For those who believe in the expression "You have to give to get," look no further than Chicago Park District's "Nature Stewardship Workdays." The program offers opportunities to join together and lend a helpful hand. Participants walk away with valuable experience and appreciation of the City's natural areas.
Two up and coming Nature Stewardship Workdays are to be held at Gompers Park— located at Foster and Pulaski— on April 8 and May 13 (from 9 am - 12). There will also be a park and natural areas clean-up at Gompers to celebrate Earth Day on April 22.
What can a volunteer expect to do at these workdays? "Activities vary, but workdays [at Gompers] might include mulching trails, pulling invasive weeds (usually garlic mustard in the spring), and general spring cleanup/trash pickup," explains Angela Sturdevant, Chicago Park District Natural Areas Manager.
"Stewardship workdays give people a chance to make a tangible impact in the nature areas in the parks," Angela continues. "It's a great way to learn about ecology while getting your hands dirty restoring a prairie, savanna, or wetland. There's great satisfaction in pulling out garlic mustard in the spring and coming back in the fall to see the woodland wildflowers in bloom. It's also a good opportunity to get out and explore the hidden pockets of nature within the city that you may not otherwise experience."
The Chicago Park District recommends volunteers dress for the weather. It is a good idea to wear long pants, sturdy shoes, sun/wind/rain protection, and to bring drinking water.
Each workday will include a tour of the site, a short orientation, and a work project; additional educational programming may be included.
For a complete schedule of volunteer workdays offered at 12 nature areas in the Chicago Park District from February to November, see: www.chicagoparkdistrict.com, under "volunteer@cpd" in the upper right corner.
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