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Brookfield, IL —
How about a side of vole with your organic tomatoes?
Brookfield’s Conservation Commission is not serving up small, furry animals alongside farmer’s market fare, but it is offering locals a chance to embed themselves in their local woods — and encouraging them to shop local at the same time.
The commission is hosting a tour of the oak savanna near Kiwanis Park July 31 and are hoping it both educates people and encourages them to spend more time in town.
Sue Williams, the commission chairwoman, said the idea for the tour came through a partnership with the Brookfield Public Library.
“It was always our goal to be doing tours, and this was a happy synergy with the library’s language of conservation program,” Williams said. “We wanted to come up with something that got people outdoors this summer, into the savanna and get education points out there about conservation in our own Midwest ecosystems.”
Debbie Griggs, the head of reference and electronic services for the library, said the tour would bring a local focus to Brookfield.
“We were trying to think locally, and wanted to conserve something that’s unique to Brookfield,” Griggs said. “It is being conserved as a wildlife area.”
Conservation efforts began in the early 2000s when a number of residents realized the high concentration of oaks in the area — at least in the double digits, which was unusual, Williams said. In 2001, the area began being cleaned up and native plants were added in. The trails were added in 2003, and interpretive signs were put in 2007.
“It is going to be very interactive,” Williams said. “Our goal is to get people into the savanna year-round. It is a living place, and is different in each season.”
One of the selling points of the tour is that people can come early and shop at the Brookfield farmers market. Patty Weber, the chairwoman of the market, said the market and the conservation commission shared the same ideas.
“It is a wonderful, natural space, and people that tend to be involved with the environment are also involved with the natural produce the market puts out,” Weber said. “Whether it is the savanna or helping farmers make money through the market, we have to be involved in these practices to go forward in positive ways.”
Williams said she hoped the tour would bring people into Brookfield more often.
“Brookfield is a cool place to live,” Williams said. “We have a lot of great environmental things going on, which is unusual for a community of our size. The savanna has made commuting to and from the train station easier, and if people come in by train and see the hub of activity in town, they’ll see there is a lot to see and do here.”
How about a side of vole with your organic tomatoes?
Brookfield’s Conservation Commission is not serving up small, furry animals alongside farmer’s market fare, but it is offering locals a chance to embed themselves in their local woods — and encouraging them to shop local at the same time.
The commission is hosting a tour of the oak savanna near Kiwanis Park July 31 and are hoping it both educates people and encourages them to spend more time in town.
Sue Williams, the commission chairwoman, said the idea for the tour came through a partnership with the Brookfield Public Library.
“It was always our goal to be doing tours, and this was a happy synergy with the library’s language of conservation program,” Williams said. “We wanted to come up with something that got people outdoors this summer, into the savanna and get education points out there about conservation in our own Midwest ecosystems.”
Debbie Griggs, the head of reference and electronic services for the library, said the tour would bring a local focus to Brookfield.
“We were trying to think locally, and wanted to conserve something that’s unique to Brookfield,” Griggs said. “It is being conserved as a wildlife area.”
Conservation efforts began in the early 2000s when a number of residents realized the high concentration of oaks in the area — at least in the double digits, which was unusual, Williams said. In 2001, the area began being cleaned up and native plants were added in. The trails were added in 2003, and interpretive signs were put in 2007.
“It is going to be very interactive,” Williams said. “Our goal is to get people into the savanna year-round. It is a living place, and is different in each season.”
One of the selling points of the tour is that people can come early and shop at the Brookfield farmers market. Patty Weber, the chairwoman of the market, said the market and the conservation commission shared the same ideas.
“It is a wonderful, natural space, and people that tend to be involved with the environment are also involved with the natural produce the market puts out,” Weber said. “Whether it is the savanna or helping farmers make money through the market, we have to be involved in these practices to go forward in positive ways.”
Williams said she hoped the tour would bring people into Brookfield more often.
“Brookfield is a cool place to live,” Williams said. “We have a lot of great environmental things going on, which is unusual for a community of our size. The savanna has made commuting to and from the train station easier, and if people come in by train and see the hub of activity in town, they’ll see there is a lot to see and do here.”
During the 60- to 90-minute walking tour, local experts will lead patrons through the savanna, talking about the history of the restoration project and teach people about the local animals, plants, birds and reptiles found in the savanna.
Steve Sullivan, a volunteer tour guide and the curator of urban ecology for the Chicago Academy of Sciences and its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, will be leading a tour about the mammals that live in the savanna.
“Deer, chipmunks, raccoons and voles — small rodents, like a mouse with a short tail — all live in the savanna,” Sullivan said. “People will learn that the most impactful species in our ecosystem are humans. Our actions have an opportunity to impact things in our yards, in the savanna, and in places far from home.”
Sullivan said that conservation is not only important for the animals that live in the savanna, but for humans as well.
“It is a beautiful place, a place to go and spend time and contemplate nature,” Sullivan said. “The savanna provides community services. It has a variety of benefits for people and for animals.”
