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Plant pollinator habitat at home
Wanting to add more pollinator habitat at home? Look no further: native plant seed packets are available again in Petersburg! You can find displays at the Petersburg Public Library, 1st and 3rd Boutique, the Talisman, and the Crazy Daisy Gift Shop. This year we are offering 13 colorful species collected from the plantings on Petersburg’s square, Historic Wayside Park and our members’ own gardens and prairies. The packets are free, but we welcome donations that support Menard County Trails & Greenways. The displays will be restocked until we run out! Wondering how to choose? Check out blog posts highlighting the available species: Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Purple Prairie Clover, Golden Alexanders Small…
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Scary Invasive Plants in Your Landscape
Scarier than goblins, witches and ghosts are all the invasive plants we have planted in our yards and gardens! This Halloween we bring you a post about the horrors of invasive plants in your landscape. Some of our Menard County Trails & Greenways members have already been hard at work on the restoration efforts at New Salem in recent weeks. With the arrival of cooler temperatures, we’ll be scheduling volunteer work days soon! Be watching our Facebook page or your email if you’re an MCTG member for those dates. If you’d like to contribute to our forest restoration efforts at New Salem, but you can’t make it to our work…
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2023 Annual Fall Float
It was a beautiful day for a float on the Sangamon River! This past Saturday, Menard County Trails & Greenways (MCTG) hosted its Annual Sangamon River Fall Float from Gudgel Bridge to New Salem. Approximately 30 paddlers launched their canoes and kayaks in the afternoon and wound their way down five miles of river, taking in blue skies, crisp air, the beginnings of changing leaves, and even a bald eagle! The river was a little low, but we managed to navigate around those really low spots. Immediately following the paddle, everyone enjoyed a toasty campfire complete with hotdogs and s’mores. The float would not have been possible without the help…
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Sangamon River Cleanup
On Friday, September 9, a small group of MCTG members spent a few hours cleaning up the Sangamon River near Hurie Park. On and around a sandbar located just below the Petersburg dam, the group hauled away about 10 bags of garbage and 20 tires from the river, otherwise known as “aquatic trash.” This trash can be harmful to fish and other wildlife that live in and around the river, as well as the humans who enjoy the river, plus it’s just ugly! Big thank you to the City of Petersburg for hauling away the garbage!
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MCTG provides public comment on City of Springfield’s amended Supplemental Water Supply Project
On July 1, 2021 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Public Notice addressing the City of Springfield’s amended Supplemental Water Supply Project. MCTG submitted the following public comment letter. The project’s initial proposal was to build Hunter Lake Reservoir to the southeast of Springfield Lake as an auxiliary water supply. Springfield subsequently requested an additional Purpose & Need of the project to include Aquatic Recreation. Per National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) requirements a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) is being prepared to address the addition of Purpose and Need of Aquatic Resources. Under NEPA, the SEIS must evaluate all appropriate and reasonable alternatives, including, among other things, “Use of…
