Defenders of McHenry County history begins in 1969 when the Fox Valley Freeway
was proposed. In response to the proposal that would pave over some of the most
ecologically significant features within the Fox River watershed, a group of
concerned citizens from the Barrington area formed the Defenders of the Fox to
protect and improve the Fox River ecosystem and its tributaries. The Defenders
of the Fox’s first goal was to fight the freeway. In February 1970, a group of
like-minded people from Crystal Lake and other parts of McHenry County joined
the Barrington group, forming the McHenry County chapter of the Defenders of the
At about the same time, an
ad in the Woodstock Daily Sentinel called for people interested in
environmental matters to attend a meeting at Pleasant Valley Outdoor Center.
Rita and Ralph Halvorsen, Anne Carroll, Sherry Anderson, and Lou and Margaret
Marchi attended and eventually formed the McHenry County Environmental Council.
In September 1970 this group presented Earth-O-Rama, a program on ecology.
Admission was gained by bringing some item to be recycled. Soon thereafter, the
Council was asked to become a part of the McHenry County Defenders of the Fox.
In February of 1971, the two groups merged and incorporated as McHenry County
In 2008, the members of
the McHenry County Defenders voted to change their name to “The Environmental
Defenders of McHenry County” to more accurately describe the mission of the
From the beginning, the
Defenders has been instrumental in many environmental successes ~ stopping the
Fox Valley Freeway (twice! in the early 70’s and again in the early 90’s);
saving Allerton Park near Decatur; protecting Volo Bog and Wilson Bog as
Illinois Nature Preserves and an Illinois State Natural Area; banning phosphates
in detergents; crafting a Crystal Lake watershed protection ordinance;
protecting the Middlefork River near Danville; saving Ryder's Woods in
Woodstock; forming the McHenry County Conservation District; passing the
Illinois Groundwater Protection Act and the Solid Waste Management Act;
regulating gravel mining in McHenry County; preventing landfills on permeable
soils in McHenry County; stopping power plants from being built on agricultural
lands, and aiding in the adoption of the McHenry County Stormwater Ordinance.
The McHenry County
Defenders has won several awards for its work, including the Illinois
Environmental Council's Environmental Organization of the Year, 1983;
Governor's Hometown Award, 1987; Daughters of the American Revolution
State Conservation Award, 1989; Take Pride in America Award to the
& Propagation Committee,
1989; Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste Environmental Justice Award,
in both 1989 and 1993; the Center for Neighborhood Technology's Pathmaker
Award, 1998; the McHenry County Outstanding Recycler Award, 2002; the
McHenry County Recycler Commendation Award, 2003; and the McHenry County
Consistency in Recycling Award, 2004; McHenry County Job Training Youth
Program Certificate of Appreciation 2005; McHenry County Outstanding Recycling
by an Organization Award, 2006; McHenry County Department of Health 2011
McHenry County Green Award.
The Defenders has been a
strong advocate of recycling activities since the organization’s inception.
Recycling activities were promoted as a way to handle the solid waste problem
and as a source of funds. Over the years, the Defenders has operated recycling
drives in Algonquin/Lake-In-The-Hills, Crystal Lake, Harvard, Hebron, Huntley,
McHenry, Richmond, Wonder Lake, and Woodstock. During the 1990’s and through
October 2006, the Defenders operated a full-service drop-off center in
Woodstock. We continue to hold monthly recycling drives in Woodstock and
Since 1970, the
Defenders’ work has continued the initial goals of its two founding groups.
Education and advocacy on issues which impact the environment are the dual
prongs of the Defenders successful stewardship of the natural resources of
McHenry County. Today, Education, Land Use Planning, Natural
Resources Preservation, Waste Reduction, and Water Resources Protection
events, tours, projects and demonstrations of environmental interest and address
issues facing the county. Fundraising and Membership Committees raise both funds and awareness of Defenders activities
in the community.
