As Suburbs Develop, Group Seeks to Protect and Restore Hickory Creek
New Lenox Patch, April 14, 2011
Group outlines recommendations for Hickory Creek watershed
Chicago Tribune (Trib Local – Joliet), April 11, 2011
April 18, 2011
Hickory Creek Watershed Covered in the Local Media
October 15, 2010
Exploring the Wilds of Hickory Creek
This past Columbus Day instead of sleeping in, dozens of children and older residents of the Hickory Creek Watershed took time to explore the natural environment in their own backyard. As part of the “Educational Adventure in Hickory Creek”, elementary students spent time walking in the creek to find wet treasures and collecting seeds in the prairie behind Lincoln-Way East High School.
At the same time, their parents and other residents learned about and provided their input to the proposed plan for the Hickory Creek Watershed. The event was co-sponsored by the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group and the Lincoln-Way High School Environmental Action Club. (more…)
June 20, 2010
Green Infrastructure Can Be Divine!
On a beautiful spring day in May, members of the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group and members of the villages within the watershed to Annunciation Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish. The group was eager to learn about the parish’s use of native plant communities to create a unique place in the area and to manage the excessive stormwater flowing over and through the property whenever it rains.
The church was built in 1999 on 10 acres in Homer Glen, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Initially, the landscaping was conventional with acres of lawn to manage. It wasn’t long before it became apparent that very wet conditions made much of the landscaping a nightmare to maintain. Fr. Thomas Loya had attended meetings on sustainability at Homer Glen and met people from Conservation Design Forum. Together they developed a master plan for the church landscape. More than ¾ of the turf grass was converted to native prairie grasses and wildflowers.