Camp Pine, along the eastern edge of the Des Plaines river in Glenview in northern Cook County, was originally identified by Chicago Audubon as an area to focus conservation efforts due to its potential as a breeding site for shrubland birds. In addition to this important habitat, Camp Pine boasts a fascinating mix of woodlands, prairie, and flatwoods, with a history to match it (Camp Pine was once host to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, German POW's during World War 2, and Girl Scouts).

While the last year and a half has caused some disruption to our regularly scheduled workdays, we have still made some amazing progress. The fall of 2020 saw the first prescribed burn of the prairie/shrubland in recent memory, knocking back some of the invasive buckthorn that had begun to creep back from previous removal efforts. Multiple acres of woodland were also cleared of buckthorn and other invasive species, some of which have now been re-seeded with native grasses, sedges, and flowers. Over 200 oak and hickory saplings were located and caged in these cleared areas, paving the way for the next generation of large trees.

We ended 2021 on a high note. We cleared a good section of invasives from the riverbank, opening things up for the native plants hidden among them, which should now flourish with the extra sunlight. This picture is from the last workdays of the year. Stephanie, Ken, Rodney, and Lindsay are holding up the massive grapevine which they managed to untangle from some buckthorn and re-attach to a dead tree. Our work is done with bird nesting areas in mind!

Workdays are tentatively scheduled for the first Saturday of each month. Please contact cas@chicagoaudubon.org to be added to the Camp Pine Woods mailing list.