FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Emily Solberg, Director of Public Programs and Volunteers
847-387-3149
emily@bactrust.org

BARRINGTON, Ill. (April 27, 2017) – Students from Barrington High School and adult volunteers came out on Earth Day to help beautify Pederson Preserve, a nature preserve owned by Barrington Area Conservation Trust (BACT) and located on Lake Cook Road and Hart Roads, across from the high school in Barrington.

For some of the students, the afternoon in nature was a real-world extension of their classroom educational experience. Susan Lenz, BACT Director of Community Engagement and Education, previously visited Barrington High School classrooms to give a presentation on habitat restoration, and the horticulture students nurtured seedlings for the Earth Day project.

”We planted blue joint grass, butterfly weed and rose milkweed plants in the high school greenhouse in the fall,” said Lenz. “Those same seedlings were planted with students on Earth Day.”

Combining classroom and hands-on learning experiences is one of the key outreach programs of the Barrington Area Conservation Trust. The Conservation Trust partners with the BHS Science department and teachers to provide hands-on field experiences for students including: growing native plants, testing water quality of nearby streams, and preserving and restoring open lands in the Barrington area.

“The education goal of projects like Earth Day Work Day at Pederson Preserve is to provide a dynamic natural area easily accessible by high school students so that they have the opportunity to connect with nature, both as part of their school curriculum, and as a volunteer or visitor to our preserves,” said Lisa Woolford, Executive Director of BACT.

Participants planted native plants and removed invasive buckthorn and trash from the site. High School students and teachers, volunteers from the community, and Boy Scouts have been helping restore and improve Pederson Preserve since 2011.

“The Conservation Trust’s goal is to return Pederson Preserve to a high quality wetland that provides biodiversity for nature and people,” said Woolford. She added that without restored open spaces, nature is unable to provide ecosystem services like clean water, carbon storage and clean air.

Generous support for the restoration of Pederson Preserve is provided by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Garden Club of Barrington.

Pederson Preserve is a 5.6-acre parcel of land adjacent to Flint Creek at the southwest corner of Lake-Cook and Hart Roads. The preserve connects more than 20 acres of prairie and wetlands owned by PepsiCo Research and Development Technical Center to the east with another five-acre conservation easement held by BACT to the west.

Purchased by BACT from the Grace H. Schurecht Trust in a bargain sale (priced below the appraised value of the property funds for the purchase), funds were provided by a generous grant from Frederica “Freddie” Smith Pederson. The property is named the “Pederson Preserve” in honor of Freddie’s late husband, Keith Pederson, who was a distinguished Barrington citizen.

The Barrington Area Conservation Trust preserves our community’s rare and exceptional open spaces for current and future generations. The Conservation Trust permanently preserves open space through conservation easements and land donations, restores natural habitats and inspires future generations of conservation stewards. Our outreach efforts engage homeowners, businesses and schools through education, consultation and hands-on opportunities.

We achieve our goals through the support of members, family foundations and businesses that embrace our vision of a sustainable, beautiful environment. Your efforts can make a difference. To learn more, check out our website at www.bactrust.org or call us at 847-387-3149.

PHOTOS:
Earth Day 2017, Barrington Area Conservation Trust’s Pederson Preserve.

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