BMO Harris volunteers at Flint Creek Savanna

Posted July 03, 2012 3:04 pm

Submitted by Citizens for Conservation

Citizens for Conservation was finally successful last week when the weather cooperated and allowed BMO Harris volunteers to generously donate their personal time to CFC at our Flint Creek Savanna. Severe storms and dangerous lightning forced CFC to cancel last year’s efforts.

While waiting for BMO Harris and CFC volunteers to arrive, CFC gave Harris employees a tour of CFC’s all-important seed room where collected seeds of various forbs are air dried for fall sowing. Volunteers also received a short overview of CFC’s history and mission, a quick trip into the farmhouse to learn about Community Education’s endeavors to inform residents about several invasive plant species, the Native Seed Gardener’s program, Flint Creek Watershed Partnership, and CFC’s efforts to share nature with children and families.

Restoration chairman Tom Vanderpoel explained that the volunteers would be planting various sedge plugs (small potted wetland plants) in an area that was recently rebuilt after removing the ever-invasive reed canary grass and cattails. Twenty-one BMO Harris employees in addition to the CFC volunteers and summer interns broke into small groups and set off to plant 36 flats of sedge plugs.

Seven of the BMO Harris volunteers choose to offer their volunteer services by scanning photos into CFC’s archives, making plant identification labels with native seed gardener Katherine Grover, and marking off 25-year increments on a slice of a felled bur oak, determining the oak was over 250 years old. They also made 40-50 grapevine wreaths for a fall youth education class.

Returning from planting plugs, everyone was exhausted but all were excited to hear that they had planted approximately 1,236 sedge plugs in two hours.

Citizens for Conservation thanks all of the volunteers from BMO Harris for donating over 56 hours of community service.

To learn more about Citizens for Conservation, an all-volunteer organization of 41 years, call (847) 382-7283 or visit www.citizensforconservation.org.

Information regarding BMO Harris can be found at www.harrisbank.com.

BMO Harris volunteers get an overview of the work to be done at Flint Creek Savanna by Citizens for Conservation workers. BMO Harris volunteers donated over 56 hours of community service to the nonprofit conservation group. Courtesy of Bob Lee

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