Gateway Park Oak Rescue Draws Crowd

Saturday December 10th was the inaugural Oak Rescue at the future Gateway Park on the south side of Harvard near the intersection of Routes 14 & 23.

Thirty volunteers from throughout McHenry County donated over 90 hours on a cold morning to release about a dozen ancient oaks from the grips of invasive brush that had grown up around them in the last 20-30 years.

The 18 acre property is home to dozens of oaks that were growing on the property before the area was settled. These trees would have welcomed early settlers to town 165 or more years ago, and now will continue to welcome residents and visitors to Harvard forever.

Through a partnership between the City of Harvard and The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, Gateway Park will be preserved as a public nature park for hiking, relaxation and education. The property is just three-tenths of a mile from the new Crosby Elementary School.

The property includes several oak groves, with dozens of trees that were already large when the City was founded in 1856. Additionally, one of the only portions of Rush Creek that was never ditched runs through the center of the property, providing important habitat for a diversity of fish, including three that are listed as "species in greatest need of conservation" by the State of Illinois.

Future Oak Rescues are being planned for the site. Contact The Land Conservancy for more information: 815-337-9502. Visit the website for more information about TLC and  the Gateway Park project: www.conservemc.org and http://www.conservemc.org/ways-to-help/harvard-gateway-project.html.

The Land Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization that works with individuals and communities to preserve natural and agricultural land in McHenry County for the benefit of future generations. TLC has preserved nearly 2,000 acres across McHenry County since 1991.