How volunteers helped create a rare bird habitat at Fermilab

In honor of Arbor Day, Fermilab in Batavia recently held a volunteer workday with the goal of creating a shrub land habitat for rare birds.

While Fermilab is known for its extensive prairie restorations, creating patches of native shrubs will provide habitat for 13 species of shrub land birds that are of high conservation priority.

With guidance from an ecologist, volunteers, armed with gloves and shovels, spent two hours planting native trees and shrubs provided by Fermi Research Alliance and Fermilab Natural Areas. Afterward, they were treated to a hot dog lunch.

Fermilab Natural Areas is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to restoring, managing, and enhancing the natural areas and resources of Fermilab in order to maintain and improve their ecological health and biodiversity. For details about the organization and a calendar of upcoming events, visit www.fermilabnaturalareas.org.