Volunteers for are needed for a new McHenry County Conservation District project related to phenology and climate change

Come to an orientation to learn how you can contribute to this important project.
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. at Lost Valley Visitor Center in Glacial Park, Ringwood.
Register with the Volunteer Coordinator at (815)338-6223 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phenology–the Next Generation: building on a volunteer legacy
In the early 1980’s dedicated volunteers from across McHenry County came together to create a unique and valuable project that in many ways helped to define land preservation and management efforts during the following thirty years. The “Phenology Project” was spearheaded by Joyce Perbix, noted wildflower photographer and conservationist. Under Joyce’s direction, dozens of volunteers fanned out across McHenry County documenting the bloom dates and locations of hundreds of species of plants over an entire growing season. Today that information provides us with an unparalleled opportunity to discover if plants are beginning to reflect changes in bloom dates based on changing environmental conditions, including what might be the beginnings of climate shift.“Phenology–the Next Generation” is a new volunteer program designed to repeat the efforts of that first corps of volunteers using the same plant species and locations surveyed in the early 1980’s. During the summer of 2012, trained volunteers will head out to some of the most scenic Conservation Sites to document bloom dates of specific native plant species and then report their findings to the District. This data gathered on the phenology, or timing of when events occur in nature, will allow District ecologists to compare current bloom dates with those documented three decades ago.

Do you have data from the 1980’s Phenology Project?
Are you one of the volunteers who worked with the District on the Phenology Project in the 1980’s? Do you still have old data, training handouts or photos that you are willing to share? While much of the original data is still in existence, not all of the years are represented in the District’s science archives, and any additional data would be a welcome addition. If you can help out, please contact Laurie Ryan, the District’s Plant Ecologist at (815)678-4532 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information please click on the this link.