Meet Your Neighbors

Don and Espie Nelson:
Restoration Übervolunteers

Don and Espie Nelson have a reputation as übervolunteers, according to Michael Redmer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "They're two retired folks," he says, "who don't want to waste a day in which they could be giving a little back to the world they live in."

The Nelsons have always been interested in nature and outdoor activities. Their work in restoration started small in the mid-1990s, inspired by guided tours with The Nature Conservancy and a volunteer day at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet, Illinois. "We signed up for a workshop on prairie burning," says Espie. Soon they were donating their labor all over the new preserve and elsewhere, removing invasive plants and learning how to seed native habitats.

When Don retired from his job as a radiochemist at Argonne National Laboratory in 1998, the couple began to devote more time to volunteering. (Espie had retired earlier from work as a computer programmer at Fermilab.) The Nelsons have since become involved with some of the signature natural areas in the region. In addition to their work at Midewin, the two are stewards at Vermont Cemetery Nature Preserve in Wheatland Township, where restoration trailblazers Ray Schulenberg and Bob Betz fought to save original prairie surviving among the gravestones of early settlers. Don serves as a co-steward at Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve, a renowned habitat for extremely rare animal and plant species. Regularly monitoring frogs and plants there, the Nelsons identified the rare Fowler's toad and discovered that cricket frogs had returned to the site. The Nelsons also donate time at The Morton Arboretum's Schulenberg Prairie, where Ray Schulenberg pioneered the art and science of re-creating prairie habitat.

Don and Espie now assist with most of the controlled burns that the Forest Preserve District of Will County conducts. In 2004, the district recognized Don as Volunteer of the Year for his more than 700 volunteer hours with them. The two estimate that they each spend at least 20 to 30 hours per week on restoration efforts. "I enjoy being out of doors, seeing plants bloom, and collecting seeds," says Espie, her voice soft but enthusiastic. "It really is like artwork."

Three years ago, Don and Espie bought a 37-acre farm from Espie’s brothers along the Lily Cache Creek near the Lake Renwick Heron Rookery, about two miles from where they live in Plainfield, Illinois. Ever since, they’ve been working to restore the land to prairie, wetland, and savanna. Nearly a half mile of the creek is now in their care.

Early on, Espie’s brother, John, who once farmed the land, lent a hand by using his farm equipment to keep weeds off the land. With the help of two commercial companies, the Nelsons spread seeds and planted plugs to bring back a healthy mixture of wild plant life. “We’ve found about 100 native species that were already there,” says Don, “and we’ve added about 100 more.”

Partners for Fish & Wildlife, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program, shares the costs of habitat restoration on the Nelsons’ private land. That’s how the Nelsons began working with Redmer, who coordinates the program in the Chicago region. “Their efforts have surely led to improving conditions for grassland and wetland birds and plants,” says Redmer. On July 14, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will honor the Nelsons with a special event at their Lily Cache Creek property.

The Nelsons look forward to seeing further recovery in the natural areas where they work. Don is especially pleased that the two of them — married since 1970 — can share in the excitement. There is warmth in his voice as he says, “Luckily, Espie’s interests and my interests are very similar. We can work together on many things, and that makes it nice.”

— Stephanie Folk