Algonquin Garden Club donates $2,000 to Friends of Dundee Natural Areas

On Oct. 27, the Algonquin Garden Club presented a $2,000 check to the newly formed Friends of Dundee Natural Areas.

It is an affiliate of The Conservation Foundation, located in Will County. Its mission is "to help public and private landowners of natural areas within the greater Dundee Township area to overcome the challenges of limited resources in preservation, ecological restoration and protection of these open spaces."

The Algonquin Garden Club, founded in 1929, currently has 25 members.

In presenting the check, Member Carol Weinhammer said "our club has long supported conservation efforts and the use of native plants in the landscape. So the club's botanical goals converge well with those of FDNA."

According to FDNA member Susanne Masi, "We are a new organization and we're excited to receive our very first donation from the Garden Club. In the future we hope to enlist more support from the public to be put toward conservation of the beautiful natural areas in our township."

Key FDNA goals are raising funds to help support the Dundee Township Open Space Program through grants and private donations and inviting broad public participation in restoration work, ecological study, and enjoyment of the preserves.

June Keibler, a founding member of FDNA, pointed out that "We are extremely fortunate in our township to have prairies as well as streams, wetlands and beautiful woodlands to enjoy. We are perhaps the greenest place in Kane County."

One such natural area is Dixie Briggs Fromm Illinois Nature Preserve in Algonquin.

The garden club recently hosted a hayride there for club members. Participants learned the history of the site, its special plants, and some of the management activities being implemented by staff and volunteers to restore it to native prairie and woodland.

Learn more about the Algonquin Garden Club at algonquingardenclub.org.