What are the People and Nature Certificate Programs?
Natural areas are under constant threat from exotic weeds, pollution, and development. Learning about the problems, talking to others about them, and making our home and business landscapes more nature-friendly is the best way to protect and enjoy nature. Be part of the solution!
McHenry County Conservation District and McHenry County College welcome you to a new and expanded series of workshops designed for people who enjoy living in, working with, and talking about nature.
Three separate tracks will be offered: Landscaping with Nature; Ecological Restoration; and Natural Interpretation. Courses can be taken by themselves in your area of interest or taken as a series to earn a certificate.
There are a total of six required workshops and two electives in the Landscaping with Nature track (L), ten are required for a certificate in Ecological Restoration track (R), and six required and two electives for the Nature Interpretation track (I). Electives are marked with an (E).
- Landscaping with Nature is geared toward homeowners and will offer workshops on recognizing native plants, observing how they are used in the home landscape, and learning how to put together a design for their garden.
- Ecological Restoration courses are designed for those interested in natural areas stewardship. Workshops will focus on prescribed burning, controlling weeds, and the ecology of Illinois landscapes.
- Nature Interpretation is geared for those who want a deeper connection with their surrounding world and are interested in nature interpretation. Workshops will focus on the basic techniques of interpretation, developing a historical character for first-person interpretation, and more!
| Ecological Restoration | Landscaping with Nature | Nature Interpretation | |||
1 |
Weeds and What We Do About Them | 1 |
Designing a Home Garden Using Native Plants | 1 |
Plants (Forests, Prairies, Wetlands) |
2 |
Field Botany Plants (Forests, Prairies, Wetlands) | 2 |
Plants (Forests, Prairies, Wetlands, Woody Plants) | 1 |
Wildlife Ecology (Birds, Herps, Backyard) |
1 |
Restoring Vegetation | 1 |
Bringing Conservation to the Home Landscape | 1 |
Communicating Ecological Restoration to the Public |
1 |
Illinois Landscapes | 1 |
Illinois Landscapes | 1 |
Illinois Landscapes |
1 |
Geology and Soil | 1 |
Restoring Vegetation | 1 |
Character Development |
1 |
Forensic Ecology | 1 |
Time Travelers | ||
1 |
Prescribed Fire | ||||
1 |
Wildlife Ecology | ||||
1 |
Woody Plants I | ||||
10 |
Required plus 0 Electives | 6 |
Required plus 2 Electives | 6 |
Required plus 2 Electives |
10 |
TOTAL | 8 |
TOTAL | 8 |
TOTAL |
View the Summer 2012 listings, including a FREE Open House Tuesday, June 5, Drop in 7–9p.m.
To learn more about the People and Nature Program, contact Tom Simpson, Research Field Station Ecologist at tsimpson@mccdistrict.org or call (815) 678-4532 x 8218.
Most classes take place at Lost Valley Visitor Center in Glacial Park, Rt. 31 and Harts Rd. in Ringwood. Register for the workshops through McHenry County College, online at www.mchenry.edu/coneducation or call (815) 455-8588.
Weekend of Restoration,
A Getaway that Made a Difference
September 23–25, 2011
The Weekend of Restoration was a 3-day event involving science education, poetry and reflection, and the ecological restoration of a small kettle wetland located in Glacial Park, near Richmond, IL. Twenty-five people took part in the event, the first of several weekend events in coming years.
Check out the time lapse videos of the basin excavation and
the Weekend of Restoration event on 
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is required for all pdf files.