Environmental Initiatives

Environmental Initiatives

The Crystal Lake Park District has adopted the following strategic areas to direct environmental initiatives. 

• Open Space Planning and Preservation
• Environmental Education and Interpretation
• Wise Use of Air, Soil, Water and Wildlife
• Wise Use of Energy Resources
• Reduction and Handling of Waste
• Environmentally Safe Products

Open Space Planning and Preservation

With the addition of a Manager of Natural Resources position, the Park District is developing and implementing ecosystems re-establishment and restoration plans for park natural areas. Recreational access to park natural areas continues to improve with planning and implementing projects such as parking lot and trail establishment at Shamrock Hills. Nature Center programs, social media postings and updated informative signage provide enhanced public interaction with park natural areas. Specific initiatives such as promoting a habitat tree preserved at the Nature Center have served to provide exemplary natural area stewardship for landowners.

Environmental Education and Interpretation

The Crystal Lake Park District Nature Center serves as the primary provider of environmental education throughout the district. Open year-round, the Nature Center provides a unique opportunity for young and old alike to experience nature through progressive programs, hands-on activities, seasonal exhibits and volunteer opportunities. Demonstration gardens that include native landscaping and rain barrels are used to educate visitors.

Nature Center

Wise Use of Air, Soil Water and Wildlife

The Park District owns and manages two Illinois Nature Preserves, the 185 acres Sterne's Woods and Fen and the 40 acres Wingate Prairie in Veteran Acres Park. More than 300 additional acres of natural areas are also located in the district, including Veteran Acres Park, Lippold Park, Willows Edge Park and Prairie Ridge Conservation Area. Natural resource management in these park natural areas includes control of invasive vegetation, reintroduction of diverse native vegetation and monitoring of ecosystems.

The Crystal Lake Park District performs a variety of management tasks each year, including water quality sampling, hydrology monitoring, aquatic macrophyte sampling, aquatic weed control, and fishery management. In addition to Crystal Lake, the park district manages ponds and waterways in twelve other parks.

The Park District grounds crews discontinued the routine use of fertilizer and herbicide for general turf care more than ten years ago. Currently, only athletic fields are treated with routine fertilizer (non-phosphorous) and herbicide. Spot application of herbicide by licensed individuals is performed judiciously as needed to control weeds along fence lines, in mulch tree rings and in landscape beds. Cultural weed control practices are used as much as possible, following integrated pest management principles, to reduce the need for herbicide use.

Wise Use of Energy Resources

To increase the efficiency of existing buildings, improved insulation and other upgrades are carried out, while energy saving devices are installed to replace outdated switches, appliances, lights, hand driers and other items. When remodeling or constructing new buildings, green technologies and building products are preferred. A restroom in Veteran Acres Park was constructed to use solar powered electricity.

Reduction and Handling of Waste

When visiting high use parks like Main Beach, West Beach, Veteran Acres and Lippold Parks, you will see blue bins for approved recyclables. All other items should be placed in a trash receptacle. We ask for your help in recycling as we continue to improve our efforts to make the world a better place for us and future generations.

The following clean and empty items are allowed to be placed in the recycling bins:

• ACCEPTED RECYCLABLES
  
  • Newspaper, copy paper, magazines, junk mail
  • Corrugated cardboard
  • Chipboard (i.e. - cereal box and pop case)
  • Steel cans
  • Aluminum Cans and clean aluminum foil
  • Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs and jars only - coded 1-7
  • Glass (green, brown, clear) bottles and jars only
  • Aluminum Cans
  • Cartons (i.e. - juice boxes and milk cartons)

• NON-RECYCLABLES
  • Styrofoam, including packing peanuts
  • Shredded Paper
  • 6 pack rings
  • Oil containers
  • Grocery bags
  • Plastic bags, bubble wrap

THANK YOU FOR RECYCLING!

Environmentally Safe Products

As part of a commitment to reducing the use of products that pose a hazard to human health and the environment, our custodial and facilities staff have shifted toward utilizing cleaning products with a more positive environmental profile such as using hydrogen peroxide based cleaner/disinfectant where applicable. Several of the frequently used cleaning products are Green Seal Certified. Disposable paper towels used for cleaning have been replaced, where possible, with microfiber products. Ready-to-dispense cleaning products make our bottles refillable. Vacuums with CRI approval and HEPA filters are used to aid in preserving indoor air quality.

Be Clean, Be Green, Be Healthy!

