Citizens for Conservation

10/03/2026

Asters and goldenrods are having their moment! 💜💛

As summer blooms begin to fade, these late-season native flowers provide an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators preparing for winter.

Their bright colors may signal the changing season to us, but for pollinators, these blooms are an important source of food when fewer flowers are available.

A beautiful reminder that late-season blooms matter, too.

10/01/2026

What a night. 🔥Saturday’s Ignite the Night event was everything we hoped for—and then some. Perfect late-September weather, a gorgeous Harvest Moon, live music and dancing, delicious food, wagon rides through the night, stargazing, native birds of prey, an amazing raffle, and a bonfire that truly lived up to its name.

Most of all, it was wonderful to see so many friends, families, neighbors, volunteers, and CFC supporters gathered together to celebrate autumn and the places we all work so hard to protect.

An evening like this may look effortless from the outside, but it takes an enormous amount of planning, creativity, teamwork, and behind-the-scenes work to bring it to life. A huge thank-you to the entire crew of volunteers who gave their time, talents, resources, and energy to make Ignite the Night such a memorable celebration.

And to everyone who joined us: thank you for spending your Saturday night with CFC and helping support our mission of saving living space for living things.

Already looking forward to the next one. 🌕✨

Photos by Rob Neff, Kelly Mazeski, and Abigail Derby Lewis

09/27/2026

🔍Sometimes collecting important native seeds takes a little searching! Our volunteers found Wood Betony growing among mature goldenrods. This partially parasitic native plant uses a specialized root system to tap into aggressive grasses and other dominant plants, slowing their growth and giving smaller, less competitive wildflowers room to thrive.

🌱By supporting biodiversity and a more balanced native landscape, Wood Betony is an important part of our restoration planning and seeding efforts. Many thanks to our great volunteers who are creating a better future for us all!
Photos: W Paulson

09/15/2026

Imagine an autumn night spent under the stars, gathered around a giant bonfire with good food, live music, dancing, and friends. 🔥🌙

That’s Ignite the Night—CFC’s moonlit autumn festival and one of our favorite nights [every other] year.

Come for the bonfire. Stay for the music, wagon rides through the prairie, stargazing, birds of prey, flashlight tours, and all the magic of a fall night outdoors. And every ticket helps restore local prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands.

📅 Saturday, September 26 | 5–10 PM
📍 Barrington Hills Park District Riding Center
🎟️ Early-bird tickets are $75 through September 24.

Come gather around the fire. **Let’s Ignite the Night!** 🔥

https://citizensforconservation.org/itn/

08/31/2026

You know what makes a conservation gathering super fun? Having it at a horse riding center! 🐴

Last Friday, at the Barrington Hills Park District Riding Center, we co-hosted an event that brought together conservation leaders, park districts, municipalities, and community partners for a day of conversation, collaboration, and inspiration around a shared goal: finding new ways to partner to expand habitat conservation across our region.

The day featured prairie and woodland tours, small-group discussions, and conversations about the Barrington Greenway Initiative to spark opportunities to share ideas and build new connections. We also had a thoughtful panel on the changing landscape of conservation policy with Forest Preserve District of Cook County Superintendent Adam Bianchi, Openlands Policy Director Chris Kessler and Flint and Spring Creek Watersheds Partnership Coordinator, Karen Daulton Lange.

A big thank you to Prairie State Conservation Coalition for sponsoring such a meaningful gathering, and to our co-hosts, Barrington Hills Park District and Barrington Area Conservation Trust, for helping bring everyone together.

CFC is grateful to everyone who participated and look forward to turning these conversations into continued collaboration for a healthier, more connected, and resilient region.

08/29/2026

Thank you to WTTW - Chicago PBS and Patty Wetli for their great coverage on CFC's volunteer-led restoration efforts at the Hill 'N Dale Preserve. The Instagram reel has great visuals of what the preserve looked like prior to 2022 and where it's at now. Take a peek at the video!

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DceEiORhY4G/

08/27/2026

Sam’s unexpected skill is quite relatable for folks who have done any conservation work. Both expected and unexpected skills were developed by our interns this summer.

Video & editing by Eleanore Kelleher

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08/25/2026

We bet you didn’t know where the custom of eating mints after dinner comes from. Luke does and is here to help!

Learn all about prairie potpourri while Luke covers this week’s plant of the week: Pycnanthemum virginianum, common mountain mint, or Virginia mountain mint.

Video & Editing by: Eleanore Kelleher
Starring: Luke Dahlberg

08/24/2026

Our interns have learned loads from their time here at CFC this summer. Tune in to this series where Eleanore interviews the interns to compare their first and last day of the internship.

Thank you to the Oberweiler Foundation for sponsoring this program throughout the years. Last but not least, thank you to another spectacular group of young conservation professionals: Emma, Mason, Max, and Sam! We’re lucky to have had you on our team and hope to see you all soon!



Reel by: Eleanore Kelleher

08/21/2026

Every piece of land has a role to play in supporting nature, from a backyard garden to a large prairie. No matter the size, every effort matters.

But sometimes size does matter. Grassland birds, for example, depend on large, open expanses of healthy prairie and grassland– places that are becoming increasingly rare.

That’s why the work at Hill ‘N Dale is so meaningful. CFC volunteers are restoring the land through prescribed fire, seeding and planting native species, and removing unbalanced species, slowly bringing back the health and diversity of this special place.

There’s something hopeful about restoring a landscape and watching life return. And when we care for the land, we care for ourselves, too– creating healthier places for wildlife, for our communities, and for future generations.

Come out and join us for a stewardship day, no experience needed! Email [email protected] for more details on opportunities to join on Thursdays and Saturdays from 9-11am.

Deep in Barrington's horse country, a former equestrian farm is being restored to native wetland and grassland habitat. How's it going?