McHenry-Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District

09/14/2026

09/10/2026

Youth Groundwater Festival today at our Dean Street Property. Students from Creekside rotated through stations sampling macro invertebrates, learning about stormwater pollution and BMPs, discovering native plants, pulling non-natives (Queen Anne’s Lace), sampling soil, groundwater modeling, flood modeling, and exploring watersheds using an enviroscape. They capped the day off with a bucket race.

08/05/2026

Fun day at work with NRCS, SWCD, County, and MCCD staff identifying prairie and wetland species on MCCD’s School Springs Road site. Prairie Milkweed and Swamp Milkweed with a monarch caterpillar.

05/14/2026

Another successful day at the Capitol! 🌱

AISWCD Board President Dale Shumaker joined Rep. Chung in presenting HB 4755 before the House Appropriations – General Services Committee, legislation requesting $10 million in FY27 operations funding for Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts.

Dale did an outstanding job telling the story of where our districts are today and why investing in local conservation matters. After getting word the night prior that the bill would be heard, he made the 8-hour round trip to Springfield for a 10-minute testimony slot — a true example of dedication to conservation and our districts.

The committee response was encouraging, with strong engagement and support from members. We also had the opportunity to briefly highlight HB 5593, our companion legislation creating a dedicated funding source through an agricultural conservation fee, demonstrating our commitment to finding responsible, long-term funding solutions.

Thank you to everyone continuing to advocate for soil and water conservation across Illinois. The work is being noticed.

05/01/2026

Congratulations to Olney on your win and to our Council 16 team, Lane Tech, for taking second place!

04/29/2026

Illinois State Envirothon is underway! Good luck teams!

04/24/2026

For the most updated information regarding road closures due to flooding, please use this interactive map: https://mchenrycountygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=f6d0cfca76ac4132a31368c5fa3b9036&fbclid=IwY2xjawRXS4JleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF3ZUVXUVA0MW9xbW9lWWRlc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqeuEdt-TzxZ-2wlX7zHfN7ysbOc85fWNFhxwoEPux0rLWSDUd0Ae5Km0-tG_aem_ZRexKntUXfJ8XbUZlFnKZQ Please be a good neighbor and respect all barricades and posted closures. Just 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars. Turn around, don't drown!

04/23/2026

Fish sale pick up this morning. Three orders already on their way to their forever ponds 🐟

04/16/2026

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰! 𝐁𝐌𝐏 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 & 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 – 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝

Friday, April 17th from 1-3pm
McHenry-Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District Building
2222 Dean Street, Woodstock

This Talk and Tour will feature Scott Brix, one of the original co-founders of the Food Shed Co-op, who will present “The Food System We Built – and the One We Need.” His talk will explore how local food movements and community-owned cooperatives can contribute to creating a more resilient and sustainable food system.

Local farmers, Broadview Farm and Gardens of Marengo and Wanda Farms of Harvard, who sell their produce, meat and eggs to the Food Shed Co-op will be joining us with tables of their wares at the Dean St. talk.

From global supply chains to McHenry County farmland, this talk will explore how the way we grow and distribute food impacts our environment. Scott Brix brings a unique perspective as both a food industry professional and co-founder of the Food Shed Co-op, sharing insights into soil health and sustainability—and how local food movements and community-owned co-ops can help move the needle toward a more resilient and sustainable food system.

Scott Brix brings decades of experience in food science, engineering, and biotechnology. His years in the corporate food and agriculture sector left him increasingly disillusioned with an industry that often puts profit ahead of people, the planet, and real food. Determined to create an alternative, he helped launch the Food Shed Co-op - rooted in local, sustainable food systems that strengthen small, non-industrial farmers, local producers, and the community.

After the presentation, a tour of the Food Shed Co-op, at 2390 Lake Shore Drive, will highlight BMPs in action at the facility.

These popular Talk and Tour programs showcase Best Management Practices successfully implemented in McHenry County. The programs are a collaborative effort with the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County and the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development.

Register for event: tinyurl.com/BMPTourSignup

04/10/2026

SWCD staff had the pleasure of presenting on soil erosion for Ag Expo this week.