Geneva Man Helps Restore Kane County Forest Preserve
Saving Oak Woodlands In Kane County
(CBS) -- One of the most endangered ecosystems on Earth is in Kane County, and a man from Geneva is just finishing his fourth year trying to keep it alive and well.
WBBM's Steve Miller reports.
Jay Womack's job is landscape architect in Chicago. But as a volunteer in the Fabyan Forest Preserve in Kane County, he leads others. They spend weekends in the winter months clearing plants that don't belong.
"One of the things I've taught the people who've come out there is that if it's still green in November, it's not from America," he says.
Take buckthorn.
"One of the reasons that buckthorn is able to grow so aggressively is that it's still taking on energy long into November while all our native plants are so dormant," Womack says.
And unless it's removed, it would choke out the oaks, some of which are 100 or even 200 years old.
"We're hoping to restore the oak woodland ecosystem, which just happens to be one of the most endangered ecosystems on the face of the Earth, primarily because it takes so long to grow," he says.
More volunteers are needed. For more information, click here.
