July 2023
Our annual members-only picnic and tour will take place on Saturday, July 22nd from, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Old Goat Farm, located on Belvidere Road east of Roscoe, Illinois. The tour will be followed by a picnic lunch provided by WORRV chapter. Reservations for the tour and picnic are required to help us plan the event (Click the button above). The tour and picnic are open to WORRV Chapter members, their children, and one guest.
Savanna Restoration Project
Greg and Karen Ruffner purchased an historic farm several years ago and began to restore the beautiful old oak savanna on the property with help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pheasants Forever.
They received a grant from the F&WS to buy seeds of native species that are favored by the federally endangered Rusty-patched Bumblebee and were assisted by Pheasants Forever (PF) to prepare the soil for seeding the area during the winter, a technique known as “frost seeding.” Jared Trickey from PF will explain the whole process as we tour the savanna.
In January of 2022 Greg Ruffner asked about one of Pheasants Forever habitat programs that was highlighted in the Winnebago County Soil & Water Conservation District’s quarterly newsletter. After some discussion over the phone, Jared Trickey met with Greg and toured the property. The 4.5-acre mature oak savanna stood out the most and that is where they started with planning the restoration of the savanna. The USFWS has a cost share program for wetlands, oak savannas, and pollinator habitat in the range of the Rusty Patch Bumblebee. After plenty of discussion and numerous site visits, Scott James (USFWS), Dave Grass (Winnebago County PF chapter), Greg, and Jared came up with a plan. USFWS provided the seed for the oak savanna and the Winnebago County PF chapter provided the prairie and pollinator seed for the other areas on the property. They all worked together to complete the site preparation in the summer/fall of 2022 prior to planting in January 2023. “These are the kind of projects we really enjoy working on, collaboration between private landowners, volunteers, state/federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations to improve habitat,” said Jared.
Meet Jared Trickey
Jared Trickey is the Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist for Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, Lee, and DeKalb Counties. He works in partnership with local Pheasants Forever chapters, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and County Soil & Water Conservation Districts. His position is to provide technical assistance for landowners on conservation practices and habitat improvement projects. Jared’s primary goal is to teach/guide private landowners on habitat improvement, and to create more stewards on the landscape. Originally from Northern New York, he found his way to Illinois five years ago and now calls Illinois home. “There is just something about an oak/hickory forest and an upland prairie that brings a smile to my face,” he says.