
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
Burr Oak Valley Preserve
FIRST SATURDAYS 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
Join us for this free program as Laura Sjoquist, NLI Education Committee member, leads us in a discussion about the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Registration is required. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the day before the program.
About the Author and Book Description:
One of the New York Times Book Review’s Ten Best Books of the Year
Winner of the James Beard Award
Author of How to Change Your Mind and the #1 New York Times Bestsellers In Defense of Food and Food Rules
What should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, with The Omnivore’s Dilemma, his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species. In the years since, Pollan’s revolutionary examination has changed the way Americans think about food. Bringing wide attention to the little-known but vitally important dimensions of food and agriculture in America, Pollan launched a national conversation about what we eat and the profound consequences that even the simplest everyday food choices have on both ourselves and the natural world. Ten years later, The Omnivore’s Dilemma continues to transform the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.
Order the book from Amazon or from your favorite reading device store.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
Third Saturday Stewardship Day at Silver Creek Woods Preserve
Directions: 5753 Prairie Rd., Rockford, IL 61102, a few miles southwest of town, just north of Fuller Memorial Forest Preserve. Alternate entrance is just west of the 6038 Tipple Rd. Please contact Dion Faith to confirm which entrance will be used on a specific date (see his contact information below).
9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Join us at this preserve, originally donated to NLI by our founders George and Barbara Fell, to assist with a variety of restoration work including the removal and treatment of bush honeysuckle and common buckthorn, and burning of brush piles. Explore the beauty of this private natural area while you provide community service. You never know, you might see a rare bird, mammal or plant.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
Site Steward,
Dion Faith, (815)520-6916,
Docfaith68@yahoo.com
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed for the stewardship day or for part of the day. Please let Dion know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
Dion provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
Burr Oak Valley Preserve
FIRST SATURDAYS 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
Third Saturday Stewardship Day at Silver Creek Woods Preserve
Directions: 5753 Prairie Rd., Rockford, IL 61102, a few miles southwest of town, just north of Fuller Memorial Forest Preserve. Alternate entrance is just west of the 6038 Tipple Rd. Please contact Dion Faith to confirm which entrance will be used on a specific date (see his contact information below).
9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Join us at this preserve, originally donated to NLI by our founders George and Barbara Fell, to assist with a variety of restoration work including the removal and treatment of bush honeysuckle and common buckthorn, and burning of brush piles. Explore the beauty of this private natural area while you provide community service. You never know, you might see a rare bird, mammal or plant.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
Site Steward,
Dion Faith, (815)520-6916,
Docfaith68@yahoo.com
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed for the stewardship day or for part of the day. Please let Dion know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
Dion provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAYS
Will resume in spring 2021 with social distancing protocols in place.
Nygren Wetland Preserve
Address: 3190 W. Rockton Rd., Rockton IL 61072
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NLI’s most ambitious restoration to date hosts a complex of habitats and rare species. Volunteer tasks include control and removal of bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard or other invasive species, planting/collecting seeds, helping in the greenhouse, planting plugs, general maintenance, bird and mammal monitoring, prescribed burns, and set-up for special events. Enjoy the beauty of the prairies and wetlands while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in this volunteer Stewardship Day should contact:
Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
EVERY THURSDAY
Directions: Meet across from Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 7404 Elevator Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073
Thursdays: 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
The rare habitats found here were in peril until you stepped in to help out. Play a role in tackling the invasive threats in the remnant prairies and woodlands of this preserve. Tasks include removing and controlling the non-native woody brush, prescribed burns and seed collection. Enjoy fresh air, exercise and the beauty of this special place while you work.
Individuals or groups who wish to participate in one of the volunteer Stewardship Days should contact:
- Zach Grycan, Director of Stewardship, for more information and to confirm participation at 920/912-4338, zgrycan@naturalland.org
- Tyler Pellegrini, Restoration Technician, 815-970-5012, tpellegrini@naturalland.org
You are welcome to help during the entire time listed or for part of the day. Please let Zach or Tyler know what time to expect you.
What to bring:
NLI provides tools, gloves, and water (and sometimes special snacks!). If you plan to stay through lunch, you may want to bring a sack lunch. Dress for the weather. Long sleeves, pants, and sturdy boots are recommended.
Join us for this free program as Laura Sjoquist, NLI Education Committee member, leads us in a discussion about the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Registration is required. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the day before the program.
About the Author and Book Description:
One of the New York Times Book Review’s Ten Best Books of the Year
Winner of the James Beard Award
Author of How to Change Your Mind and the #1 New York Times Bestsellers In Defense of Food and Food Rules
What should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, with The Omnivore’s Dilemma, his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species. In the years since, Pollan’s revolutionary examination has changed the way Americans think about food. Bringing wide attention to the little-known but vitally important dimensions of food and agriculture in America, Pollan launched a national conversation about what we eat and the profound consequences that even the simplest everyday food choices have on both ourselves and the natural world. Ten years later, The Omnivore’s Dilemma continues to transform the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.
Order the book from Amazon or from your favorite reading device store.
Featured Book:
NATURAL VOICES: Celebrating Nature With Opened Eyes
This Virtual Book Discussion will be led by City of Rockford Poet Laureate Christine Swanberg. Swanberg was the Editorial Consultant and is one of the 14 authors featured in this nature themed poetry and prose anthology published by NLI in 2018.
April is National Poetry Month and April 22 is Earth Day. What better way to celebrate both than by doing it together?
This book is available in the NLI office for a $12 donation or for $15 (with shipping and handling) online here: https://www.naturalland.org/merchandise/
Registration is required for this free program. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants the day before the program.