Reuse efforts have always
been a large part of the Waste Reduction Committee’s work. The office on the
Woodstock Square housed the Grassroots Seller Resale Shop, selling antiques and
collectibles as a way to promote reuse. When the office moved in 2002, the
Grassroots Seller closed, but the Waste-Not-Warehouse continued to sell used
“stuff” at the Woodstock Area Recycling Center. Currently, annual garage sales
promote reuse as well as provide
vital operational income for the organization.
Groundwater protection has
been an important issue for the Defenders. The group has published reports on
the subject, as well as working with businesses to protect groundwater supplies.
Interns helped businesses with pollution prevention projects and prepared fact
sheets on topics including solvent substitutions and pollution prevention for
drycleaners, printers, and auto shops. The Defenders is a member of the
Northern Regional Groundwater Protection Planning Committee and has served on
both the Governor’s GAC and the Steering Committee for the McHenry County
Stream protection efforts
have been the focus of the Water Resources Protection Committee in recent years
promote the awareness of the high quality waterways of McHenry County via river
clean-ups, canoe trips, and educational programs. Environmental Defenders of
McHenry County is an active participant in both the Fox River and Kishwaukee
River Ecosystem Partnerships. Funding through the partnerships has enabled the
Defenders to create two brochures and a poster about the Kishwaukee River as
well as a display, a slide show and a manual on best management practices for
municipal officials. A brochure about assistance programs for Nippersink Creek
stream-front landowners was completed and a project focused on establishing
proper buffers for the North Branch of the creek is underway. New projects
focusing on outreach efforts in the Nippersink will target municipal decision
The Land Use Planning
Committee promotes good community planning and sustainable growth to protect the
natural resources of McHenry County. Efforts to educate the public include the
publication of the slow growth fact sheets, the 1993/1994 seminar “Preserving
Our Heritage in Growing Communities,” and candidate forums. Transportation
forums promoting alternatives to constructing highways and education about the
environmental impacts of road construction have also been conducted. Recently,
a first publication of the Local Farm to Market Growers of McHenry County has
been produced to provide consumers with local, sustainable market options for
produce as well as support local farmers. The Land Use Committee works with
other organizations in the Chicago region in efforts to combat suburban sprawl,
including the Campaign for Sensible Growth, Citizens Organized for Sound
Transportation, and the Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission.
The Education Committee
sponsors an annual observance of Earth Day, with large celebrations held at
McHenry County College for both the twentieth and thirtieth anniversaries in
1990 and 2000. Since 2000, annual celebrations of Earth Day are sponsored by
the Defenders in collaboration with other local environmental groups. The
Education Committee also sponsors Full Moon Theatre educational presentations
that provide a friendly forum for discussion of current environmental issues.
The Natural Resources
Preservation Committee promotes the use of native plants for roadside prairies.
Starting with a workshop for county and township road commissioners in 1993 and
through their ongoing demonstration projects ~ Lake Avenue Prairie in Woodstock,
the O’Brien Prairie south of Hebron ~ the committee has successfully educated
the community on the value of native landscaping.
The Defenders publishes a
quarterly newsletter with articles on environmental issues facing the county and
about the work of the organization. For years we provided Environmental Tips to
radio station WIVS and a series of Water Conservation Tips to the Northwest
Herald. Currently, weekly Sustainable Living Tips are published in
the Northwest Herald. A Resource Library, with an extensive collection of
books, videos, and magazines about environmental issues was established in 1981
and is open to the public. A scholarship is offered
yearly to a graduating McHenry County high school senior who will be studying
environmental issues, while the Youth Conservation Fund supports environmental
first hired staff and rented office space in 1981, in Crystal Lake. The
organization has been through various locations and staff throughout the years,
bringing it to its present success and location in Woodstock.
In 2008, the members of the McHenry County Defenders voted to change the name
to "Environmental Defenders of McHenry County" to better reflect that which we
defend. Still known widely as "The Defenders," the grass roots organization’s
mission since 1970 will continue with regard to its work on environmental
issues: to preserve, protect and educate. Just as organisms evolve with the
changing ecosystem, the Defender’s Board proposed the evolution of the
organization’s name to accurately describe the mission of the group.