Submitted by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
How would you like to join the Lumberjacks?
In this case, the Lumberjacks are a group of volunteers who maintain and manage natural areas within the Canal Shores Golf Course in Evanston and Wilmette.
In managing the wild spaces within a beloved community area, the Lumberjacks find solace against the disconnection from nature that many feel in dense urban environments, and the group acts as a center of change in response to the climate emergency. Operating as a collective, people supply tools that they can, knowledge about wildlife – and an occasional breakfast sandwich made over a campfire.
From 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 15, volunteers will gather at Canal Shores Golf Course along the North Shore Channel for a pre-Earth Week workday. Volunteers are meeting at 1101 Isabella St.
Volunteers will remove invasive buckthorn, trim trees, plant tree saplings and other native plants to help restore the natural area along the North Shore Channel. No prior gardening experience is required. Bring work gloves, water to drink and dress for the weather.
Volunteering will take place rain or shine. Parking is available at the clubhouse, 1030 Central St., and the golf course is walking distance from the Central Purple Line stop on the CTA.
“The North Shore Channel is an overlooked gem, connecting our neighborhood to Chicago, the South Side, and even downstate,” said Patrick Hughes Jr., who organizes the Lumberjacks and community volunteerism for the site. “Getting out to restore this place actually restores us as a community.”
Canal Shores is next to Evanston North Shore Hospital and patients and staff often walk the trails created by the Lumberjacks on breaks or between treatments.
“Volunteering gives us a chance to connect to neighbors, get outside to exercise, fight climate change and give back to our community,” said Cameron Davis, Metropolitan Water District commissioner. “MWRD is donating trees, so this is a great way to get ready for Earth Day too.”
During the workday, volunteers will remove buckthorn, a common invasive species that limits the growth of other plants and is of concern in and around the Chicago area. Volunteers will also plant saplings of native trees provided by the MWRD through the Sapling Distribution Program, implemented to distribute trees that soak up rainwater to help mitigate flooding. Volunteers will chop wood from trees being trimmed, clear brush and learn about the local ecosystem with local experts and industry professionals.
More information is available here.