COS 2022 Bird Conservation Awards

The Chicago Ornithological Society’s 2022 Bird Conservation Awards were presented at COS’s Annual Meeting on January 19, 2023. This annual award honors exemplary volunteers who have provided outstanding assistance over more than one year to the avian-based restoration of LaBagh Woods Forest Preserve. Each awardee is automatically inducted into what we affectionately call the “Order of the Buckthorn.”

The 2022 honorees were:

Rich Kreski An electrician by trade, Rich has a “can-do” attitude about any task set before him, whether sawing fallen trees (which requires a special sawyer certification from the Forest Preserve), auguring, building fences, or planting. He cares passionately about LaBagh. Here is an example: this fall, when over 60 of our deer exclosures were taken apart, he spent his week’s vacation putting them back together. He often brings his friends and relatives to workdays, too. He is a regular, reliable, and skilled member of the LaBagh workdays.
Jay Qi Jay is one of those quiet volunteers who doesn’t call attention to herself, but for the past three years has thrown herself wholeheartedly into the restoration of LaBagh. (And into birding!) She has committed herself to becoming indispensable, whether that entails obtaining a herbicide license or becoming certified to be a “burn boss” (i.e., overseeing a conflagration of buckthorn). Her eagerness to learn and contribute more and more each year make her a key member of our team.
Derek Ziomber Derek has been integral to the fabric of our volunteer efforts at LaBagh for years. One of the best young botanists around, his passion for all things plant is legendary. Linda Marton, one of our key workday leaders, first spotted Derek in 2017 when he was able to identify plants she didn’t know. She quickly spread the word: “We have to keep this guy!” His skills go way beyond plant ID. He is willing to do whatever it takes to help the LaBagh restoration effort, whether auguring, site selection, mentoring up-and-coming workday leaders, seeding advice, or being a burn boss. He is now North Branch Field Organizer for Friends of the Forest Preserve, but we like to believe that LaBagh Woods is his favorite preserve.

Congratulations to our 2022 Bird Conservation Awardees! COS, our volunteers, and the birding community all thank you for your exemplary support and care for LaBagh Woods.

LaBagh Winter Restoration at Full Throttle

Restoration activities at LaBagh Woods do not slow down one bit over the winter.

With the ground frozen, now is the best time to tackle invasive buckthorn, so cutting and burning is the order of the day! Our workdays are huge fun and a very satisfying way to spend part of your Saturday or Sunday. Our upcoming workdays are from 10 until 1 on:

You do not need to be an expert—just let labaghvolunteers@gmail.com know that you want to come. We will provide the work gloves, tools, fire and snacks!

We are also busy removing buckthorn from inside our deer exclosures, which is easier in winter when there are no leaves. Another goal is to put numbers on the cages of our fall ’22 plantings and geo-tag each location. This seemingly simple task is actually a labor of love: here is a photo of Dennis Marton stamping the numbers on an inventory plate (each number is stamped individually).

And here is Deb, installing an inventory plate on one of our deer exclosures.

And geotagging each cage is also a painstaking task. The end goal is to have a map of every single one of our plantings at LaBagh, which will make monitoring our plantings much easier.

We would welcome your help at any of our workdays. Come and find out how rewarding it is to participate in making a difference at LaBagh!

LaBagh Woods Stewardship Update: December/January