Summer 2003

Scattered high-quality prairie, savanna remnants, and 187 native plant species have responded to loving restoration efforts of devoted volunteers

Cook County, Illinois

"Let's meet at Ted's" is the rallying cry for volunteer stewards Barbara and George Birmingham and a devoted crew of 30 regular volunteers. Eight short years ago, much of the 140-acre Theodore Stone Preserve in southwestern Cook County was a mess of invasive buckthorn, with little else managing to eke out a living beneath it. But scattered high-quality prairie and savanna remnants survived throughout the preserve, and volunteers have begun to restore the degraded areas. The results have been much like the patient cleaning of a rare art masterpiece.

Although Ted Stone Preserve lacks formal paths, visitors can navigate the property along the two paths trod by volunteers traveling between work sites. Just north of the picnic area by the parking lot, a bridge crosses some wetlands. Leave the bridge before it turns right and head up the ridge. A short distance northwest, the savanna opens up to overlook a creek. According to Barbara Birmingham, "You get this wonderful sweep of wide-open savanna with these wonderful ancient trees" that evokes presettlement times.

In the northeast section of the preserve, exposed rock signals the beginning of dolomite prairie. "You get the sense that it's special," says Barbara. "Everything that grows there is growing there by great might of will." These plants send long roots through cracks in the rock to find the moisture they need. In the summer, false pennyroyal and a mysterious, stunted, downy grass create the impression of a "green shag carpet" there. Hikers here may even stumble upon a remnant patch of auto racetrack built on the property around the 1940s.

Thanks to the group's efforts, visitors can now see into the woods, where buckthorn had formerly obscured the view. Restoration can be hard work, but volunteers find inspiration in toiling alongside some of the 187 native plant species — including purple milkweed, sky-blue aster, downy wood mint, and rough blazing star — they are working to protect. Restoration activities vary greatly, both because the area contains a variety of habitats and because certain tasks are more appropriate for certain seasons. If clearing buckthorn under the shade of a bitternut hickory holds no appeal, then perhaps pulling garlic mustard to save the marsh marigold will. The whole picture of Theodore Stone Preserve's original ecology has yet to be revealed, but the sculptured limbs of elderly oaks — that less than 200 years ago sheltered vibrant carpets of flowers — hint at both its past and potential.

However, much work remains to be done. "There are days when everything is right in front of me, and I'm in the middle of it all," says Birmingham, "and then I stand on the ridge and realize how big 140 acres is." While the restoration process can seem slow when measured in human time, volunteers can experience tangible results of their work. Visitors to Theodore Stone may notice a restored glen bursting with summer wildflowers or a coyote chasing down prey in one of the prairies. Someday they may witness the return of prairie birds. Says Birmingham, "The place seems to reveal more of itself with every workday."

To volunteer at Theodore Stone Preserve and many other important sites, visit the Des Plaines River Valley Restoration Project Web site at restoringnature.org or call the Conservation Volunteer Hotline at (708) 771-1334.

— Heather Czaja