Citizens for Conservation is going after the bad guys! Plant bullies, that is. With a grant from Barrington Area Community Foundation (BACF), the Community Education Committee of Citizens for Conservation is launching a campaign to destroy invasive species in the Barrington area.  Our volunteers have contributed many hours over the years to eliminate obnoxious weeds and woody plants in our prairies, wetlands and woodlands, and now we are asking homeowners and municipalities to join the campaign. 

Some of the really bad guys are garlic mustard, buckthorn, reed canary grass, teasel, common reed and dame's rocket (follow the links for flyers that can be printed).  The Community Education Committee has produced flyers on each of these invasives to show what they look like in various stages of growth, why they are bad, and how to eliminate them from your property.  We invite homeowners and municipal administrators to download these flyers to participate in our invasive removal campaign.  We also have printed flyers to send on request.

Community Education has also created a twelve-plant table for you to use. This table can be a 11 x 17 poster when you print it, or it can be a simple two-sided 8 1/2 x 11 handout for you to distribute. Carry the table with you when taking a walk so that you can identify these twelve invasive plant species as you go.

In addition we have developed a short video to show at CFC events and meetings of interested organizations on request.  CFC volunteers who are experienced in eradicating invasives will also be available to homeowners to identify the bad ones and advise on removal procedures and desirable replacement alternatives. 

These extremely invasive species of plants are taking over our beautiful yards, countryside and roadsides. Invasive species crowd out the desirable native plants, drive away the birds and butterflies that depend on the natives, and reduce biodiversity creating monocultures of undesirable plants, and they are ugly!  Just look at dense stands of buckthorn along roadways, in park areas or even in your yard.  It will take a concerted community effort to make a difference against these plant bullies, and we encourage your participation.

View our very own CFC produced video and learn how to recognize and manage invasive species that we have identified to be damaging to our landscape.

Call CFC at 847-382-SAVE or respond here for more information. 

Saturday, February 25 - Michael Redmer presents his program "A Tale of Two Wetland Creatures: Contrasting Conservation Issues Facing Frogs and Turtles." Learn about these diminishing wetland species which need our understanding and protection.

Saturday, March 24 - CFC brings Jennifer Hopwood from Michigan to speak about Native Pollinators, particularly bees. Jennifer is the native bee specialist for the nationally respected and recognized Xerces society. We are excited to welcome her to Barrington.

Saturday, April 28 - CFC's Community Education Committee presents its own slide program about Invasive Plant Species. As with our other three slide programs, we illustrate the presentation primarily with our own photos taken in the Barrington area.

Please plan to attend all of our programs in the main level meeting room of the Barrington Area Library. All programs will begin at 10:00, but we offer coffee, conversation, handouts, and displays beginning at 9:30. The charge is $10.00 for non-members; members attend for free as a benefit of membership.

Download the flyer to see all the programs scheduled for 2012.