The Galena Area Land Enthusiasts (GALE) is an all volunteer group that holds weekly workdays on JDCF preserves throughout the year. As GALE wraps up their 2025 season of land stewardship work, JDCF asked the group’s leaders, Fred Petersburg and Cam Moore, how the year has gone. Here’s what they had to say.
“GALE members started up in January clearing brush in the Casper Creek Natural Cemetery’s Memorial Grove,” Cam said. “We also held work days at Portage (now Mąą Pįį), Schurmeier Forest, Witkowsky Wildlife Area, Horseshoe Mound, Wapello, Casper Bluff, and Hanley Savanna. The clean-up of the Memorial Grove at Casper Bluff was the longest GALE has spent working on a single project since I have been involved. But when we finished it was transformed. It will benefit many and was our biggest accomplishment in the past year.”
New this year was the addition of a Saturday workday in hopes of offering those still working an opportunity to join GALE out on the land. “The Saturday workday is getting about the same number of volunteers as on Thursdays. I do think we are getting some new people involved, and more who have expressed interest in it, but haven’t made it yet. Some of the same people who work with us on Thursdays also work on the Saturday schedule,” Fred noted.
When asked what the biggest challenge GALE faced this year, Fred added; “I think the most challenging project has been the Portage property. We cleaned up invasives along the south fence line. The challenging aspects were the heavy infestation of vines which made brush and tree removal difficult, and the always difficult job of removing locust trees with their thorns. I agree with Cam that the clearing of the Memorial Grove was our biggest accomplishment. We planted a dozen or more potted oaks there on October 24 in honor of our past GALE leader Bill Reid who passed away over a year ago.”
In the spirit of the GALE mantra “Conservation & Camaraderie”, GALE teamed up with the NW IL Prairie Enthusiasts to pick local prairie seed for NIPE’s seed bank program. “Regarding our experience picking seed with NIPE, I would say it was a success and a fun and educational experience. We actually had some of our best volunteer turnouts doing this. I think it fits in well with our goal of land conservation and improvement,” Fred concluded.
GALE welcomes new volunteers to the group regardless of experience. If you would like to join them and lend a hand to Mother Nature, email JDCF Volunteer Coordinator, Ginni Yarbrough, at volunteer@jdcf.org and she will get you signed up.