Riverwoods Preservation Council |
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Village Voice Articles
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| Village Voice Articles Articles by the RPC are often included in the Riverwoods Village Voice newsletter and are easily referenced on this site. Click below for past articles. |
Recycling: The Goal and the Challenge For Riverwoods November - December, 2011 Lake County is facing a dilemma. Current landfills within the County are reaching capacity and no new landfills are available. Some estimate that we may have as few as 10-12 years of capacity left. Recycling makes good economic sense. In the first two quarters of 2011, the Village of Riverwoods received over $13,000 for recycled materials sent to Recycle America. Recycling makes sense for Riverwoods residents, too. Read more... |
Rain Barrels: Practical and Environmentally Beneficial March - April, 2011 How much water can you expect to collect from a rain barrel? A house whose footprint is 1,000 square feet could collect 600 gallons of water for every inch of rainfall! Rainwater can be used to water indoor or outdoor plants. Rain barrels are a convenient way of collecting free, uncontaminated water for your plants. Read more... |
Composting With Worms! A Perfect Winter Project January - February, 2011 Why worms? Worms can spin flax into gold, so to speak. By summer your garden will have spectacular, nutrious vermicompost (that's worm poop in lay terms) and you will have kept numerous bags of garbage out of the landfill. Read more... |
Reforestation 101: Canopy Thinning September - October, 2010 Fire suppression, deer overbrowse and development have createdmany changes in our woodlands. Without fire, the woodlands have been invaded by aggressive, shade-tolerant understory trees. These trees closed the canopy, creating a darker, more forest-like environment. Little light remained for oak seedlings and diverse ground layer plants. Deer remove most of the oak saplings that do grow. Careful canopy thinnning can help. Read more... |
Counting Deer in Riverwoods March - April, 2010 Each winter since the 1980's the Lake Count Forest Preserved District has counted deer via aerial survey in Ryerson Woods. The LCFPD count includes roughly the western half of Riverwoods - west of Portwine Road and Kenilwood Laqne - since deer tend to move between adjacent areas of Riverwoods and Ryerson. Read more... |
Another Technique in Woodland Restoration - Prescribed Burning January - February, 2010 Unlike fall leaf burning, which is a simple cleanup mechanism used by homeowners, a prescribed burn offers numerous benefits including efficient invasive reoval, nutritional recycling and increased sed production by native flora. It's done by professionals, under EPA and Village permits. Read more... |
Progress Report - RPC Woodland Health Study Progress Report September - October, 2009 In late 2008 we embarked on a woodland health study, working with outside experts. Individuals from Audubon Society and Lake County Forest Preserve, as well as RPC volunteers, offered advice and helped collect field data. The study found that Riverwoods' woodlands are suffering in several respects. Read more... |
Progress Report - RPC Woodland Health Study Progress Report May - June, 2009 Phase I of the study, conducted on the sample sites last September, showed almost a complete absence of oak saplings and of shrubs taller than one meter, a high percentage of bare ground, the replacement of oaks with maples and other tree species, and predominantly poor or fair diversity and quality of the perennial (herbaceous) plants on the woodland floor. Read more... |
Protecting the Woodlands- RPC Woodland Health Study Progress Report March - April, 2009 In September the RPC collected field data on trees, shrubs, and perennials on fourteen Village sample sites in partial fulfillment of the Riverwoods Woodland Health Study. Read more... |
Summer Dreaming ~ Winter Composting January - February, 2009 Although it’s only January, does the winter already seem to have gone on too long? Composting with worms is an easy winter project that will benefit not only your summer garden but the greater environment as well. Read more... |
Rain Gardens are Great! September - October, 2008 Well, you've probably heard about rain gardens but what really is a rain garden? Let's make a quick review of this smart, sustainable and natural way to reduce storm water runoff and protect our waterways. Read more... |
The Best Spring Ever - with thoughts on Pesticides May - June, 2008 Enjoyment comes in many forms. But however it’s done it should not be harmful – not to us, to our children, to the non-human inhabitants of our region, or to those who come after us. Read more... |
A Little Background as our Village Turns 50 March - April, 2008 "When I first moved to Riverwoods on May 15, 1950, I thought I had landed in Paradise." Read more... |
Living in Harmony with Mother Nature January - February, 2008 We create imbalance by the choices we make. Your commitment is essential if we are to preserve this extraordinary natural heritage of Riverwoods. Read more... |
Protecting the Woodlands November - December, 2007 To help decision-makers develop policies to protect the health of wooded areas, Chicago Wilderness prepared a document summarizing some of the challenges. Read more... |
The Buzz is Gone September - October, 2007 Honeybees are threatened and scientists are trying to figure out why. Read more... |
More on the Emerald Ash Borer September - October, 2007 The Village of Riverwoods has enacted an ordinance concerning trees damaged by the Emerald Ash Borer. Read more... |
Plants to Attract Butterflies May - June, 2007 Approximately 150 species of butterflies can be found in Illinois. Read more... |
Poison Ivy May - June, 2007 Poison ivy thrives in the Riverwoods woodlands and along the roadways. Read more... |
Guess Who is Coming for Breakfast May - June, 2007 Spring in Riverwoods is an exciting time for nature enthusiasts, especially bird watchers. Read more... |
Oak Trees November - December, 2006 and March - April, 2007 Did you know there are over 400 species of oaks? Read more... |
Fall Leaves September - October, 2006 It's fall. What do you do with all of those leaves? Read more... |
Mulch July - August, 2006 Trees and other plants growing in natural settings, such as woodlands, do best with the natural mulch that occurs when branches and leaves fall and decompose on the forest floor. Read more... |
Emerald Ash Borer July - August, 2006 The emerald ash borer is a serious threat to ash trees in Illinois and much of the U.S. Recently the insect was found in Kane and Cook County. Read more... |
Living with Deer March - April, 2006 Determining how to live with deer has been one of the more controversial issues in Riverwoods. Read more... |
Riverwoods Invasive Plants January - February, 2006 There are two non-native plants that are threatening our woodlands more than any others. They are Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). There is also one native plant to watch out for that moves into disturbed areas and spreads easily -- Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). Read more... |
Animals in Winter January - February, 2006 Animal species have two general approaches to winter: migration and adaptation. Read more... |
Salt and De-Icers January - February, 2006 Preservation issues dictate many aspects of Riverwoods life, and use of road salt is a primary example. Read more... |
Construction Issues January - February, 2006 Home construction and remodeling can be particularly hazardous to trees. Read more... |
The Village of Riverwoods (Photograph of male cardinal by Ho Min Lim) |
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