More than $200,000 in grant funding will
support community conservation and preservation projects
ComEd and Openlands will award grants from the ComEd Green
Region Program to 25 recipients, ranging from municipalities to
forest preserve districts, throughout northern Illinois. The
grantees will each receive up to $10,000 for open space projects
that focus on conservation, preservation, and improvements to local
parks and recreation resources.
This marks the fifth year that ComEd is partnering with
Openlands, one of the oldest metropolitan conservation
organizations in the nation, for the ComEd Green Region Program.
This year’s grant cycle featured a special focus on projects that
help pollinators like butterflies and bees.
“This year’s Green Region grantees are working diligently to
ensure that open spaces in northern Illinois are enhanced,
protected, and preserved,” said Fidel Marquez, senior vice
president of Governmental and External Affairs at ComEd. “The
grants will help each of these communities advance its own unique
green initiative, from transforming unused turf grass into
pollinator gardens to building brand new outdoor classrooms. ComEd
is proud to partner with Openlands to support a sustainable future
for our communities and our customers.”
The Green Region partnership is one of the many ways ComEd and
Openlands give back to support environmental projects in the
region. Openlands, a Chicago-based non-profit focused on land
conservation, is administering the Green Region Program. Earlier
this year, municipalities throughout northern Illinois submitted
their grant applications, and an advisory committee composed of
county government officials and members of the region’s non-profit
land conservation community reviewed the applications.
“Openlands believes that open space—from trails and preserves to
public gardens and tree-lined streets—is critical for the quality
of life of our region,” said Openlands President and CEO Jerry
Adelmann. “Thanks to ComEd's support, we are able to help
communities throughout northern Illinois create and enhance open
space where their citizens live, work, and play.”
Additional information on the ComEd Green Region Program can be
found at www.openlands.org/greenregion.
The 25 Green Region grant recipients for 2017 are:
Oak Lawn Community Garden Expansion (Oak Lawn Park
District): This project will establish pollinator habitat at
the Oak Lawn Community Garden to enhance the experience of garden
visitors and support pollination for nearby community garden
plots.
Improving Palmisano Park for Pollinators and People (Chicago
Park District Natural Areas Program): This project will improve
Chicago’s Palmisano Park, with volunteers installing over 6,400
native plants to provide nectar and host plants for pollinators
while contractors repair trails to increase site access.
Green Bay Trail Habitat Restoration Project (Village
of Glencoe): This project will support the ongoing
implementation of the stewardship plan for areas along the Green
Bay Trail in Glencoe, including removal of invasive and aggressive
species and replanting native trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, and
sedges.
Niles Pollinator Garden (Village of Niles): This project
will transform an unused area of turf grass into a wildlife refuge
and pollinator garden, supporting native pollinator species,
offering educational signage, and creating an environmental
sanctuary for community residents.
Restoring Sedge Meadow (Village of South Barrington):
This project will involve planting native sedges and wildflowers in
areas of a former reed canary grass-dominated field, adjacent to a
public pedestrian walking path, as part of a larger effort to
eradicate invasive species in this area and reestablish native
habitat.
Proksa Park Butterfly Garden (Village of Berwyn): This
project will reestablish pollinator habitat in the urban setting of
Proksa Park and provide educational signage about pollinators.
DeKalb Nature Trail Restoration (DeKalb Park District):
This project involves developing and implementing a beautification
plan for land adjacent to the DeKalb Nature Trail, including
removing invasive species, installing native plantings, providing
educational signage, and creating a habitat for birds, butterflies,
and other pollinators.
Communal Pollinator Garden at Belmont Train Station (Village
of Downers Grove): This project will create a pollinator garden
on Village-owned property adjacent to the Belmont Avenue train
station, promoting long-term, community-based conservation
initiatives with native plants and educational signage in this high
visibility location.
Pollinator Habitat Restoration at Night Heron Marsh Forest
Preserve (Forest Preserve District of DuPage County): In
conjunction with the regional Fox Valley Monarch Corridor Project
partnership to build a 975-acre pollinator habitat corridor, this
project will restore 25 acres of wetland and prairie as part of a
potential 76-acre pollinator habitat area.
Village of Glen Ellyn Pollinator Meadow Mix Pilot Program
(Village of Glen Ellyn): This project will improve storm water
management, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support
sustainability for native plants and pollinators by replacing turf
grass with pollinator meadow mix in various locations throughout
the community.
Richmond Community Gardens and Apiary Outdoor Classroom
(Village of Westmont): This project will support building an
outdoor classroom at the Richmond Education Gardens and Apiary,
promoting educational programs about natural gardening,
landscaping, the environment, and pollinator habitat.
