During 2024, guided by the vision of a human community that values and cares for the rest of the natural world, Small Waters Education took many positive steps to make the dream a reality.

For the past 10 years, we have been at the forefront of the local movement to transform the places where we live, work, learn and play into healthier ecosystems.  Through outreach, education, consultation, organizing, planting and maintenance, we are helping to increase the biodiversity that our lives depend on.  It has been good to see more people become willing to share their landscapes with the plants, insects, birds and other creatures, and to be able to help them do this in an effective way.  To ensure that we promote best practices, we rely on up-to-date science, direct observation, and the experience of others across this continent.

The Petersen Park Pollinator Garden expanded in 2024.  This garden in a public park in McHenry IL is an example of how organizations can cooperate to accomplish something together.  Small Waters Education provided coordination and training to the Conversaciόn de Conservaciόn coalition that guided the children in the summer program of Youth and Family Center of McHenry County to plant hundreds more native plants.  We are working with this coalition and the Parks and Recreation Dept. of McHenry to further expand the garden in 2025.

We and the community of Landmark School in McHenry were saddened to learn that the school district made the decision to close the school in 2025, just two years after we helped plant a pollinator garden there.  But the school staff decided to make the situation into an opportunity for learning and empowerment.  Small Waters Education volunteers came out on sunny autumn day to teach students how to collect native seed, and many bags were saved for planting in other gardens.

Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge asked Small Waters Education to partner in creating a “pocket refuge” for the village of Richmond, IL.  We conducted a site assessment at McConnell Park on the Nippersink Creek, and came up with a design, plant list and plan.  The garden will be planted by volunteers in spring of 2025 and will enhance the habitat for threatened and endangered species like the Monarch butterfly and Rusty-Patched Bumblebee.

The gardens we helped create and maintain at schools in Johnsburg, Woodstock, Richmond and Wonder Lake are serving as outdoor classrooms for students and community members alike.  In April, we met with students at three of the schools to teach spring maintenance techniques that help beneficial insects.  These sessions are opportunities for children to explore a biodiverse landscape and learn about biology, ecology and stewardship.

The network of volunteers called “Neighbors Helping Pollinators” continues to grow.  We show up at the school and park gardens to weed, mulch, share knowledge about native plants and insects, and collect extra plants and seeds to take home to our own gardens. 

Outreach to connect with potential volunteers and folks who are looking for information on native plants happens in many ways, including at info tables at conferences and festivals.  We staffed such tables at the Great Seed Event, the Natural Landscape Seminar, GardenFest, Pollinator Week, Planet Palooza, and the Monarch Mania Family Fun Fair.  At the Pollinator Week event, we gave a presentation on “Pollinators in the Neighborhood” for representatives of towns supporting the Mayors Monarch Pledge.

After 15 years of growing a native food forest at Small Waters Education headquarters, we are sharing our experience with others through tours, presentations, consultation, and hands-on learning experiences.   In June, we hosted a tour for the Wild Ones Lake-to-Prairie chapter, and the Conservation Leadership Interns (CLIP) from the Land Conservancy of McHenry County came to learn how to grow communities of plants that support each other and give a harvest of fruit, nuts, greens and roots.   We gave a presentation for the Rock River Valley Wild Ones in August which you can watch here.  We are happy to be on the steering committee with the Land Conservancy’s Apple Creek Community Food Forest.  This is a 5 acre site in Woodstock is a demonstration of how a community can come together and transform a conventional corn/soy farm to a diverse agroforestry ecosystem.

The CLIP program brought the interns back again to learn about foraging plants for food and wellness.  We focused on indigenous practices of sustainable harvesting and treating plants as relatives.

Building strong connections between humans is another important aspect of Small Waters Education’s vision.  Community is where the visions, intentions, and energy for transforming our relationship to the natural world happens. 

The year started with a virtual gathering to celebrate the Perihelion on January 7, when the earth orbits closest to the sun.  It was a time to remember where we are in the cosmos and how we are a part of an unfolding story of life on this planet.

 

We hosted our Annual Gathering in May to recognize science educator Andy Reinhardt as an Everyday Superhero, share some homemade tacos, and listen to a panel of amazing young environmentalists sharing their experiences and perspectives.  See the recording of the panel conversation here.

Throughout 2024, drum circles brought together friends and supporters of Small Waters Education to create community rhythms and promote connections with mind, body, heart and soul. 

Volunteers came every month to remove invasive species and collect native seed in the oak savanna which is part of the Alden Sedge Meadow McHenry County Conservation District site.  This endangered ecosystem is increasing in health and biodiversity as it has been under restoration for 21 years. 

You may have noticed that the themes of vision, connection and relationship are woven throughout this report.  If you envision a world where our relationships to the more-than-human world are beneficial to all, we invite you to connect with Small Waters Education and together we can make it real.  And if you are already a supporter, volunteer, and/or partner, we thank you and look forward to more connections in 2025!