In April, AAPLD is delighted to display entries in The Land Conservancy of McHenry County’s Amateur Photo Contest.

Each year amateur photographers are invited to participate in this annual contest highlighting the inspiring nature of The Land Conservancy’s preservation work. The goal is to share the beautiful and immense natural diversity found throughout McHenry County. The photos were taken at properties The Land Conservancy has helped protect or restore. Each site has a unique character and story, contained in the photos’ captions.

The Land Conservancy has operated in McHenry County since 1991, and has preserved over 3,200 acres of land. Eight of its sites are open to the public, and include restored woods, wetlands and natural habitats. Other sites are conservation easements; a voluntary, permanent agreement between a landowner and  The Land Conservancy, which allows the owner to continue to use and enjoy the land and eventually sell it or pass it to his or her heirs, knowing that it will remain undeveloped. Other Land Conservancy initiatives include Project Quercus, which encourages planting and preserving oak trees, various community education programs, the Apple Creek Food Forest which showcases edible species trees, plants and shrubs, and the Farmer/Landowner Lease Match, which pairs beginning farmers who need access to land, with landowners interested in selling or leasing to a new generation of career farmers.

An accredited nonprofit local land trust, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County works with local property owners, communities and volunteers to preserve open, natural and agricultural land. The organization is privately funded through annual memberships, donations, grants, contracts with municipalities to provide open space stewardship services, fundraisers, and merchandise. Learn more at conservemc.org

If you’re a local artist interested in exhibiting your work, please submit samples of your work and contact information to social@aapld.org

Spend an evening with author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela, Wednesday, April 9, at 7:00 pm, at the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College, for a fun and fascinating talk about our favorite (and not-so-favorite!) birds. Challenge what you think you know about common birds such as the European Starling, and the American Crow, for a new perspective and understanding of our backyard feathered friends.

Admission is free, but registration is required.

Tekiela is the originator of the popular state-specific field guide series, which includes the Birds of Illinois Field Guide, Trees of Illinois Field Guide and many more. Over the last four decades, he has authored more than 200 field guides, nature appreciation books, and wildlife audio CDs for nearly every state in the nation. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, he is also a syndicated columnist, and radio personality who travels the nation to study, photograph, and write about wildlife. Copies of his books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, courtesy of Read Between The Lynes bookstore in Woodstock.

The evening will also include an information expo featuring local conservation and nature organizations; the McHenry County Conservation District and Foundation, the Land Conservancy of McHenry County, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources- Moraine Hills and Volo Bog, McHenry County Audubon Society, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, Small Water Education, Illinois Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Crystal Lake Nature Center.

The evening is sponsored by a coalition of McHenry County libraries, including Algonquin Area Public Library, Cary Area Public Library, Crystal Lake Public Library, Harvard-Diggins Library, Huntley Area Public Library, Johnsburg Library, Marengo-Union Public Library, McHenry Public Library, Nippersink Public Library, and Woodstock Public Library. The coalition’s “Let’s All Read Together” community reading program encourages county residents to come together for a shared reading experience.

For March, AAPLD welcomes pastel artist Susan L. Chelminski to the Art Wall in the Adult Services Department. Learn a little more about this talented artist.

The Artist: Susan L. Chelminski
Background/Experience:  I began my interest in art at a very early age. My mother was a professional artist and she mentored me and stoked the fires. I studied under the internationally renowned artist Joseph Abbrescia at The Village Art School, in Skokie. I also studied under the direction of Frankie Johnson, Susan Plough and Barb Benstein. My career took a left turn as I worked in the field  of psychology, though I continued to dabble in creative writing, jewelry making and tole painting. Nearing the close of my counseling career, I decided to resurrect my passion for art. I have been juried into art shows at the Dole in Crystal Lake, the Main Street Art Center Gallery in Lake Zurich, and The Land Conservancy’s Art of the Land.

My favorite medium: Pastels offer me the ability to fully immerse myself in my work. I love color, and soft pastels help me to indulge this passion.
What inspires me: My subject matter varies depending on my mood, though the bulk of my work is deigned to have an element of surprise, suh as my “Something Fishy” series, which combines the flow of flamenco dancers with that of a betta fish. The series “We Are What Eat” combines people and food.

Find her on Instagram at sooz.art3

If you’re a local artist interested in exhibiting your work, please submit samples of your work and contact information to social@aapld.org