Poynor Park Pollinator Habitat Improvement (Campton Township
Open Space): This project will convert approximately 12 acres
of turf grass in Poyner Park, a well-used open space site, into
native pollinator habitat with educational signage - expanding an
established 65-acre prairie/wetland restoration and creating a
buffer area around a pond.
Henneberry Forest Preserve Tree Mitigation and Prairie
Shrubland Restoration Project (Kendall County Forest Preserve
District): This project will restore 45 acres of oak savanna
and prairie shrubland habitat at Henneberry Forest Preserve,
expanding pollinator and conservative grassland bird species
habitat as part of the regional Fox Valley Monarch Corridor
Project.
Village of Green Oaks Dennis Dorsey Conservation Area –
Northern Flatwoods, Oak/Hickory Woodland, and Vernal Pond
Restoration (Village of Green Oaks): This project will continue
invasive species management activities, led by volunteer stewards,
in a 5-year effort to restore globally-imperiled northern flatwoods
and vernal pond habitat, oak/hickory woodland, and high-quality
wetlands at the Dennis Dorsey Conservation Area.
Pollinator Habitat and Edible Landscaping Along the Robert
McClory Bike Trail (City of Highland Park): This project will
introduce pollinator habitat and urban food gleaning opportunities
along the popular Robert McClory Bike Trail by removing invasive
species and planting native plants, fruit trees, woody shrubs, and
berry bushes.
Fremont Township Conservation Campus (Fremont Township):
This project will create and promote a comprehensive "Conservation
Campus" at a government center that was not originally designed for
an open space focus - including habitat restoration, permaculture
gardens, innovative storm water management, and pollinator-friendly
plantings along with walking paths and educational components.
Farrington Connect the Corridor Project (Village of Buffalo
Grove): This project will restore 0.5 acres of streambanks and
buffer areas, 0.25 acres of wet bottom basin, 2 acres of dry bottom
basin, and 1 acre of degraded woodland along Farrington Ditch,
creating a continuous corridor between local parks and public lands
that supports native habitat, wildlife, and people.
Phase 1 Graves Park Improvements (Village of Seneca Park
Board): This project will support Phase 1 development of Graves
Park, a new 16-acre park adjacent to the historic Illinois &
Michigan Canal and Trail and Seneca's downtown business district,
through native landscaping, arboretum plantings, a walking trail,
and interpretive signage.
Hundred Oaks for a Hundred Years (McHenry County Conservation
District): This project will support McHenry County
Conservation District's "Hundred Oaks for a Hundred Years" event at
Pioneer Fen in October 2017, when students from Johnsburg Schools
will plant trees to restore a 40-acre woodland and learn about
conservation in the County.
Eco-Cultural Connection: Woodstock, Mexico, &
Mariposa Monarca (City of Woodstock): This project will
establish boardwalk access and enhance pollinator habitat through
native plantings at Westwood Conservation Area, create an
educational "Mariposa Meander" pollinator garden to introduce
community members to pollinator plants and conservation actions,
and engage community members from Mexico with bilingual signage and
educational activities.
Pollinator Enhancement at the McHenry County Administration
Building (McHenry County): This project will involve removing
existing ornamental plantings at the County’s Administration
Building and installing native plant species to provide pollinator
habitat, complete xeriscaping and raingarden demonstration
projects, and provide educational opportunities.
Spella Park Pollinator Project (Village of Algonquin):
This project will promote the health of pollinators by restoring
9.5 acres of turf grass, accessible by a local pedestrian trail, to
create pollinator habitat that supports on-site educational
programming through the Algonquin Library.
The Butterfly Ranch at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park
(Governors State University): This project will transform 11+
acres of successional field into a canvas for butterfly propagation
while it provides students, nearby residents, and park visitors
with opportunities for bird watching, biking, hiking, and education
through didactic signage.
Symerton Park (Village of Symerton): This project will
acquire 1.5 acres of land for a children's park and open space
area, post signage, and implement the site preparation and
groundcover planting needed to install playground equipment.
A Cleaner Levings Lake (Rockford Park District): This
project will install 20 Biohaven Floating Islands within Levings
Lake to improve water quality by acting as a floating wetland,
cleaning the lake water from excessive nutrients, and providing
fish habitat.
About Openlands
Founded in 1963, Openlands is one of the nation’s oldest and
most successful metropolitan conservation organizations, having
helped secure, protect, and provide public access to more than
55,000 acres of land for parks, forest preserves, wildlife refuges,
land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens. For more
information, visit www.openlands.org.
About ComEd
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive
energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd
provides service to approximately 3.9 million customers across
northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's
population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and
connect with the company
on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170724005975/en/
OpenlandsBrandon Hayes(312)
863-6260bhayes@openlands.orgorComEdDonya Mansoubi(312)
664-0153hmills@kivvit.com
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