Click Here for the 2012 Plant Sale Order form.

Citizens for Conservation will hold its 16th annual Native Plant, Shrub and Tree Sale on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6 from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.  A huge selection of robust, hardy native plants will be available for purchase and knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand to answer questions.  
Native plants provide many advantages for gardeners and the environment.  They do not require fertilizers or pesticides, saving gardeners both time and money. In addition, their deep, fibrous root systems firmly anchor soil to help prevent erosion and conserve water.  Native plants do not require watering, but instead provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.
Native forbs (flowering plants) and grasses will be available on the day of the sale, but trees and shrubs must be ordered in advance.  If you wish to order before the sale, you can find an order form on the CFC website at www. Citizensforconservation.org. The deadline for advance orders is April 21. The sale will be held at CFC’s headquarters, 459 W. Highway 22, in Lake Barrington, across from Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.  If questions, or to have an order form mailed, call CFC at 847-382-SAVE (7283). 

Eleven-Acre Land Donation Expands CFC’s Flint Creek Savanna South Property  

LAKE BARRINGTON, IL – Citizens for Conservation (CFC) today announced that it is expanding its Flint Creek Savanna South property as a result of the donation by the Barrington Bank & Trust of a parcel of approximately eleven acres of open space formerly known as “Lot 2 of the Boulder Ridge Subdivision” located along Northwest Highway in Lake Barrington. CFC had been working for a number of years with the previous owner to secure this parcel. When Barrington Bank & Trust took possession of the property in 2010, CFC immediately reached out to the bank's senior management to work out a win-win partnership that would preserve such an important groundwater recharge location, as identified by the Flint Creek Watershed Partnership and BACOG.  

CFC’s Land Preservation Chairman Alberto Moriondo stated, “We are very pleased with the partnership with Barrington Bank & Trust that enabled us to expand the size of our Flint Creek Savanna South preserve to almost twenty acres under CFC management.  From the very beginning, it was clear that the Bank shared CFC’s mission of protecting natural lands and was committed to giving back to the community. This latest addition furthers CFC’s goal of creating a “natural corridor” along Flint Creek and beyond.” 

Barrington Bank & Trust CEO Brad Stetson said, “We are happy to partner with CFC and see that our donation will go to an organization that is the recognized land steward in the Barrington area. Barrington Bank & Trust is a big believer of reinvesting in the community and this partnership with CFC aligns with our mission and core values, ensuring that the parcel will be restored it to its natural condition and preserved in perpetuity.”  

Since 2005, CFC has been successful in securing over 50 acres of open space in the Barrington area, both directly and by working with private and local government entities. It recently partnered with the Village of Lake Barrington to acquire a 30-acre parcel formerly known as the Gibbs property and subsequently purchased 8.5 acres from the Village in two separate transactions. CFC retains a 20-year option to purchase the entire property. CFC believes that current market conditions are very favorable for land preservation and is committed to continue expanding its natural lands initiatives.  

About Citizens for Conservation   

Citizens for Conservation has been a leading environmental steward of the Barrington area for the last forty years. Incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1971, it currently has 374 acres under management and has helped protect over 3,000 acres in the BACOG area since its founding. CFC acquires land for preservation and restoration while also providing both adult and children’s education to local communities. Its cutting-edge restorations provide habitat for threatened species of plants and animals such as the sandhill crane, and its educational outreach provides residents with programs about native plants, water conservation, pollinators, coyotes, deer, and other subjects of local interest. Each day CFC volunteers live the organization’s mission of “Saving Living Space for Living Things through protection, restoration and stewardship of land, conservation of natural resources and education.” 

Read more about Reed Canary, Garlic Mustard, Buckthorn, Teasel and others here.

Photo caption: Citizens for Conservation (CFC) and Village of Barrington (VOB) representatives celebrate receiving the 2010 Conservation and Native Landscaping Award for Baker's Lake Savanna from Chicago Wilderness (CW) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Front row: Barb Cragan and Sam Oliver, CFC; Melinda Pruett-Jones, CW Executive Director; Danielle Green, EPA; Peggy Simonsen, CFC; Karen Darch, President, VOB; Dennis Burmeister,  Director of Public Works, VOB; Patsy Mortimer, CFC.  Back row: Tom Vanderpoel, CFC; Mike Szymanski, Village Forester, VOB. 

Photo credit: U.S.EPA

Photography: April Graves

Quintessential Barrington had a recent article on Barrington Hills resident Peggy Richards and her gift of Grigsby Prairie to CFC. This is CFC's first restoration project and is now an important bird habitat, with red-headed woodpeckers, bobolinks, blue birds and other prairie species. It also provides important seed for the prairie restoration that is on-going at Spring Creek Forest Preserve. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be hosting 4 public meetings this October to seek input from local residents and user groups for this potential refuge. Open houses are from 4:00 - 8:00 pm at the dates and locations below.

More information is available on the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge website.

Comments may also be made at the Sierra Club's page.