do some of the manual labor it otherwise wouldn't have the staff to do.

Quigley says between 950 and 1,000 people a year register as volunteers for a variety of tasks with the district and another 4,000 to 5,000 help out, usually on a one-time basis as part of a group or corporation looking to do good deeds.

It's unusual for a week or even a day to go by in which someone isn't helping out somewhere in one of the district's 60 preserves that cover roughly 25,000 acres.

There's no monetary reward, of course, but you might get a hearty handshake and most definitely “our sincere gratitude,” Quigley says.

There's also a sense of accomplishment in getting your hands a little dirty and the feeling you've done your bit to help ensure the prairie's continued health.

And maybe, if you're lucky, it'll remind you the holiday spirit of giving doesn't have to go out in the trash with what's left of the tinsel.

If you go

What: Volunteer restoration workday

When: 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, Jan. 7

Where: Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve on Plainfield-Naperville Road, about a half-mile south of 75th Street

Info: (630) 933-7681