Early reports from Lake County show that there were plenty of varieties of animals present until late in the 1800s. Lake Zurich was home to Virginia deer, timber wolves, Canada lynx, wildcats, foxes, raccoons, skunks, minks, muskrats, weasels, woodchuck, and coyote. All these animals existed in the prairie and in the groves of trees that dotted the countryside.

The open land was covered with wild flowers that stretched for miles. The covered wagons that brought the early settlers were called Prairie Schooners because the land was an ocean of grasses and flowers. When the settlers came, they changed the landscape to farmland and in the rich soil of the prairie. By removing the prairie, the settlers took away much of the habitat for local animals. By the late 1800s, many animals were nearly extinct from loss of habitat and being hunted for their pelts.

Since the decline of the farming industry, the grand equipment of the farmers has been replaced by the bulldozer, plowing through the land and again altering the landscape. Where farmers planted crops, the new developers have left behind concrete and fertilized grass. Again, animals are forced to find new habitats or to squeeze upon already taxed areas of natural space.

When the developers began to build in earnest in the late 1960s, there was a group of citizens from Barrington who saw a need to create a group of stewards for the protection of the land. They saw that the remaining animals in suburban areas were under threat of further extinction and the original prairie plants and wetland areas were soon to be gone forever. In 1970, these citizens formed Citizens For Conservation (CFC) who resolved to "save living space for living things".

The group of approximately 3 members has, in the last 28 years, saved 273 acres of land around the Barrington and Lake Zurich area from the effects of urban sprawl. Their headquarters is based on Ela Road, just south of Cuba Road. Two examples of their work can be seen in the Cuba Marsh and the Ela Marsh, which they rescued from becoming an industrial park and a housing development. They also maintain the Grigsby Prairie, Flint Creek Savannah, Wagner Fen, Barrington Bog, and Ela Road Prairie. All these properties are managed through volunteer efforts.

The vice president of CFC, Sharon Pasch, a Lake Zurich resident, would like to see more residents of Lake Zurich involve themselves in the work of CFC. The benefits for the residents can be tremendous. Aside from the on-the-job training in natural landscaping techniques, the work is rewarding in the visible improvements to the environment and community. CFC is also working to solve problems that homeowners, who live along creek beds and waterways, face yearly by studying stream bank stabilization methods.

There are many local groups who help throughout the year. Church groups, high school groups, and even grade-school children help with seed collection in the fall, and planting in the spring. A wonderful aspect about conservation is that it is a job for all ages. Nature classes offered by CFC help local children to learn the basics of conservation.

Sam Oliver, the current president of CFC, explained that their mission relies upon the help of the local communities- not just in volunteers- also in the identification of threatened land, acquiring needed funds, and supporting the conservation efforts of the local forest preserves.

Prairies and natural areas are amazing places to visit. They touch all of the senses with their magic. From the buzz of the bees, to the rush of the grasses, the warmth of the sun, the cool of the wind, the colors of the plants- the sense of being one with nature.

In the words of John Madsen, a prairie guru, "There are only a few prairies left today, but they are worth seeking- worth going to and being in. If you are a man, stand in such a place and imagine you hold in your hand your land warrant, looking out at your own free and clear quarter share of the richest loam in the world. If you are a woman, watch your children at play in wild gardens of strange flowers, and imagine your nearest neighbor is twenty miles away. If you are a child, lie in a patch of flowers and dream of Indians."

All local citizens are welcome to join Citizens For Conservation. For more information, contact CFC at (847) 382-SAVE.