Saturday, October 11
Lake Barrington Village Hall, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Citizens for Conservation will host a new event celebrating Barrington’s oak groves. Join us in our efforts to maintain the oak ecosystem in our area by bringing acorns in a Ziploc bag with a leaf from the tree they were collected from. These will help us generate seedlings for next spring when you can come back and “adopt” a baby oak to plant in your own yard. The Festival will have some trees for sale, demonstrations on how to plant trees and acorns, nature crafts, and a nature walk to identify the trees of our woodlands. Many other organizations will be there presenting information. Admission is free and no pre-registration is necessary. For more information, contact us at www.citizensforconservation.org or call 847-382-SAVE (7283). Lake Barrington Village Hall is located at 23860 Old Barrington Road, Lake Barrington, IL.
Why Oaks?
Studies have shown that…
Large deciduous trees including oaks provide many environmental benefits. These trees sequester carbon, remove air pollution particles, trap rainwater to reduce flooding, and importantly support hundreds of species of birds, mammals, insects, and invertebrates.
Unfortunately oaks are not reproducing on their own.
Recruitment of new trees is being hampered by browsing animals such as squirrels and deer. We can help by planting these trees either as seedlings or by protecting plants.
Collect some acorns this fall and learn how to propagate Oaks.
On October 11 bring your collected acorns to the Lake Barrington Village Hall to participate in the first “Festival of the Oaks,” where we will begin the propagation of the next generation of Oak Trees. Make this a family event and start your own tree tradition.
Acorn Collection
Choose swollen or plump looking acorns that have turned yellow or brown. Make sure to pick them from healthy trees just after they have fallen to the ground or pick them directly from the tree. Look for acorns that do not have any visible holes in them, as these could be signs of insects that destroy the acorn’s ability to reproduce.
Store your acorns: Place acorns from one tree only in a zip lock bag. Place a leaf from the tree in the bag with the acorns and then write down your name, and the location of the tree on the outside of the bag. Place the bag in the refrigerator until the day of the festival. You can repeat this with other trees. Remember to try and pick the biggest and healthiest tree along with the best looking acorns.
Join us at the Festival of the Oaks!
Join us for an opportunity to learn how to plant acorns and seedlings in the most successful way. Come and enjoy a day in the woods where we will have crafts to do as well as people from the Lake County Forest Preserve, Citizens for Conservation, and tree companies explaining what is being done to improve our forests and yards by saving native trees.
* Crafts
* Oak seedlings for sale (along with a few for adoption)
* Native tree identification
* Experts on tree care and planting
* Lake County Forest Preserve presentation on the restoration of our forests
Click here to download brochure.