Just another day for retiring environmental teacher Swick

By his own admission, Gary Swick isn't the most tech-savvy person at Dundee-Crown High School, where he has taught environmental science for 34 years.

But with a $10,000 grant from Toyota and the help of Google Maps, Swick and his students have spent the last semester plotting the course of four local creeks and identifying the spots where the creeks could use an extreme makeover.

On Monday, Swick's environmental research students presented their findings and recommendations to a group of elected and appointed officials representing West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Dundee Township and Carpentersville.

Swick's last day as a high school teacher is Tuesday. The monitoring project allows him to segue into his post-education life as an environmental advocate on behalf of organizations like Friends of the Fox River - which keeps an eye on the water quality in the Fox River.

"The idea of it is to identify land uses that impact water quality," Swick said Monday. "I'm really looking for the smoking gun.

"The idea is to do something about what you find."

One team of students spent two weekends wading through muck that has accumulated in Sleepy Hollow's Sleepy Creek, taking pictures of the creek and plotting the results of their research on Google Maps.

"We felt we could really help the area we live in," said Dan Jaskowiak, a junior who lives in Sleepy Hollow.

According to the students, residents who have mowed grass and other vegetation close to the creek have caused the creek banks to erode, leading silt to build up on the creek bed. Pesticides and fertilizers from nearby yards have seeped into the creek, creating algae blooms that suffocate fish and other aquatic life.

But the students said the solution is easy: plant deep-rooted, native vegetation to hold the banks in place and act as a buffer for chemicals; pull tires and other trash out of creek; educate residents about mowing lawns close to the creek; leave broken dams unrepaired to allow the creek to flow naturally.

"The creek is really healthy," junior Nick Hartland said. "There's just a few things that can make it so much better."

While many of students in Swick's environmental research class had the legendary teacher for the first time this year, they understood why he has racked up so many accolades in his long career.

"I wish he wasn't leaving," Jaskowiak said. "I'd take more of his classes."