McHenry County Blog

The Algonquin Township Hall on Route 14 between Cary and Crystal Lake will be the site of a “Green Voice!” meeting Thursday night at 7.

This is an opportunity to tell the Defenders what you think they should be doing.  Meeting details are below:

Green Voice! Meeting Cary-Grove

On Thursday, March 18, the Defenders will hold their next public Green Voice! Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at the Algonquin Township Hall, 3702 Hwy. 14, between Crystal Lake and Cary, near The Hollows.

Green Voice meetings are an opportunity for members and other citizens to come together to discuss environmental issues of concern or importance to them.

Please come, bring a neighbor or friend and your concerns, for an open discussion about the issues that affect the environmental integrity of our communities. All are welcome and the program is free of charge. If you have questions regarding Green Voice! meetings, please do not hesitate to contact the office at 815-338-0393.

Future meetings are scheduled for April 1st in Woodstock, and other towns to be announced.

The McHenry County Defenders was formed forty years ago, the press release below reminds folks. I joined that first year.

This past year it has been re-named the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County.

It was a spin-off of the Fox Valley Defenders, which formed to fight (successfully, obviously) the Fox Valley Freeway through Barrington Hills. (Rumor is that then Lt. Gov. Paul Simon’s sister lived near the proposed “freeway,” which anyone with a brain knew would end up a tollway.)

Earth Day was 1969 and the members in McHenry decided they wanted to create a broad-based environmental organization and, since the organizers were from McHenry County they did so and changed the name.

And the group survived, although after municipalities took over re-cycling, the flow of income to the organization dipped so much that a full-time executive director became impossible to finance.

25 Year Members, taken in 1994. In the photo in the back row are Bill Wingate, Bill Howenstine, Lon Huml, Larry Lane, Cal Skinner, Jr., Brian Koukol, Sherry Anderson; front row, Florence Seda, Ardith Wingate, Alice Howenstine, Margaret Marchi, Anne Carroll, Ward Duel, Lou Marchi and Bill Carroll

The Defenders has been involved in all the garbage dump fights with scientist Lou Marchi arguing persuasively,

“All landfills leak, it’s just a matter of time.”

Protect of the shallow aquifers from which much of McHenry County’s water flows has been a key goal.

When people thought inappropriate use of land was threatening their neighborhoods, who you gonna call?

It wasn’t Ghostbusters. It was the Defenders.

Maybe some folks will reminisce about some of the fights, the most recent of which I remember was opposition against building a minor league baseball stadium on the watershed of Crystal Lake.

Below is the press release:

Environmental Defenders Celebrate 40 Years
of Protecting Natural Resources in McHenry County!

Anniversary Celebration planned at Saturday, March 13 Dinner Meeting
& Awards Ceremony in McHenry

WOODSTOCK – The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their grassroots, not-for-profit organization at their Annual Defenders’ Dinner Meeting and Awards Ceremony – this Saturday, March 13, from 5:30 – 9 p.m at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 404 North Green Street in McHenry, IL.

Founded in 1970, this locally based volunteer organization has grown from a few dozen concerned citizens into the McHenry County Defenders, a well-respected not-for-profit organization with hundreds of members throughout the county, dedicated to preserving and protecting a healthy environment in their communities.  Recently, the group became known as the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, to better reflect its purpose and mission.

Re-cyclers in Woodstock

Each year, Defenders members gather together for an organizational meeting, an awards ceremony for local volunteers, and a fantastic potluck supper.  This year’s program also includes “A Walk Down Memory Lane,” a retrospective look at 40 years of Defenders’ accomplishments, and a presentation on the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge in northern McHenry County.  A photo slide show will also feature Defenders’ members and  activities throughout the years.

The Defenders’ 40th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Dinner Meeting is open to members and their families.  Those who are interested in learning more about the organization are also invited to attend, and media representatives will be welcome.  There is no charge to attend the potluck dinner, just bring a dish to pass and your own non-disposable tableware.  The evening also includes several raffles, volunteer awards, and 40th Anniversary displays.  (A complete schedule is attached.)

For more information, visit www.mcdef.org or contact the office of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County at (815) 338-0393, e-mail:  mcdef@owc.net.

Good Morning. My name is Kim Willis and this morning I am speaking to you on behalf of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, located at 124 Cass Street in Woodstock.

You’ve just heard a brief overview of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan document, and I’d like to thank  Mr. Eldridge, Mr. Dreher, and Mr. Sandquist for providing you with that overview.

The Defenders have followed the Regional Planning Commission and staff through the hundreds of hours they have dedicated to creating this document for you. We applaud their efforts and commitment to this important process.

The plan, in its current form, represents an honest attempt at balance.

However, it starts from an assumption of preserving the status quo of recent growth, then tries to balance everything else we value within that framework. This will defer difficult problems to our children, as the status quo runs up against our county’s physical limitations of water, food dependence, infrastructure and the inevitable end to easy development. Instead, we have the opportunity to start with a focus on these actual physical realities and work to balance the interests of development within this more prudent framework.

As such, the Defenders will continue to advocate for greater consideration of water resources, agriculture and open space in this document. Our most significant request at this stage is that the existing basic provisions made for environmental concerns be preserved, spared from deletion or dilution.

Our members, along with many other members of the public who commented on the draft plan, overwhelming called for the plan to reflect their desires to protect the water resources, open spaces and agricultural land in McHenry County.

We ask the members of the Planning and Development Committee, as well as the Board as a whole to maintain the current protections provided to our community’s water, food, and natural areas, act upon the general public’s request for greater protection to land and water, and ensure the final plan provides a more equitable vision for the future of McHenry County.

Thank You.

For banning phosphate fertilizer, the Village of Lakewood won the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County Theta Award last night at McHenry’s Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.

