TLC is happy to welcome local farmer Claire Hodge to the team as the farm program assitant. Claire will develop TLC’s Women’s Learning Circle program through…
Karen has lived in Wonder Lake, IL most of her life. She was an attorney for 35 years and is now retired. She has fond memories of growing up on a lake – whe…
On April 12 the Youth and Family Center of McHenry County Conversacion de Conservacion Small Waters Education and Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife…
Christine is one of three people who were elected to the TLC Board of Directors in January. Christine has had a lifelong relationship with the land in McHenr…
Spring is here! Join us to watch American Woodcocks performing their amazing courtship flights. The male woodcocks will make several preent calls and then la…
Mark is one of three people who were elected to the TLC Board of Directors in January. He is a Village of Bull Valley trustee and has a certificate in ecolog…
Do you own or hope to own farmland, or know someone who does? Learn about agricultural conservation easements, what they can offer for your farmland, or how …
Have you ever wondered how to start a native plant garden, use a rain barrel or get rid of buckthorn? Check out some of the videos we have posted on these an…
If you are a business or organization that values the natural beauty and rural character of McHenry County and wants to make sure it remains that way, consid…
In 2017, through the advocacy of the Prairie State Conservation Coalition, Illinois Environmental Council, TLC and dozens of nonprofit conservation land trus…
TLC hosted an Oak Rescue on New Year’s Eve at Crowley Oaks Woods in Harvard.
What is an oak rescue? It’s an opportunity for people to work together to fre…
Jack Newton led Boy Scout Troop 149 in building a bridge at TLC’s Boloria Meadows in September for his Eagle Scout project. In addition, the bridge on the le…
TLC dedicated a workday to our friend, the late Al Van Maren on Sunday, Oct. 31. Friends and family of Al Van Maren spent time clearing brush in his oak wood…
Each fall TLC hosts a native plant Seed Sharing Day in McHenry County. Sharing native plant seeds with others is a great way to get more native plants growin…
by Julio Cardona
Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, and they’re quite an impressive sight when they flock to your backyard. If you’re looki…
by Claire Gregory
It’s hard to believe that nine weeks have already passed since the CLIPterns joined the TLC team, but each day is still an adventure.
…
by Kristi Robinson
Though I was gone last week for a drum major camp, I was excited and ready to be back at TLC for week 8 of our CLIP internship!
We …
by Arden Podpora
With more than half of the summer already gone, our time with CLIP has been flying by. Even though we had a reduced crew of just two inte…
By Evelyn Bustos
Week 6 of the CLIP internship had many unique experiences and learning opportunities, from understanding forest pests to monitoring Plant…
by Kristi Robinson
Hi! I’m Kristi, one of the CLIPterns, and I’ll be leading you through a recap of this past week.
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by Arden Podpora
The second week of TLC’s internship program, CLIP, was no less eventful than the first. From butterflies to brush saws, we gained valuabl…
Last week TLC launched its CLIP internship program, which is designed to be a hands-on learning experience designed to empower participants with the knowledg…
Those who attended the vernal pool hike on April 24 were treated to a beautiful hike and lots of tadpoles as well as other tiny creatures!
Vernal pool…
TLC staff found a Blanding’s Turtle on a TLC site. The turtle appears to have suffered (and healed) from a past injury. Blanding’s turtles are considered end…
Throughout 2020, social distancing considerably limited our options for entertainment and hobbies. Sheltering-in-place has definitely expanded our appreciati…
If you are a business or organization that values the natural beauty and rural character of McHenry County and wants to make sure it remains that way, consid…
Congrats to Carol Giammattei on becoming TLC’s 200th participating [email protected] property!
Not only is Carol a dedicated TLC volunteer, she’s also lan…
Need to stop by or call the TLC office in Woodstock? Our office hours for the next few weeks will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
After traveling 6,000 miles from Argentina, you make a stop in Alden, Illinois.
