Come out this weekend and celebrate Spring at the fen, a time of renewal and anticipation of the coming months of growth and healing. On March 20, Kish received an excellent burn that covered a full 2/3's of the preserve -- double the size of any burns in the past 3 years. Let's get out and witness the fresh shoots of life emerging after two weeks of warmer temps and rain.

This Sunday, April 6, we'll choose from a variety of seasonal tasks including brush cutting and burning, seed dispersal, and group planning for the season ahead.

Meet at 9am, at the end of Palmer Drive in the village of Lakewood. We'll work until about noon, with a break in the middle. Dress for the weather, with sturdy waterproof boots if you have them.

Please RSVP at KishFenFriends@gmail.com!

This Sunday we will join together in preparing this past season’s wetland seed harvest for mixing and sowing.

For those who have never prepped seeds before, it’s good, peaceful, and sensorily pleasant work that we can do while sitting or standing. Perfect work for strategizing together about the needs of the site, and how different seed mixes can address those needs. It’s also an honor - we will have a chance to work with rare species characteristic only of high quality ecosystems, such as Ohio Goldenrod, fen betony, and grass of Parnassus, to name a few.

For delicious treats, crucial work, and thoughtful discussion about ecosystem restoration, meet at 9am at Kent’s garage in the Village of Lakewood. We’ll work until about 12pm.  

Please RSVP to kishfenfriends@gmail.com if you plan to come, and we’ll share the address with you.  

It’s our first volunteer work party of November!

We have a few possibilities for this Sunday but will keep it flexible and work with the weather.

Brush cutting and burning, and cutting/removing purple loosestrife seeds are possibilities.

Come on out for a joyful morning of ecological restoration at the beautiful Kishwaukee Fen Nature Preserve in the Village of Lakewood. Let’s celebrate the leadership and work of the volunteer stewardship community at this site, expand our numbers and impact, and plan for the future.

Might you want to learn high-level technical skills that are much needed here? We’ll teach and mentor.

Or, if you might just want to contribute a day of healing work, come! Meet some good people, and discover a wonderful and little known preserve.

Whether you're a seasoned conservationist or just starting your journey, everyone is welcome to participate in this hands-on event. We’ll kick off the next fall and winter of the care of Kish Fen through a “taste of restoration”:

* Learn plant ID while collecting rare wetland seeds.
* Prep, mix, and broadcast native seed.
* Treat and control malignant wetland species.
* Cut and burn invasive brush.

Please come, enjoy, learn, be a part of something big. We can't wait to see you there!

It’s a beautiful time to serve the rare fen ecosystem at Kish Fen. Come out for a morning of healing work!

In store are important Fall stewardship tasks: some of us will mow and scythe tall weeds to help last year's native seed mix establish (if you've never used a scythe before, come learn how!), while others will work on finalizing a fire break for the coming year's prescribed burn.

Together we'll explore select parts of the preserve, and strategize for the coming winter of management.

Wear sturdy, waterproof boots for traversing the wetland.