Notable Environmental Programs

Natural Resources Management Projects

2025-2026 Winter Natural Areas Restoration/Brush Clearing Recap

The following is a comprehensive summary of work completed during this past winter clearing season.

Willows Edge West Park – Select Locations

Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees including Callery pear and Siberian elm.

• Northern trail corridors
• East side of the turf grass clearing in central park
• Southern trail corridor from Amberwood Dr.
• Trail entrance from Amberwood Dr. and Dovercliff Way
• Improved trailside clearance and visibility on the trail system
• Native seed mixes installed following brush removal work

Butternut Preserve – Select Locations

Removed invasive species underbrush

• East creek side, south of northern bridge to prairie
• Northern portion of woodland surrounding the parking lot
• Woodland edge along southern sidewalks, Ballard Rd.
• Improved clearance on trailside
• Removed selected dead undergrowth
• Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Sep 25, 2025

Crystal Lake Park District has partnered with McHenry County Audubon (MCA) on the installation of a MCA monitored bluebird nesting box trail around the Fen View Trail (Yellow) at Sternes Woods and Fen. Eastern bluebirds nest in cavities of trees and historically in places like old wooden fence posts. Replacement of most wooden fence posts with metal, the practice of removing many dead trees in the modern landscape, and the introduction of competition from invasive species like European starlings and house sparrows had led to a marked decline in the bluebird population with some estimates suggesting a 90% loss by the mid-20th century. Bluebird nesting box trails have been a major contributor to an increasing trend in the bluebird population since the 1960’s. We are proud to be a partner in this conservation effort.

Sternes Woods and Fen Park– Select Locations

Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees

• Dry-mesic prairie remnant near entrance to old quarry
• Low Peatland/Seep Restoration west of the Oak View Trail (Aqua)
• Savanna Restoration, southwest of the northeast intersection of the VA Sterne’s Woods Trail (Red) and Moraine View Trail (Green)
• Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Lippold Park – Select Locations

• Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees
• Portion of southern grove around Heritage Tree
  -Perimeter of wetland, south of football fields
  -Grove north of soccer field 3Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Veteran Acres/Wingate – View Street Lot

Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees. Perimeter of View St./Lorraine Dr. parking lot
Valley northeast of Nature Center
Native seed mix installed following brush removal work
 

Shamrock Hills – Trail and Pond Buffer

Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees south of ponds, immediately north of parking lot
West of ponds, under oaks and around hickories
Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Fetzner Park – Wooded Edge

• Removed invasive species underbrush and dead tree
• East of dry detention, north of Alexandria Blvd. and Shelton Ln.
• Native seed mix installed following brush removal work
   

Seminary Park – Trailside North of Bridge

• Removed invasive species underbrush from trailside
• Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Feb 11, 2026
 
Back in 1989, a Natural Areas Management Plan identified several small pockets of original dry-mesic prairie still surviving in Sterne’s Woods. Over time, however, invasive brush and shrubs grew in so thick that these prairies were barely recognizable.
 
Through ongoing restoration efforts, we’re bringing these special landscapes back.
  
In winter 2024, work began in the eastern portion of Area 1. At that time, only about one-tenth of an acre of prairie grasses and a few native flowers remained. Crews removed invasive brush, expanding the open prairie to nearly half an acre. After clearing, we planted additional native prairie seed to help jumpstart recovery.
 
In spring, follow-up brush control prevented invasive plants from returning, and in 2025, staff removed white sweet clover to give native plants room to thrive. Thanks to these efforts, the restored area is now filled with dense, vibrant native blooms.
 
Building on this success, restoration continues in 2026 with additional clearing on the south side of the moraine in Area 1. Work has also begun to restore western Area 5—bringing more of Sterne’s Woods back to life as native prairie.
  
Questions about Crystal Lake Park District Natural Resource Management? Email Preston Skultety, Manager of Natural Resources at pskultety@crystallakeparks.org

Jan 29, 2026
A recent natural resource management project at Lippold Park liberated a “Wolf Oak” from invasive underbrush that had filled in under it. Wolf Tree is a term used to describe trees that historically grew in open environments such as pastures and without competition from other trees grew to be large and have far reaching, often low branches. Foresters used this term because they saw them as wolves that preyed on timber resources in a timber harvesting area. This tree tells us that the woodland in southern Lippold Park was once much more open than today. Today we appreciate Wolf Trees not only for their majestic stature, but for the wildlife habitat that they provide.