You are a bobolink, one of the most traveled migratory songbirds in the worl…
Sonja and Rich Brook have built a legacy on their farm in rural Harvard. People who frequent the Woodstock Farmers Market know the Brooks for their flavored …
I hope Phase 4 of Illinois’ coronavirus reopening finds you and your loved ones well, and that you are managing with any changes you’ve experienced through t…
The same month that I was born, August 1963, was when Martin Luther King Jr gave his “I have a dream speech,” in which he said he dreamed of a day when his “…
The Land Conservancy of McHenry County is pleased to announce that since the launch of the 5000 Acre Challenge in late January, private landowners and munici…
There are a lot of reasons why hiking is one of the most popular outdoor sports. It’s easy to do, and almost anyone can do it. There’s no need for a lot of e…
51 new acres of oak woods added since January The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (TLC) has partnered with local landowners and donors to care for 51 ne…
The Land Conservancy was looking to create a fun and meaningful way to look back on all the work we’ve been able to do with our volunteers over the last year…
As we look back on 2019, we thank Food:Land:Opportunity for their generous support of our work to promote local food farmers and regenerative farming in McHe…
The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (TLC) has preserved an 83-acre property, Slough Creek Wetland Bank, located northwest of Woodstock on Jankowski Road. …
Earlier this fall a young red-tailed hawk was found at Wolf Oak Woods that had likely been clipped by a car. She had a concussion and other injuries. Staff f…
The best ideas surface when friends meet new friends over coffee. In 2008, Rene Dankert invited me to meet Lisa Haderlein and Linda Balek for coffee and brai…
TLC member and friend Lynn Pensinger passed away on Sept. 1. In 2009 the Pensingers protected their three-acre Woodstock property with a conservation easem…
In August, TLC was accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. To become accredited, TLC provided extensive documentation and was subject to a co…
If it seems that rain events are more intense and frequent than they used to be, it’s because they are. Precipitation patterns absolutely have changed ove…
How (and when) did you start volunteering for TLC? I read a newspaper article about an Oak Rescue being held at Yonder Prairie in Woodstock with The Land …
June Keibler returns to TLC’s board of directors in 2019 after serving on the board from 1991-96. She and her husband Steve live in Dundee and have a grown …
Becky Walkington, daughter of Dick & Betty Babcock, passed away Jan. 16, 2018 after a struggle with cancer. Becky continued the stewardship of Spring Hol…
Many people tell me they don’t think that trees need care or attention. They think that trees in the woods don’t need help to survive, so they don’t do anyth…
I received this article from Jessica Campbell and Lois Johnson of the McHenry County chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and would like to share it with y…
If you drive along Illinois Route 120 between Woodstock and McHenry, you have surely seen the Wolf Oak Woods property. This is the site where “that oak” live…
What do you associate with Valentine’s Day? Hearts and flowers? A box of chocolates? Valentine’s Day cards? Birds? In the fifth century A.D., Pope Galesius e…
A garden can be much more than a beautiful part of one’s home. It can also be a connection to people and the past.A garden can be much more than a beautiful …
I cannot recall the last time I experienced silence – the complete absence of sound. Sure, there have been times that I would describe as “quiet,&rdquo…
I understand that it is welcome to see something green in the woods after winter, but please keep in mind that the welcome glint of green you see spells trou…
Have you ever heard of middens? They are basically really old landfills. The word comes from an old Scandinavian word, moedding, which means an old dump for&…
Did you see it? A beautiful sunset on your drive home at 6:30 in the evening.I smelled it the other day. The scent of rich soil heated by the midday sun.Sure…
My friend Ken Williams, a horticulturist at Ringers Landscape Service in Fox River Grove, wrote a great blog post about TLC’s 25th Anniversary Brunch last mo…
I remember the first time I heard a loon. My husband, Tom, and I were camping one summer in northern Wisconsin near a small lake. That first night, we heard …
Interesting weather this winter, wasn’t it? Last December brought tornadoes to the south and a blizzard to west Texas. Locally, we set some near-record…
