Earth Day Celebration: Volunteer Workday with “The Lumberjacks of Canal Shores” ~ Restore North Shore Channel

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Cam Davis Partners with
“The Lumberjacks of Canal Shores” for Volunteer Workday to Restore North Shore
Channel in Celebration of Upcoming Earth Day

On Saturday, April 15, 2023, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, volunteers will gather at Canal Shores Golf Course along the North Shore Channel in Evanston and Wilmette for a pre-
Earth Week workday. Volunteers are meeting at 1101 Isabella Street.

Volunteers will remove invasive buckthorn, trim trees, plant tree saplings and other native plants to help
restore the natural area along the North Shore Chanel. 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 walking distance from the Central Purple Line stop on 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 located next to Evanston North Shore Hospital and patients and staff are often
walking 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 region. Volunteers will
also plant saplings of native trees provided by the MWRD through the Sapling Distribution
Program, a 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.

About the Lumberjacks
The Lumberjacks are a group of volunteers who maintain and manage natural areas within the
Canal Shores Golf Course. The Lumberjacks initially formed as a response to the little
management of wild spaces within a beloved community area. In their response, found solace
to the disconnection many feel to wild spaces in dense urban environments, and act as 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.

About the MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis
Cook County voters elected Cam Davis in 2018 and reelected him in 2020 to help make our
region more resilient from an expert in water advocacy and stormwater management.
Commissioner Davis is the chair of the MWRD Public Health and Welfare and Stormwater
committees. Evanston resident and community member, Cam finds passion in farming and
reading environmental policy.

About the MWRD
Established in 1889, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) is
an award-winning, special purpose government agency responsible for wastewater treatment
and stormwater management in Cook County, Illinois. Learn more at mwrd.org