A Brief History of
The McHenry County Defenders

In 1969, a group of concerned citizens from the Barrington area formed the Defenders of the Fox in response to the proposed Fox Valley Freeway. The group's mission was to protect and improve the environment in the ecosystem of the Fox River, its tributaries and watershed, and its first goal was to fight the freeway. A group of like-minded people from Crystal Lake and other parts of McHenry County joined this group in February 1970, forming the McHenry County chapter of the Defenders of the Fox.

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 Defenders, Inc.

For the past 37 years, 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, four active issue committees (Land Use Planning, Natural Resources Preservation, Waste Reduction, Water Resources Protection) offer events, tours, projects and demonstrations in their area of environmental interest and address issues facing the county. Additional committees raise both funds and awareness of Defenders activities in the community.

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 Wildflower Preservation & 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; and the McHenry County Outstanding Recycler Award, 2002.

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; protection of the Middlefork River near Danville; saving Ryder's Woods in Woodstock; formation of the McHenry County Conservation District; passage of the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act and the Solid Waste Management Act; regulation of gravel mining in McHenry County; preventing landfills on permeable soils in McHenry County; and stopping power plants from being built on agricultural lands.

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 through 2006, the Defenders operated a full-service drop-off center in Woodstock, as well as Saturday drives in McHenry and Crystal Lake.

Reuse efforts have always been a large part of the Waste Reduction Committee’s work. For a time, the Grassroots Seller Resale Shop sold antiques and collectible items in the office on the Woodstock Square. When the office was moved to a location that does not accommodate resale in 2002, resale activities continued at the Waste-Not sales - a series of garage sales in the area. The sale of donated, usable items provide vital operational income for the organization, as well as promoting reuse.

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 and the O’Brien Prairie south of Hebron - the committee has successfully educated the community on the value of native landscaping.

Groundwater protection is an important issue for the Defenders. The group published reports on the subject as well as worked with businesses to promote pollution prevention to protect groundwater supplies. Interns helped businesses with pollution prevention projects and prepared fact sheets on topics including solvent substitution 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 Groundwater Plan.

Stream protection efforts have been the focus of the Water Resources Protection Committee in recent years. Friends of the Kishwaukee River and Friends of Nippersink Creek groups have been formed under the Defenders wing. These groups promote the awareness of the high quality waterways of McHenry County via river clean-ups, canoe trips, and educational
programs. McHenry County Defenders 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 streamfront landowners is 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 makers.

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. The group 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 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 organizations. In addition, Full Moon Theatre educational presentations provide a friendly forum for discussion of current environmental issues.

The Defenders publishes a 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. A Resource Center, the Margaret Marchi Environmental Library, with an extensive collection of books, videos, and magazines about environmental issues was established in 1981 and is open to the public. The Alta Rush Titus Scholarship and Teresa Charlotte Mangold Scholarship are awarded to college students studying environmental issues, while the Youth Conservation Fund supports environmental youth projects.

The Defenders first hired staff and rented office space in 1981. The organization has been through various locations and staff throughout the years, bringing it to its present success and location in Woodstock.