With over 25,000 acres of active management, Glacier Park and McHenry County Conservation District work to preserve plants and wildlife as well as teach the public to gain greater appreciation for the natural world. Palatine High School students experienced this firsthand while working to remove invasive species from the land on an educational field trip this September.

Park managers helped students gather information about what needed to be done in the park. Activities such as collecting seeds and removing unwanted plants were taught to the students before going off to the worksites. It was also very important that each student knew the goal of the field trip–to remove the invasive species and to grow and produce more native plants.

“Invasive plants are problematic in many areas throughout the world, and typically cause the same problem,” says Mia McCarville, owner of Cedros Gardens. “They destroy and outcompete the native plants in the area.”

An invasive species is an organism (plants, bacteria, etc.) that is not native to the area and has a negative impact on the environment. At Glacier Park, plants such as Buckthorn are invasive and crowd over other plants that are working to be restored. These types of plants are successful because they have no natural predator and can thrive better than the natural plants.

Invasives can be removed if dealt with immediately, but it’s unusual that that would be the case, explained Pollock.

One of the first activities done by students was to remove the Buckthorn. Saws, clippers, and other tools were used to clear a massive area of land. When cutting down the Buckthorn, it was important to pay attention to Oak Trees nearby. These are what the park is trying to protect.

“With over 12,000 acres of active restoration management, we work to protect and preserve as much wildlife as possible,” says McHenry County’s conservation district.

During the field trip, not cutting down the Oak Trees was reiterated many times. Oak Trees are currently trying to be restored in Glacier Park, and clear instructions regarding Oaks were brought up repeatedly.

“The mighty Oak is a strong tree that’s very popular in some areas,” says McCarville. “If an invasive is brought to the same area as an Oak, they can be at high risk of being outcompeted.”

With a clear space to work with, another group of students collected seeds of wild grasses.

These seeds were spread amongst the area and will help keep the invasive species from growing back due to population. Employees and volunteers planted shrubs and bushes along with the grass that are usually hard to grow with Buckthorn in the area in hope that they will thrive better in the open area.