Have you driven through Iowa? The roadsides are beautiful. Native wildflowers and grasses line the roads throughout much of the state, offering habitat for w…
It is iconic. The American lawn: green, neatly cut and free of any plant but grass. No violets. No clover. Definitely no dandelions! It ranks right up there …
When conservation groups burn natural land, does it disturb wildlife species? Simply put, yes. Then why do we do it, and how can we call it “ecological…
It has been a couple of years since I mentioned “The Big Three.” With Earth month (April) starting on Wednesday, it seemed like a good time to refresh our co…
Today, most people know that birds migrate by flying south during winter, and then fly north again as the days grow longer and temperatures rise. We also und…
A friend of mine in New Mexico is descended from a Spanish family that has been in Albuquerque since 1593. His ancestors were among the first settlers given …
Over the past 544 million years, Earth’s had five major extinction events. A major extinction is one where between 70% and 90% of all species on the planet a…
My husband and I have subscribed to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) service since 2007. For 18-20 weeks during the growing season (typically late Jun…
I heard a story the other day about a situation where one neighbor did not like another neighbor’s pine tree because the branches grew over part of his…
What is the law if a tree is on your property, but the branches hang over the neighbor’s property? Does your neighbor have the right to cut the branches tha…
Did you know that nearly one-third of the produce (fruits, nuts, vegetables) consumed in the US is pollinated by honeybees? And without honeybees, those item…
I understand that it is welcome to see something green in the woods after winter – especially after the winter we just had – but just keep in mind that the …
Yes, I am the one driving my car 25-40 mph on Route 14 between Bunker Hill Road and Hughes Road from Harvard to Woodstock and back again most days of the wee…
Most years, I dread January – cold, sleet, ice, and heavy grey skies. But not this year. Because winter started in earnest last November, I am already accli…
Why is it so cold? Simply put, cold is caused by the absence of heat. Sometimes conditions are such that there is much less heat in an area. For instance: Sn…
The drive to work this morning was magical. There was a light fog that put everything in a soft-focus. Plus, vegetation was glistening with a delicate l…
It’s Party Time! We may be under the threat of a Winter Storm Watch, but today we celebrate the longest night of the year, and tomorrow we know that there wi…
There was a sad report out of Whiteside County in Illinois this week. A female mountain lion was killed by a Wildlife officer from the Illinois Department of…
“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…
November has always been a misfit month to me. Fall colors are giving way to browns and greys. The bright white of the first snow usually waits until Decembe…
The season known as fall started September 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. My first clue that autumn’s arrived is the transformation of green fields of soyb…
Oaks are tough. But they aren’t invincible.
On my daily commute between Harvard and Woodstock, there are several majestic oaks I’ve admired over the years…
There is a concept known as the Commons which refers to all of the natural resources that do not belong to any single entity or individual, but belong to so…
Have I mentioned “The Big Three”?
These are the three things – in some combination – that all life needs to survive: air, water and food.
Humans live j…
Do you know where your food comes from? When eating at a restaurant, picking up a quick fast food snack, or sitting down to eat at home, do you know where ea…
I read this great article about how native plants can help reduce mosquito populations by attracting more of the critters that eat them! I saw it on the blog…
In McHenry County, water is all around us: Groundwater. Wetlands. Watersheds. Stormwater. Even so, all of the water people use locally comes from the ground….
Spring arrived late this year, and with it came the weekend drone of lawnmowers. Many an otherwise perfect Sunday afternoon nap has been shattered by a neigh…
The month of May is officially Invasive Species Awareness Month in Illinois! The goal of the month is to help every resident of the state find out what he o…
It’s Squirrel Week at the Washington Post! Kind of like “Shark Week,” but featuring furry, bridseed-eating rodents rather than cold-blooded predators. Column…