A great many people over the years have made Somme Prairie Grove a well-known and respected example of good stewardship and restoration. And still, more hands could make a big difference.
Below is a list of the types of opportunities and the people who are currently involved. (To help out or to get more information, please contact us.)
| Type Of Work | Season | Description More detailed descriptions are available for seriously interested folks. |
Requirements | Who Does It Now Parentheses mean much more is needed. |
| Seed Scouts | Summer and fall | Learn to identify and map at least ten species of plants so that you can gather the seeds (or lead others in gathering them) when they’re ripe. | At least two hours per week during summer and fall. | (Paul Dolinko & Joan Meersman) |
| Rare Plant Tender | June and July (and August, depending on the plant chosen) | Locate the vulnerable rare plants that emerge each year. Cage species that need it to protect them from deer. Pollinate those that need it. | Two or three hours each on four or five days each year. | (SP) |
| Endangered Plant #1 (not allowed to put name on web) |
When needed. | Cage to protect from deer. | One to two hours on two to four days per year in May. | Open |
| Endangered Plant #2 (not allowed to put name on web) |
When needed. | Cage to protect from deer and pollinate | One to two hours on two to four days per year in June and July. | Joe Walsh |
| Endangered Plant #3 (not allowed to put name on web) |
When needed. | Cage and pollinate in cooperation with Morton Arboretum | Probably five or six hours, if all goes well. Could use a lot more. | Open |
| Rare Plant Monitor | June through September | Learn to identify one or more rare plants and count or sample them each year. | Minimum of one two hour day each year. | (SP with some help from Chicago Botanic Garden staff) |
| Plant Community Monitor | June and August or September | Sample plant communities. | Good knowledge of the region’s wetland, grassland and woodland plants. | SP & Linda Masters |
| Oak Protector For Area A | When available | Cage young bur oaks in the savanna areas to protect them from the deer until they’re big enough to prosper. | A few hours every few weeks. | Richard Day & Henrietta Saunders |
| Oak Protector For Area B | When available | Cage young bur oaks in the savanna areas to protect them from the deer until they’re big enough to prosper. | A few hours every few weeks. | Open |
| Shrubs protector | When available | Cage significant shrubs to protect them from deer. | Ability to recognize key shrub species | Open |
| Hazel Protector | When available | Cage significant American hazelnut in key areas, to protect them from deer. | Ability to recognize hazel | Jerry & Stephanie Simon |
| Frog Monitor | March through June | Learn to identify the site’s four species of frogs by their calls. Get FPD permit. Record their presence and densities during early evening visits (after dark). | Three evenings per year. One each in March, April, and June. | Open |
| Bird Monitor | February (for owls). May through June | Identify birds mostly by ear to map and record all breeding species. | Good bird identification skills for about twenty local species. | SP |
| Restoration Planner | Occasional | Propose strategies and make maps of areas for brush cutting and planting. | Plant identification and restoration study and experience. | (SP) Apprentice stewards may adopt specific areas. |
| Restoration Crew Leader | Flexible | Lead volunteer groups in special projects during weekend work events. | Varies with the work to be done. | Open |
| Herbicider | Weekends | Herbicide stumps cut by volunteers. | Illinois Herbicide License | (various) |
| Area Steward: North Swale Grove |
Flexible | Plan and implement restoration for this area. | Willingness to study a defined area, make draft plans, and revise and implement. | Don Parker, Rebecca Blazer & the 20s/30s group |
| Weed Scout | Whenever convenient (May – July) | Find and map populations of purple loosestrive, reed canary grass, and others | Ability to identify target plants. | (SP) |
| Weed Terminator | Weekends (or whenever convenient) | Herbicide weeds as mapped by weed scout. | Illinois herbicide license (and Master Steward status) | (SP) |
| Weed puller | May through August, occasionally | Find and pull remaining white sweet clover, Japanese hedge parsley, wild parsnip, etc. | Ability to identify target plants | (SP) |
| Trails Developer | As needed | Walk the trails at least once a month, watch for problems, propose solutions, implement solutions. | A sensitive practicality | SP |
| Tours Coordinator | May through October, principally | Do, or find people to do, the following: Schedule, publicize and lead (or schedule other people to lead) tours introducing small groups to the site’s birds, butterflies, plants, restoration and other features. | Various parts require a wide variety of skills and expertise. | Open |
| Printed Educational Materials | Whenever | Edit and produce trail guides in cooperation with experts (separate guides to the sites butterflies, birds, wildflowers, grasses, restoration, etc.). | Initiative. | Open |
| Audio Materials | Whenever | How about downloadable audio trail guides for each month? How about audio for the web site? | Open | |
| Advocate & Ombudsman | Whenever | Get walk light installed at Waukegan and Dundee.
Improve the deer control program. Make presentations to Village and County officials as needed |
Experience and contacts are desirable, but any smart, committed, creative person could do it. | Open |
| Web Site: Design & Graphics | As needed | Develop and maintain website. | Web site development skills necessary. | Carol Freeman |
| Web Site: Programming & Technical | As needed | Develop and maintain website. | Web site development skills necessary. | Marilyn Schweitzer |
| Web Site: Content & Recruitment | Recruit various expertise as needed (writing, graphics, science, etc.). | Administrative and people skills needed. | Open | |
| Border Defense | All year | Watch for vehicle trespass, dumping, and other incursions. Report. Negotiate solutions. | Good judgment and communications skills. | (SP) |
| Group Organizer: Middle School | Every second Friday | Coordinate the “Chicago Wilderness Rangers” workdays | Communications and people skills | Open |
| Group Organizer: 20s/30s | Occasional | Coordinate 20s/30s Group (Restoration X) workdays | Stewardship planning, communications and people skills | Don Parker & Rebecca Blazer |
| Volunteer Interns | Any time (summer probably the best) | Ask for suggestion or make one yourself. Specialized seed gathering. Weed control. | Motivation. We can provide training to people who will repay the training with hard work. |
Open 1 |
| Paid Interns | Any time (summer probably the best) | Priority restoration activities. | The candidates most competitive are those with the most skills and motivation. | Open 2 |
| Fundraiser | Any time | Find resources for needed work. | Motivation, contacts, skills, willingness to learn, whatever. | Open 3 |
Endnotes:
- Kevin Clay was the first intern in 2004. He learned much restoration and had a major
impact of the preserve. - The first paid internships for Somme Prairie Grove was made possible in summer 2005 by
a generous donation to Audubon-Chicago Region. The interns were Melina Milcarek and
Zach Ernst. - Most of the work to restore Somme Prairie Grove has been done by three decades of
volunteers, but some additional resources can make a big difference. A good example
was the request made by Beverly Hansen and others to the Northbrook Civic Foundation
that bought the split rail fence along the entrance to the service road—which helped end
decades of vehicle trespass, rutting, dumping, etc.
Revised March 2007
