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Landowner Stories

TLC works with many local landowners to help them preserve a rich diversity of properties that include farms, glacial kames, oak savannas, sedge meadows, scenic roadways, and nearly every other conservation value one might imagine. Each property – and each landowner – has a unique story to tell. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

Couple Makes a Lasting Difference in Preserving Land for Life

16 November 2020
Stephanie and Jerry Simon value the preservation of habitat for native plants and wildlife. [caption id=”attachment_4016″ align=”alignright” width=”…

The Power of the Individual

01 March 2016
Landowner Chooses to Permanently Restrict Development on Additional 2-1/2 Acres to Protect Creek and Wetlands Kathy Reiland has had a strong conservation …

Dr. Shaw’s Prescription for a Healthy Retirement

15 December 2015
The next time you are traveling along Route 47 between Woodstock and Hebron, look for a sunlit oak savanna on the east side of the road where the road crosse…

Main Stay Therapeutic Farm

26 June 2014
In 2014, two local nonprofit organizations came together in a way that was both unusual and profound when Main Stay Therapeutic Farm donated a permanent con…

Woodson Conservation Area – Oaks preserved!

07 March 2014
TLC first met Judy Woodson when she invited Oak Keepers to her property in 2008.  It was the first year Oak Keepers began visiting private landowners wi…

Soulful Prairies – 34 acres preserved forever

03 March 2014
“Soulful Prairies became a white canvas and our palette was loaded with color. We researched, dreamed and schemed to create a beautiful place with sustainabi…

Barefoot Savanna – Land preserved near Marengo

29 November 2013
In June 2013, TLC accepted the donation of 30 acres north of Marengo. The donor, Eric Tauck, grew up next door, on the land owned by his parents. Eric bought…

Madeline & Walter Bolger

02 October 2013
Walter “Gov” and Madeline Bolger have deep roots in the McHenry County soil they work. The Bolger family has farmed in McHenry County since just after th…

Leaving a Legacy – Randy & Nancy Schietzelt’s Story

29 September 2013
Story by Randy Schietzelt, August 2013 We became involved in McHenry County conservation issues through a friend. She and her husband owned a 4 acre prope…

TLC + MCCD = More Oaks Preserved

27 September 2013
The Big Woods of McHenry County once extended from Marengo to Alden, straddling the steep topography of the Marengo Ridge. Today only scattered remnants of t…

A son honors his mother – Lynda Clayton Preserve

26 September 2013
In July of 2013, TLC accepted a donation from Mark Burhoe of 13 acres of land located in unincorporated McHenry Township. Part of the donation agreement&nbsp…

Spring Hollow–A Special Area

15 February 2013
In July 2013, the Spring Hollow easements were transferred from the Natural Land Institute in Rockford to The Land Conservancy of McHenry County for long…

Heritage Oaks

04 December 2012
As the oldest residents of McHenry County, old oak trees connect us to a time before McHenry County existed – before the State of Illinois was establi…

Voices of the Land – Josephine Elsen

24 March 2012
Josephine Elsen’s family has a long history in McHenry County. She traces her ancestry back to John Finch and Eliza Jane (Britton) Finch, a couple who …

Voices of the Land – The Bothie

27 February 2012
If you drive west out of Woodstock along South Street, you may have seen a new house that looks old. It overlooks an expanse of open prairie, with a remnant …

Voices of the Land – The Frisbies

27 February 2012
In 1993, Hugh and Marlene Frisbie purchased farmland outside of Woodstock where they built their home, raised their children, opened a plant nursery and beg…

We all Live Downstream

27 February 2012
TLC is pleased to announce the donation of a 23 acre permanent conservation easement along the west branch of Dutch Creek in Johnsburg. A small oak savanna,…

Voices of the Land – The Swansons

18 November 2011
The Swansons, both retired teachers originally from McHenry, have always been strong conservationists. Marti is a longtime member of both The Land Conservanc…

Voices of the Land – Nancy Wicker’s Legacy

17 September 2011
Nancy Wicker has lived in five different countries and a Chicago neighborhood named after her family, but since 1999 she has chosen to live on fifteen acres …