Volo Bog Restoration Project invites all to join In on celebratory fall kickoff workday
All are invited to join in as the Volo Bog Restoration Project kicks off the fall season of stewardship with a day working together for the ecosystem from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. Whether new or a seasoned bog restorer, this will be a perfect chance to do something wonderful for the earth and for yourself and find out what taking care of Volo Bog is all about.
Volo Bog is a unique wetland area located in the northwest corner of Lake County that boasts many features rarely found elsewhere in Illinois. Visitors can find rare and threatened plants like carnivorous pitcher plants, the delightfully named “bog buckbean,” and enchanting tamarack trees that turn golden and drop their needles in the winter, an uncommon feat for a conifer.
But something other than vegetation has made Volo Bog special over this past year: a new community of stewards, carefully working and thinking together to protect the arresting diversity of life at the bog.
A newer steward at Volo Bog, Danielle Peters, gave a simple testimony about the draw of the volunteer work: “Being connected to new friends and nature feels really good!”
The base of the bog is formed by sphagnum moss floating atop a lake originally formed by ancient glacial ice. Plants, including the aforementioned tamaracks, grow straight out of this floating mat. They die there, but don’t disappear. Instead, they become part of the non-decaying peat soils that make Volo Bog so effective at storing carbon otherwise destined to become greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
Important work by conservationists in decades past has allowed Volo Bog to remain a bog rather than a subdivision or a parking lot. But unfortunately, Volo faces many ecological threats that the good people who created Illinois’ nature preserve system did not anticipate. Invasive species like reed canary grass, purple loosestrife, and especially glossy buckthorn steal precious habitat from the unique native species that call Volo Bog home. Restoration work is pivotal in managing the spread of these invasive plants and revitalizing native plant populations that help Volo Bog support crucial biodiversity.
It was watching as these changes caused the numbers of Volo Bog’s endangered species to dwindle that prompted IDNR staff to ask for help. In response, a new community of stewards came together to study and care for the ecosystem, burning brush, treating malignant species and collecting and planting wetland seeds.
While the volunteer community meets weekly, Nov. 9 will be the perfect time to get a taste of the healing work this community does for the bog.
Describing what to expect, steward Matt Engfer said, “Many hands make light work, and many hearts and brains too. Folks can expect to say hello, then get together to pull, snip, eat and simply revel in the bog’s beauty together! We want to ensure that when future scientists study this area, they’ll know without a doubt that the bog was loved and cherished by the community. That’s the kind of history we all want for the bog.”
Those interested in the workday on Nov. 9 can meet in the parking lot at Volo Bog, 28478 Brandenburg Road, Ingleside. RSVPs for this and other workdays are encouraged; to get in touch, email volobogrestorationproject@gmail.com.