HeartLands Conservancy Meanderings Summer 2022

The 2030 Plan recommends: Godfrey‘s regional identity. The HeartLands Conservancy is excited to announce the

Protect natural resources. The changes and improvements outlined return of the Tree Stewards volunteer program, where

Village is rich in active recreation in the 2030 Plan require careful volunteers will help look after and take care of new

(team trees sports) in our with communities. 278 acres Our of second class coordination of Tree so that the Village may

parkland Stewards and will the be conservation trained through of our Tree successfully Stewards continue the ongoing natural Training sites Program, (1,205 acres, a free, including six week course development that educates and expansion of the 597 participants acres in private about conservation). trees, their benefits park and care, system, and programming, and

In provides an area rich practical, in natural hands-on resources

learning in human six key resources. areas:with over 7,700 acres of undulating

• Tree identification forests and over 270 acres in

• Biology wetlands, protection of the tree

• Soils canopy and watershed ranked high

• Planting with

• Pruning the community.

More • Insects parks & on Diseases the east side.Increase the number of smallerparks located near or connected toneighborhoods, especially the eastside.

Embrace the Village’s riverfront.Did you know Godfrey has 4.4 milesof riverfront? What an opportunity!

Fifty-one miles of bicycle facilitiesand pedestrian connectivity.There are currently 18 miles ofbicycle facilities and walking trails(including the Sam B. VadalabeneGreat River Road Bike Trail at 4.4miles of Godfrey River frontage).HLC completed the Pedestrian andBicycle Plan for Godfrey a few years

ago, and it was incorporated as part

Tree Stewards & HLC Staff Loading Trees donated to Fairmont City of the plan.

Increase and formalize public/private partnerships to put theplan into action, increase communityvitality, and further develop

Special thanks to the Village of

Tree Stewards & HLC Staff Distributing Trees

Godfrey residents, Mayor MichaelJ. McCormick, elected officials,administrators Rich Beran, Village

contact Jenny Reiman, ResilientCommunities Program Manager, at618-566-4451 x 16 jenny.reiman@heartlandsconservancy.org.

Engineer, Chris Logan, Director Training will be held in person at the HeartLands of Parks & Recreation, and Todd Conservancy office on Tuesday evenings from

Schubert, Past Director of Parks & 6:00pm - 8:00pm between August 9 and September

Recreation, community

20. leaders, “Graduation” staff, will take place on Saturday, October and stakeholders, for 1st without at Arlington their Wetlands, where the class will help

insight, support and improve enthusiasm, wildlife habitat by planting native tree thickets HeartLands Conservancy in the could sand prairie. not have completed the plan. Withgratitude to Metro East Save Park the and date for an informational session! Recreation District for On their Tuesday, generous August 2nd from 6:30-7:30pm, come by support through their our grant main program office (29 E Main St., Belleville, IL 62220) to to assist communities. learn more about the Tree Steward Program.

Become an HLC Tree Steward!

No prior experience is needed to become a Tree Steward. We ask that Tree Stewards provide 24 hours of volunteer service throughout the year in communityforests, parks, and HLC projects such as at the Swansea To discuss community Exploration Garden. If you are interested in being a park planning opportunities, Tree Steward, email Belinda McAllister, belinda.mcallister@heartlandsconservancy.org, to receive more information and register for training.

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VOLUNTEERING WORKS

Volunteering is the HEART of HeartLands Conservancy

Our staff and volunteers have been busy bees this spring! Over 650 volunteer hours have been logged in 2022. We logged over 300 hours in April alone! Many of our volunteer days have taken place in Metro East parks, like the Swansea Clinton Hills Exploration Garden and Arlington Wetlands. At our standing volunteer days (3rd Friday 9:00am-12:00pm at Signal Hill and 4th Saturday 9:00am-12:00pm at Arlington Wetlands), we have been diligently working on removing invasive species like bush honeysuckle, tree of heaven, Japanese honeysuckle, and phragmites. At Arlington Wetlands, volunteers have helped repair bluebird nest boxes and planted native plants around the welcome sign. At the Exploration Garden, volunteers helped install a rain garden and conducted species monitoring in the meadow.

A dedicated group of volunteers have been monitoring bluebird boxes weekly during the breeding season. Bluebird nests successfully fledged at the Exploration Garden and Arlington Wetlands!

There are several ways to volunteer with HeartLands Conservancy. From individual, self-paced commitments to attending large stewardship days, HLC has ways for everyone to get involved. The most common way to volunteer is by attending Stewardship Volunteer Days.

Bluebird Nest at Exploration Garden by Pam Belmonte

Tree Swallow and Nest at Arlington Wetlands by Kathy MacKay & Scott Gerstenberg

These events are held at least monthly and are located throughout the entire region on public lands and HeartLands Conservancy properties. Anyone can attend these events. They are published on the events calendar online, in newsletters, and sent to our volunteers’ list.

HLC is always seeking individuals with unique skills, interests, and expertise to help our organization with a variety of conservation efforts. You can apply to volunteer via the application on our website at

https://heartlandsconservancy.org/volunteer/.

8 MEANDERINGS SUMMER 2022

Steward The most common way to volunteer is by attending volunteer days. These events are held at least monthly and are located throughout the region on public lands and HLC properties. Anyone can attend these events, and they are published on the events calendar online, in newsletters, and sent to the volunteers list. Anyone interested in outdoor stewardship activities such as invasive removal, planting, seeding, litter clean up, and trail maintenance can participate. Stewards preserve and improve the physical and biological components of HLC‘s properties or community nature preserves.

Lead Site Steward Assist in the stewardship of HLC properties by walking the trails and boundaries of our preserves, doing light maintenance during these walks, and reporting on conditions to HLC‘s staff. Volunteers must be willing to submit to a background check.

Hiking Club Leader This position is for the sociable outdoor enthusiast. The bulk of this position includes planning and leading monthly hikes on our preserves. Volunteers must be willing to submit to a background check.

Bluebird Monitor People in this position check on assigned bluebird houses weekly, February through August.

Tree Steward Work with local parks and public works departments to help care for community trees. Must be trained in proper tree planting and care. We ask that Tree Stewards attend six weekly webinars, plant and care for a tree, and 24 hours of volunteer service annually in community forests, parks, and HLC projects such as at the Swansea Exploration Garden.

Master Naturalist or Master Gardener

Assist HLC staff with programs and educational outreach events. Help create educational materials for programs. Events may be indoors or outdoors and involve adults, children, or a mixture of both. Some events are group-oriented, while others involve working with individuals one-on-one, providing extra help to children needing assistance to complete a task. May also lead guided nature hikes. Assists with set-up and clean-up depending on the type of activity. Volunteers must have a certificate of completion for either Master Naturalist or Master Gardener coursework.

Jingle Hike Liaison Help plan the annual Jingle Hike Challenge (Thanksgiving Day - New Year‘s Day).

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