Wolf Oak on Morton Arboretum Interactive Map

To learn more about Wolf Trees:

Northern Woodlands Article

American Forests Article

Sep 25, 2025 
Crystal Lake Park District is partnering with Pollinator Partnership as part of Project Wingspan,  a multi-year, Midwestern initiative to expand and enhance pollinator habitat with volunteer-collected, local native wildflower seeds. This project is funded by a grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Collected and cleaned seeds, are awarded back to local pollinator habitat projects as seeds and plugs. The District will be providing a collection site with dense populations of target species at an existing pollinator plot where the seeds might have found their way into neighboring turf grass and this effort will ensure that the seeds go where they are likely to provide benefit.

Sep 25, 2025
Crystal Lake Park District has partnered with McHenry County Audubon (MCA) on the installation of a MCA monitored bluebird nesting box trail around the Fen View Trail (Yellow) at Sterne's Woods and Fen. Eastern bluebirds nest in cavities of trees and historically in places like old wooden fence posts. Replacement of most wooden fence posts with metal, the practice of removing many dead trees in the modern landscape, and the introduction of competition from invasive species like European starlings and house sparrows had led to a marked decline in the bluebird population with some estimates suggesting a 90% loss by the mid-20th century. Bluebird nesting box trails have been a major contributor to an increasing trend in the bluebird population since the 1960’s. We are proud to be a partner in this conservation effort. 

A map of the nesting box locations:

April 21, 2025

The Park District is using permeable pavers to stabilize areas of frequent disturbance where vehicle access points or erosion issues exist. Permeable pavers are a great alternative to traditional paved surfaces as they preserve water infiltration capability, reducing stormwater runoff, potential pollutant runoff and keeping vehicles from tracking soil on roadways.

List of Parks with Permeable Pavers

February 2025

A Message from the Natural Resource Manager

I’d like to express my appreciation for all the effort that the men and women of Park Services have put into natural resource management projects during my tenure at the Park District and throughout this current winter brush clearing season. Anyone who’s done natural resource management work knows that it is physically challenging work under challenging conditions. The team has given their buy-in to these projects with a willingness to learn new land management techniques and plant ID skills, a willingness to perform sometimes tedious precision tasks in sensitive areas that would seem more difficult than they need to be and an openness to the understanding that “the juice is worth the squeeze”. The individual skill sets that the team members contribute to these projects are a great asset. This has allowed us to perform low disturbance ecological restoration projects with a high-quality result.

2024-2025 Recap

The following is a comprehensive summary of this season thus far, including the work done at Willows Edge West and several smaller projects that have been carried out district wide.

Willows Edge West Park – Select Locations

• Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees
  • Southern trail corridors
  • Western and southwest prairie
  • Southern buffer of the northernmost smaller pond
  • Improved clearance on trailside
  • Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

 Willows Edge East Park – Pond Buffer

• Removed invasive species from pond buffer
• Native seed mix installed following brush removal work 

Woodscreek Park – Path to Alexandra Blvd.

• Removed invasive species underbrush on the west side of path
• Improved clearance on the west side of path
• Ecological Restoration of Unnamed Tributary B from Woodscreek Watershed Plan
• Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Woodland Estates Park – Perimeter Path

• Removed invasive species underbrush
  • Northern tree line, path side
  • Western basin buffer
  • Around specimen trees
  • Improved clearance on side of path
  • Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Butternut Preserve – Select Locations

• Removed invasive species underbrush
  • Creekside, west of southern bridge
  • Trailside, eastern north to south path
  • Area behind bench south of parking lot
  • West side of larger clearing
  • Improved clearance on trailside
  • Removed selected dead undergrowth
  • Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Sterne's Woods and Fen Park– Select Locations

• Removed invasive species underbrush and selected trees
  • Pond at parking lot entrance
  • Trail sides Fen View Trail (Yellow) south of pavilion
  • North trail side VA Sterne’s Woods Trail (Red), between Fen View Trail (Yellow) and Oak View Trail (Aqua)
  • Trail sides VA Sterne’s Woods Trail (Red), southern segment

Veteran Acres Park – Select Locations

• Removed invasive species underbrush and selected tree growth
  • West of Oak Woods Lodge parking lot
  • Adjacent to Schweitzer memorial steps, beneath lookout deck
  • Native seed mix installed following brush removal work

Lippold – Herrick Trail

• Removed invasive species underbrush and selected dead tree growth

Shamrock –  Trail and Pond Buffer

• Removed invasive species underbrush