Tag: McHenry County

Third Generation Oaks

Written on November 8, 2013.

“We are responsible for the third generation of oaks in McHenry County.” Mary Tree McClelland, horticulturist, Glacier Oaks Nursery in Harvard. To Mary’s way of thinking, the first generation of oaks was the one that...

Private Land Conservation Grows in Illinois, Locally

Written on March 13, 2013.

Illinois conservation land trusts have helped preserve more than 200,000 acres of open land in Illinois over the last 50 years. The conservation land trust movement is gaining momentum and is supported by private...

Roundabout the Rotary

Written on January 21, 2013.

From an environmental perspective, I like highway rotaries (also called roundabouts). They allow traffic to keep moving, which cuts down on cars having to stop and start at a light or stop sign. That saves gas and results...

Don’t take water for granted

Written on January 9, 2013.

I am fascinated by water. Humans can only survive a few days without it, and our bodies are 65% water. Less than one percent of the water on planet earth is available for people to use because the vast majority of water is...

“Snowflake” Bentley

Written on December 27, 2012.

I posted this once before, but thought the weather forecast warranted running it again! Hope you don’t mind! When first married, my husband and I moved to Vermont from Chicago, motivated by an image of that state as...

What is Darkness?

Written on December 17, 2012.

While driving late one night between Woodstock and Harvard, it struck me how dark it seemed. Most house lights were out, so the landscape visible along Route 14 was dark. It was a new moon, so there was no moonlight from...