Would that it were possible to let nature take its course.
But when it comes to the suburban landscape, we can`t. According to the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, less than 1 percent of our state`s natural vegetation survives today. The delicate balance of our ecological systems has been thrown out of whack by suburban sprawl, habitat destruction and pollution. Exotic plants and animals that have no predators choke out native species, and open woodlands once rich with grasses, sedges and wildflowers are clogged with weedy shade producers like buckthorn and box elder.
Enter one of the quieter, but no less energetic movements of our time. Whether through regional chapters of national organizations like the Nature Conservancy or local groups like the Barrington-area`s Citizens for Conservation (CFC), an ever-increasing number of adults have elected to become stewards of the earth in the name of biodiversity and natural heritage.
”I think there`s an increase in interest-there`s no question,” said Tom Vanderpoel, project manager for CFC. ”Our membership has gotten stronger over the last few years, and I think we`re doing more work this year than we`ve ever done before.”
Not content to simply hack brush and collect seeds, however, these people continually seek and share information, whether through conservancy workshops, classes or in the field.
”People are hungry to learn about what Illinois was really like and all the interrelationships between the geology and the plants and the insects and the animal life,” said Rick McAndless, site steward for the Nature Conservancy`s Poplar Creek Prairie.
”The intensity is increasing and the numbers are increasing,” said Laurel Ross, The Nature Conservancy`s Northern Illinois field representative and newly appointed education coordinator.
In ever-increasing numbers, teachers, for personal and professional reasons, are going back to school to learn how to teach in and about the outdoors.
Northern Illinois University`s Loredo Taft Field Campus in Oregon, Ill., offers a master`s in outdoor teacher education, a program that`s been at capacity for some time and has a two-year waiting list, according to campus director Dale Hoppe.
Classes range from Nature Arts and Crafts to Teaching Energy Alternatives and Conservation to Outdoor Interpretation. Hoppe said teachers learn to incorporate their love for the earth into their regular curriculum.
