- Burr Oak Rescue CITO Date: 4/29/18 from 9-11AM.
- Location: Dixie Briggs Fromm Illinois State Nature Preserve in Algonquin
- Parking: street parking on Braewood Drive south of Gaslight Drive
- What we will do: Use hand tools to cut Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, etc. then stack brush in piles to burn on a future date.
- What to bring: Wear sturdy closed toe shoes or boots for the uneven terrain. Dress in layers. Sunscreen and or hat. Bring work gloves, water to drink, optional snack to share. Signed permission slips and waivers are available at www.dundeetownship.org and at the event are required for all participants. There are no onsite restrooms.
Free this Burr Oak from encroaching invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle. With a 44 inch circumference at last measurement, this Burr Oak tree is between 300-350 years old. Allow this mighty pioneer to bask in the sunshine, gather water and nutrients from the ground without competition. Clearing this area helps restore the hydrology to the rare fen ecosystem below this tree. Once full of Burr Oaks and Hickory trees there are now just a few remaining.
This Burr Oaks is a favorite perch for the Red Tail Hawk when he is hunting and provides pollen for bees. According to the US Forestry Service, Burr Oak acorns are eaten by deer, squirrels, cottontails, mice and other rodents. Several bird species utilize Burr Oak trees or communities for nesting and for foraging including sharp-tailed grouse and wild turkeys, White-breasted nuthatches, Eurasian treecreepers, red-headed woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and downy woodpeckers.
Thanks to the foresight of Dundee Township Management, who saw the voracious appetite of developers for acquisition of local farm land for residential construction, the township board used a successful referendum for "Open Space" land acquisition bonds. Part of the money was used to acquire land from the heirs of Dixie Briggs Fromm who decreed that her land was not to be sold to developers. Due to great botanical interest in this 150 acres, this site received State Dedicated Nature Preserve status.
The preserve includes original native wooded hillsides, a hydric valley floor, restored stream banks, a fine sedge meadow and three rare fen ecosystems. Also, a rare dry gravel hill prairie and areas of open field restored prairie. The plant inventory includes 375 native species of which 49 are rated "10" for rare, threatened or endangered. The Baptisia leucophaca (Cream Wild Indigo) grows like gangbusters at Dixie!
Return for our to our 2018 free guided nature tours:
May 15 - 2:00 PM
July 15 - 2:00 PM
Sept 2 - 2:00 PM