Volunteers play key role in DuPage Co. forest preserves

It's no accident the DuPage County Forest Preserve District offers a volunteer open house each January.

After all, a fair number of people have just resolved to be more involved with their community and more generous with their time, says Deborah Brooks, volunteer recruitment specialist.

"We do it at the beginning of the new year, when people are turning over a new leaf and might want to give back to the community," she said. "We're extremely lucky to have over 25,000 acres to maintain. We have many lands and we're looking for many hands."

The preserve's "Sky's the Limit: Volunteer!" open house begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at its headquarters, 3S580 Naperville Road in the Danada Forest Preserve near Wheaton. It's the district's main recruiting drive.

Visitors can learn about the nine volunteer programs through display booths in the hour before presentations begin at 11 a.m. On Jan. 28, a follow-up question-and-answer session will give those interested further information.

"Our volunteers believe in their community, believe in the land and giving back," said Brooks, who is organizing her third open house. "They are the most giving people you could come across."

The history buff

There are two things Kelli Bender thoroughly enjoys: history and interacting with the public.

So when the donor relations manager at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle decided to volunteer for the forest preserve and began her work in March, it was fitting she did it at St. James Farm near Winfield.

"It's two interests melded together," said Bender, who holds a master's degree in museum history from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. "It's really neat to be able to talk to people and share this history about how our area developed."

An descendant of Bloomingdale dairy farmers, Bender said she enjoys learning what things were like in the time of her great-aunts and great-uncles.

Even more, Bender enjoys letting others know about it as she works as an interpreter/researcher on the site and conducts Quail Wagon Tours.

The staff treats her as if she were an employee, which Bender said is very important to the experience.

As for her work, she said the social aspect of volunteering helps in the educational aspect.

"It's a great way to meet people and share your interest with others," she said. "We are all learning from each other; still kind of learning together."

The site manager

The importance of volunteers is not lost on Keith McClow, who works with them daily as a site manager for Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago.

With limited funds and a very small staff, McClow said, volunteers are an invaluable asset to the site, a living-history farm that showcases life in the late 1800s.

"We could not do what we do without them," said McClow, who has worked on the farm for about 10 years. "We consider them unpaid staff."

Volunteers often take charge of the daily events for the farm, doing everything from conducting house tours to demonstrating old-fashioned techniques used in pie making and blacksmithing.

The volunteers do their own research and practice their skills on their own. At any given time, between two and seven volunteers are on site, depending on their schedules, McClow said. When called upon to perform and demonstrate their skills to the public, they usually come through.

"It's such a unique experience that some people just crave it," McClow said of the farm. "We thank each and every one of (the volunteers) for putting in their time and helping us teach residents of DuPage County where their food comes from."

The retiree

When Neal Conroy retired in 2006, he suddenly found himself with more time to enjoy nature. Not wanting to waste it, he looked into the forest preserve's volunteer opportunities and found something perfect for his green interest: trail patrol.

Today, he is part of a 64-person team that polices the roughly 120 miles of trails in DuPage preserves.

"It's the pleasure of walking and helping people," he said. "That's the real key: helping people and at the same time enjoying what you are doing."

Once a month, trail patrol members meet to divvy up the trails and get their assignments. Members head out in pairs and either walk or bike the trails to answer questions or guide hikers who may have gotten lost.

"It's mainly to have a presence out there in the preserves during the period when most people are there," Conroy said.

He said his interest in nature and the forest preserve made it a natural choice when he decided to volunteer more.

As he has established himself, Conroy said he takes a certain amount of ownership and considers himself a member of the staff.

"If you are going to get involved with something, whether for money or for personal satisfaction, you should go all the way," he said. "You should not do it haphazardly."