Flint & Spring Creek Watersheds Partnership

08/19/2026

Small actions can have a big impact!

Wash your car at a car wash. Pick up after your pet. Don’t hose down your driveway, use a broom. Don’t use fertilizer made with phosphorus. Do not flush expired or unwanted medication down the toilet. Properly dispose of leftover paint. Take used oil or antifreeze to a service station or recycling center. Use a rain barrel to collect rainwater for watering.

08/18/2026

New to native plants? Learn how to create a native garden for sunny spaces at this free event!

Layering techniques and favorite combos will be shown for gardens big and small.

After the program, there will be a brief ceremony where The Land Conservancy will present the Johnsburg Library with a Conservation@Work sign to launch their garden revamp.
Sign up here: https://johnsburglibrary.org/events/native-plants-for-sunny-gardens-adult-program/

08/12/2026

Small actions can have a big impact on our water quality.

Wash your car at a car wash. Pick up after your pet. Don’t hose down your driveway, use a broom. Don’t use fertilizer made with phosphorus. Do not flush expired or unwanted medication down the toilet. Properly dispose of leftover paint. Take used oil or antifreeze to a service station or recycling center. Use a rain barrel to collect rainwater for watering.

08/09/2026

This is what happens when we restore wetlands instead of just paving them over! 🪷

Twenty years ago, Chicago couldn’t expand O'Hare Airport without replacing the wetlands it destroyed. Thanks to the Clean Water Act's mitigation requirements, the city invested $26 million to restore over 530 acres across the Des Plaines River watershed.

Former drained farmland quickly rebounded into thriving ecosystems! Sandhill cranes returned to nest within years, and Bobolink Meadow now supports 142 bird species as an official Illinois Important Bird Area. Beyond wildlife habitat, these restored wetlands actively improve water quality, filter pollutants like nitrates, store carbon, and provide natural flood protection.

This project is proof that large-scale wetland restoration works, but these vital ecosystems are now at risk. Following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision stripping federal protections, most of Illinois' remaining wetlands are left completely vulnerable to bulldozers. As heavier rainfall and flooding become more frequent across the state, Illinois urgently needs its own comprehensive safeguards to preserve the flood control, clean water, and biodiversity wetlands provide.

‼️Tell your legislators to support the Wetlands Protection Act: https://act.ilenviro.org/a/wetlands-25

📂 Source:
📰 Molly DeVore for Block Club Chicago: ‘O’Hare’s Expansion Forced Chicago To Invest In Wetlands 20 Years Ago. Conservationists Are Seeing Results’

08/06/2026

National Water Quality Month serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting and maintaining safe water sources, including rivers, lakes, groundwater, and drinking water systems.

08/05/2026

07/30/2026

Mark your calendars for the annual BACOG Prive Well Water Testing Event on October 6, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. at the Barrington Area Library

07/30/2026

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, September 26, 2026, 5:00–10:00 p.m.
At the Barrington Hills Park District /Riding Center and Spring Creek Forest Preserve

Celebrate autumn and connect with family, friends, and neighbors at an outdoor moonlight festival to benefit Citizens for Conservation.

Enjoy a cookout dinner, b**r and w**e, narrated horse-drawn wagon rides, stargazing with powerful telescopes, native birds of prey, a raffle, live music with dancing under the stars, capped off by a blazing bonfire.

Save the Date! ✨ Saturday, September 26, 2026, 5:00–10:00 p.m.At the Barrington Hills Park District /Riding Center and Spring Creek Forest Preserve Celebrate autumn and connect with family, friends, and neighbors at an outdoor moonlight…

07/28/2026

07/28/2026

As environmentalists from around the world convened at the Aspen Ideas: Climate event in Chicago from July 20 to July 22, the conversation about conservation moved to Barrington Hills on July 20.