Hornaday Buckthorn Removal Project
SKOKIE LAGOONS, November, 2019 - Venturing Crew 5, a youth-led co-ed organization focused on adventure, leadership, personal growth, and service affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, has spent the past few months planning and organizing an environmental conservation project to remove invasive buckthorn from the Skokie Lagoons area.
On October 26th, over 30 Crew members and community members launched the project by spending their Saturday morning cutting down buckthorn along a small section of the lagoons north of Tower Road. The buckthorn trees were chopped up into sections and burned to prevent regermination. The goal of this conservation project is to restore the area to a native state by removing as much buckthorn along the lagoon as possible and planting native species in its place.
Venturing Crew 5's conservation efforts are part of the William T. Hornaday Awards program. The fundamental purpose of this program is to encourage learning by the participants and to increase public awareness about natural resource conservation.
Venturing Crew 5 is asking members of the community to volunteer their time. At the first workday last week, a few outside volunteers came to help, but more are needed. Shivam Tailor, President of Venturing Crew 5 and a New Trier senior, remarked: "We want to engage the community as much as possible because everyone benefits from a healthy and thriving lagoon and forest preserve. The more people who volunteer, the more buckthorn that will be removed and replaced with native species. By carrying out this project, we will leave a legacy of long-term benefit to the lagoon and the larger community."
Venturing Crew 5 has already made noticeable progress since their first workday from volunteers of all ages, and is set on recruiting more volunteers as their work carries on into the winter.
The Crew has scheduled several more work days for this project throughout November and December, with the next workday on Saturday, November 9th, from 9am -12pm. Other dates include November 24th, December 7th, and December 15th during the same morning hours. The Backyard Nature Center will provide instruction and all necessary equipment, including saws, loppers, gloves, and safety goggles. Volunteers are requested to dress in layers and old clothes. Snacks and water are provided.
For more information, please contact Venturing Crew 5's Adult Advisor, Matthew Mullins mullins.m.s@gmail.com, or President, Shivam Tailor shivam.s.tailor@gmail.com.