Seasons of Change on Henry's Farm film screening - Postponed

For a quarter-century, Henry and Hiroko Brockman have run Henry's Farm, an idyllic family farm in Congerville, Illinois.

Plant Your Own Monarch Garden - Rescheduled for June

Want to attract monarch butterflies and other beneficial pollinators to your yard but don't know how?

CANCELLED - Learn to Burn March 28

Learn how to use fire to manage prairies, wetlands, and woodlands safely.

How to Convert Lawn to a Wildflower Meadow with Seed - Rescheduled for June

Tired of maintaining large sections of lawn grass and want to attract birds and butterflies?

What can I do to make it better?

One family’s story of preserving 40 acres of oaks in McHenry County.

Learn to Care for Oaks - Become an Oak Keeper

Take care of your oak woods and become an Oak Keeper!

A girl, a boy and the land: A family preserves 80 acres

This is the story of Alix Blair and her memories of growing up on her family’s land.

Composting and Water Conservation Aug. 12

Water, food waste and leaves ... don't throw them away, use them!

Vernal Pool Hike

Vernal pools are a little-known but extremely important feature that occurs in our McHenry County oak woods.

Gardening with Lesser-Known Native Plants

Move beyond purple coneflower and black-eyed susans!

Native Plant Gardening and Design - Rescheduled for June 24

Want to learn more about the basics of gardening with native plants and supporting pollinators?

Volunteer to help oaks

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There are many ways to help oaks, whether at your own home or throughout McHenry County! Here are some ideas:

Volunteer at a TLC restoration workday or Oak Rescue. Workdays are held on some weekdays and almost every weekend. Check the TLC calendar or follow us on Facebook so you know when the next workday is. No fancy clothes are tools are needed, just wear sturdy boots/shoes and clothing that can get burn holes. Snacks and tools are provided!
Seed collecting. If you have native plants in your landscaping, collecting seed from them can be a fun and rewarding event! Spread them around on your property, or if you have limited space, you can donate them to TLC to use in our restoration projects! Learn more about seed collecting here!
Acorn Roundup. Collecting acorns is a great way to get your kids, friends, neighbors or students outside and involved in a worthwhile project! Learn more here.
Help plant oaks at our spring and fall Celebration & Memorial Oak plantings. Volunteers are always welcome! To get started, fill out our volunteer form here!

Interns July TLC interns collected seed in the summer of 2019.

Learn more about oak trees

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Learn more about oak trees

Attend a one-day Oak Keepers workshop. Upcoming workshops will be held June 12 & Sept. 26, 2020.
Learn to support and incorporate oaks in your landscape. Upcoming programs include:
- CANCELLED - Learn to Burn - March 28 at the Woodstock Library/Hennen Conservation Area in Woodstock
- Vernal Pool Hike - April 25 in Harvard
- CANCELLED - Gardening with Lesser-Known Native Plants - April 27 at the Harvard-Diggins Library
- Native Plant Gardening and Design - April 29 at the Fox Lake District Library
- Spring Wildflower Walk - May 17 at Ryder's Woods in Woodstock
- Plant Your Own Monarch Garden - June 4 at Barrington Area Library
- Become an Oak Keeper - June 12 or Sept. 26, location TBD
- How to Convert Lawn to a Wildflower Meadow with Seed - June 23 at the Barrington Area Library
- Composting and Water Conservation - Aug. 12 at the Cary Public Library
Collect and Share Native Seed so others can enjoy the benefits of native plants. Open to TLC members, Seed Sharing Day takes place on a weekend in the fall. The 2020 date will be announced soon!
Learn the tools to inspire others to become advocates for our local natural communities. Attend TLC's free Nature Talk workshop in early February 2021.
Learn to conduct a prescribed burn. Prescribed burns are an important tool for maintaining natural areas and preserving high quality habitat for plants and animals. Periodic fire has been an important part of the historical landscape, and is one of the best ways to control weeds and unwanted brush, as well as to promote a healthy diversity of plants.
Oak Woodland Wildflower Identification Walk - Coming soon!
Tree & Shrub Identification - TLC offers these classes in the winter and spring/summer. Learn more about the trees in our area and how to identify them.
Beginners Chainsaw Training - Learn about personal protective equipment, basic chainsaw maintenance, and the development of technique to safely fell a tree and cut it up. The chainsaw training class is offered each fall.

Plant Oaks

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Whether planted in your yard or at a public park, planting oaks is one of the best things you can do for the local environment.

Buy oaks to plant during TLC's Spring and Fall Sustainability Sales.
The 2020 Spring sale takes place March 1-May 4, 2020.
The fall sale runs from early August-end of September.
Purchase a memorial/celebration oak from TLC.
Organize an oak tree planting for your school, scout group, church, etc. (Contact Dave Zeiger at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to organize an oak planting for your group.)