Accepting the award on behalf of Village President Julie Richardson was Village Administrator Catherine Peterson. Village Clerk Janice Hansen was also in attendance.

“It’s a terrific effort that we hopes rubs off on Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills,” award presenter Dwight Dalton said.

“This ordinance is simply Lakewood’s attempt to be the most environmentally sensitive community in McHenry County and, maybe, in Northern Illinois” Peterson said.

“Our citizens have stepped up and said, ‘We understand.’

“People really want to do the right thing.”

The McHenry County Department of Transportation won the Government Award.

Mark DeVries accepted on behalf of what I’ll probably always call the “McHenry County Highway Department.”

In making the presentation, former Defenders Executive Director Cindy Skrukrud described the worldwide attention his discovery of how to diminish highway salt use by 40%.

The innovation consists of

• 85% salt water,
• 10% sugar beet juice and
• 5% calcium cloride.

“Once you become an innovator, people bring new things to you to try,” DeVries noted.

Defenders Volunteer of the Year was Huntley’s Dorothy Johnson.

How many hours did she volunteer?

About 2,000 hours.

“It’s my home away from home,” she remarked.

Ward Duel, the first Theta Award winner, was also present.

He was first Director of the McHenry County Health Department.

He has a wonderful sense of humor. In a land inventory map, he included the one nudist colony. It’s now a McHenry County Conservation District Area north of Marengo.

Having come from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, my family was astounded that McHenry County did no have a public health department until the mid-1960’s.

= = = = =
On top, Dwight Dalton can be seen giving the Theta Award to Lakewood Village Administrator Catherine Peterson. Next, Cindy Skrukrud presents the award to Mark DeVries. Below super-volunteer Dorothy Johnson is recognized by Dwight Dalton.

The following press release has been received from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

If you owe Circuit Clerk Kathy Keefe money, your next call could be from the new bill collector.

STATE’S ATTORNEY’S PURSUIT OF SCOFFLAWS TO HELP AID BUDGET DEFICIT

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that, with the support of McHenry County Board Chairman, Ken Koehler, and McHenry County Circuit Clerk, Kathy M. Keefe, he has entered into a contract with Alliance One Receivable Management, Inc. to recover outstanding fines and fees owed by traffic and criminal offenders, due to McHenry County.

In light of ongoing pressures facing taxpayers and units of local government, the State’s Attorney is undertaking this collection program in order to ease that financial pressure by vigorously pursuing offenders who have outstanding fines to comply with their Court ordered payments.

In addition, there will be no costs to the taxpayers to institute this program since all costs of collection shall be attributed to the delinquent offender.

The following press release has been received from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

If you owe Circuit Clerk Kathy Keefe money, your next call could be from the new bill collector.

STATE’S ATTORNEY’S PURSUIT OF SCOFFLAWS TO HELP AID BUDGET DEFICIT

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that, with the support of McHenry County Board Chairman, Ken Koehler, and McHenry County Circuit Clerk, Kathy M. Keefe, he has entered into a contract with Alliance One Receivable Management, Inc. to recover outstanding fines and fees owed by traffic and criminal offenders, due to McHenry County.

In light of ongoing pressures facing taxpayers and units of local government, the State’s Attorney is undertaking this collection program in order to ease that financial pressure by vigorously pursuing offenders who have outstanding fines to comply with their Court ordered payments.

In addition, there will be no costs to the taxpayers to institute this program since all costs of collection shall be attributed to the delinquent offender.

If you would like to help the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, a.k.a, the McHenry County Defenders before the organization just changed its name, you can print off this Jewel Shop & Share coupon and take it to Jewel when you shop.

You can click on the image and print what appears or go to comments and then print the article.

The details follow:

When: November 17-19

Where: Any Jewel-Osco location

What: The Defenders is participating in Jewel-Osco’s Shop & Share program November 17, 18 and 19, 2008, just in time for Thanksgiving shopping!

We receive 5% of purchases made with the coupon on the specified dates. Coupons will also be available on our Web site (www.mcdef.org) and at the office a few weeks prior to the event. You are welcome to make copies to pass out to your friends and relatives.

If you would like to help the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, a.k.a, the McHenry County Defenders before the organization just changed its name, you can print off this Jewel Shop & Share coupon and take it to Jewel when you shop.

You can click on the image and print what appears or go to comments and then print the article.

The details follow:

When: November 17-19

Where: Any Jewel-Osco location

What: The Defenders is participating in Jewel-Osco’s Shop & Share program November 17, 18 and 19, 2008, just in time for Thanksgiving shopping!

We receive 5% of purchases made with the coupon on the specified dates. Coupons will also be available on our Web site (www.mcdef.org) and at the office a few weeks prior to the event. You are welcome to make copies to pass out to your friends and relatives.

No longer the McHenry County Defenders, the newsletter says.

The membership voted to change the name to the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County.

The mission statement?

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a citizen organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. We are committed to building sound ecological relationships between people and the natural world that supports all life.

To achieve the aim of environmental preservation and improvement, we provide the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation.

We advocate policies which protect drinking water supplies and conserve land for open space and agriculture. We demonstrate waste reduction through recycling drives and reuse centers. We encourage natural resource protection through native landscaping and stream protection programs.

If you are interested in joining, here is the place to go.

No longer the McHenry County Defenders, the newsletter says.

The membership voted to change the name to the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County.

The mission statement?

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a citizen organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. We are committed to building sound ecological relationships between people and the natural world that supports all life.

To achieve the aim of environmental preservation and improvement, we provide the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation.

We advocate policies which protect drinking water supplies and conserve land for open space and agriculture. We demonstrate waste reduction through recycling drives and reuse centers. We encourage natural resource protection through native landscaping and stream protection programs.

If you are interested in joining, here is the place to go.