Volo Bog, Moraine Hills volunteers honored

Submitted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

On Dec. 10, Illinois Department of Natural Resources staff honored 118 volunteers who donated their services to Volo Bog State Natural Area, Moraine Hills State Park and McHenry Dam in 2015. Together, they contributed 6,654 hours to these Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites.

Special Recognition was given to three individuals as Volunteer of the Year, two at Volo Bog State Natural Area and one at Moraine Hills State Park/McHenry Dam.

• Judi Downey of Round Lake Beach was one of two volunteers named Volunteer of the Year for Volo Bog State Natural Area. Downey began volunteering in 2013 as a youth program naturalist leading tours of Volo Bog for visiting students on field trips.

She created a middle school version of the activity guide that introduces students to Volo Bog before they visit, and developed an expansion of a bird migration activity from the Flying WILD curriculum for use at the site's International Migratory Bird Days celebration. She also helps with special events at Volo Bog SNA.

Judi retired from teaching middle school but isn't ready to completely sever her ties to the profession she loves. She contributed 136 volunteer hours in 2015.

• Robin Pollack of McHenry was also awarded Volunteer of the Year for Volo Bog State Natural Area. Robin began volunteering in 2013 as the new leader of the site's Youth Art Guild.

YAG is run by a team of volunteers and supported by volunteer artists from the community. Robin is the group's artist recruiter and coordinator, and a huge inspiration to the group overall.

With a bachelor of fine arts degree, Pollack steps up to lead the students on days when other artists are unavailable, or when they have to cancel last minute. Pollack began volunteering with YAG two years before her oldest daughter was old enough to join the guild. She contributed 135 hours in 2015.

• Neil Whitman of McHenry was awarded Volunteer of the Year for Moraine Hills State Park and McHenry Dam. Whitman is a regular docent at the site's nature center, a gardener for one of the native gardens and Keeper of the Kiosks. Whitman also is a bluebird monitor spring through fall, and in winter he tends the park's multiple bird feeding stations.

The stations are funded by Friends of Moraine Hills State Park of which, in 2007, Whitman was a founding member. He has recently returned to serve on the FOMHSP board of directors. Whitman is a regular at special events such as International Migratory Bird Days and Run for the Hills, the latter being FOMHSP's major fundraiser to help support projects and programs at the state park.

If that's not enough, Whitman also contributed 55 hours to habitat restoration and butterfly monitoring at Volo Bog State Natural Area, racking up a total of 180 volunteer hours between all these IDNR sites.

Volunteer of the Year plaques were presented to Downey, Pollack and Whitman by Site Superintendent Greg Kelly, Natural Resources Coordinator Stacy Iwanicki and Site Assistant Superintendent John Laskowski. Each also received a Certificate of Appreciation and a Centurian Award Plaque, which is presented to all volunteers contributing more than 100 hours in a given year.

Also receiving Centurian Award Plaques for contributing more than 100 hours each in 2015 were: Dave Albright of Crystal Lake, Nancy Bodinet of Lake Zurich, Kevin Click of Wonder Lake, Marie Corns of McHenry, Julia and Nina Denne of Arlington, Steve Domski of McHenry, Jerry Donahue of Fox Lake, Nancy Doughty of Barrington, Bill Ewert of Ingleside, John Fairgrieve of Hawthorn Woods, Crissy Geary of Ingleside, C.C. Geist of Island Lake, Barb Gosh of Ingleside, Marilyn Huster of Libertyville, John Holmes of Lake Villa, Tom Kearns of McHenry, Caryn McAndrews of Woodstock, Myrna Nelson of McHenry, Michelle "Micki" Noble of McHenry, Joan Proell of Wauconda, Bonnie Sheehan of Berthoud, Colorado, and Bob Vetter of Grayslake.

The following received Certificates of Appreciation for contributing 50-99 hours each to Volo Bog and/or Moraine Hills/McHenry Dam in 2015: Claudia Chrusciel of Island Lake, Brian Gilbert of Lake Zurich, Mark Ginger of Des Plaines, John Katzenmayer of Johnsburg, Kathy Kozacky of Roselle, Esther Larson of McHenry, Yvette Liautaud of Streamwood, Tom McAndrews of Woodstock, Scott McMillion of Gurnee, Chris Oszak of Villa Park, Nancy & Randy Schietzelt of Crystal Lake, Ann Shanks of Grayslake, Karen Sherman of Elgin, Jan Wemple of Ingleside, Judy Wooderson of Crystal Lake, Barbara Zander of Mundelein.

Thirty additional volunteers received certificates for contributing between 25-49 hours each, with another 45 people offering their help on smaller (often one-time) projects.

Volunteers contribute in numerous ways to educational programming, public relations and habitat restoration at Volo Bog State Natural Area, Moraine Hills State Park and McHenry Dam. Trained volunteer naturalists lead tours of Volo Bog for individuals and small groups Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Youth Program Naturalists lead environmental education programs including Bog Life tours. About 4,000 school and youth group children are introduced to Volo Bog each year.

Special events such as WinterFest, International Migratory Bird Days, Family Fishing Day, International Bog Day, Run for the Hills and Ghost Stories rely heavily on volunteers. Volunteer Docents greet visitors in both sites' visitor centers.

Members of McHenry County Audubon "wear two hats" while they lead bird walks at both Volo Bog and McHenry Dam. Volunteers monitor bluebird trails and tend to demonstration Prairie and Woodland Gardens at each site.

The Volunteer Veterans Conservation Corps took shape at Volo Bog State Natural Area and has branched out into Moraine Hills State Park. The VVCC is a group of veterans from different generations and conflicts who come together around a common cause: protection and enhancement of the natural environment in Illinois.

Many volunteers from the sites are also members of Friends of Volo Bog and/or Friends of Moraine Hills State Park, but membership is not required in order to volunteer for state Department of Natural Resources sites.

The Friends groups are each 501(c)(3) organizations that offer financial and volunteer support to their respective sites.

Visit them at www.FriendsofVoloBog.org and www.FriendsofMoraineHillsStatePark.org.

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