Volunteers are welcome to join the City of Evanston’s North Shore Channel Habitat Project as we create, restore, and care for bird habitat along the channel and in the demonstration garden in front of the Civic Center.
A great way to get involved is to come out for a workday, and several are coming up soon:
- Saturday, September 23, 1:00–4:00 pm Harbert Park Workday—We will prepare for October planting of bird-friendly native plants around the overlook. In August, we cleared half the planting area and removed a mountain of trash. This time, we will remove buckthorn from the other half of the planting area. Meet at the overlook near the intersection of McDaniel Avenue and Crain Street.
- Tuesday, October 3, 4:00–6:00 pm Twiggs Park Planting Day—We will work with local youth from Y.O.U. (Youth and Opportunity United) to plant bird-friendly native plants around the overlook. Meet at the overlook, which is north of the community gardens near Simpson and Dodge.
- Thursday, October 5, 4:00–6:00 pm Harbert Park Planting Day—We will work with local youth from Y.O.U. to plant bird-friendly native plants around the overlook. Meet at the overlook near McDaniel and Crain.
- Tuesday, October 10, 4:00–6:00 pm Harbert Park Planting Day—We will work with local youth from Y.O.U to finish planting bird-friendly native plants. Meet at the overlook near McDaniel and Crain.
Wear sturdy shoes and long sleeves and pant, and bring gloves and tools if you have them. For all of these, RSVP to Judy.
We also will be planting at the Ladd Aboretum on Saturday, October 7, 1:00-4:00 pm, as we celebrate Oak Awareness Month at Evanston’s third annual Oaktober Festival. Contact Wendy if you want to help—or just come ready to get dirty! Bring a trowel and gloves if you can. There will also be a tree walk, wood-milling demonstration, and bluegrass music. The program is organized in collaboration with Natural Habitat Evanston, Evanston TreeKeepers, and the Ecology Center staff. All ages are welcome, and there is no registration (you will need to sign a waiver to participate in planting). The Ecology Center is at 2024 McCormick Boulvard. There is bicycle parking around the side, and a parking lot across Bridge Street.
We also have small groups who regularly monitor, weed, and clean up each of our sites. To find out about joining one of these groups contact Doug (about the Civic Center garden), Wendy (about the Ladd Arboretum or Twiggs Park), or Judy (about Harbert Park).
— Wendy Pollock
