Buffalo Grove, forestry manager honored for sustainability efforts

Buffalo Grove and Forestry Manager Tom Milas recently received the Biosolids Beneficial Reuse Award from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

The award recognizes sustainability efforts related to an aquatic nursery at one of the village's water pump stations, created in partnership with the Buffalo Grove Park District and the Buffalo Grove Environmental Action Team (BG EAT). The nursery grows native plants and restocks degraded natural zones, including detention areas and wetlands, as well as pond shorelines and stream banks in Buffalo Grove.

The nursery expanded this year to include native shrubs and incorporate Exceptional Quality Compost, an environmentally sustainable product that is derived from the water reclamation process. The village and park district use the compost to mulch native planting beds at parks and village sites.

Native plants provide many benefits for natural areas. Their deep roots absorb and store surface water and infiltrate it into groundwater, and they take up excess nutrients and pollutants, in addition to trapping sediments, stabilizing soil and improving water quality.