Grove Restoration Project

The Bachelors Grove Prairie team will be performing restoration activities out at Bachelors Grove Prairie on Sunday, October 16th, between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Some of the volunteering efforts will include the removal of invasive plants and attending brush-pile burns.

Everyone will be meeting in the far east end of the parking lot to Bur Oak Woods at 9:00 AM. All necessary equipment and gloves will be provided.

For directions to Bachelors Grove Prairie, and to obtain help with finding Bur Oak Woods, be sure to visit the Directions page.

A cemetery restoration event will take place on Sunday, October 2nd between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The efforts will consist of a brush-pile burn in order to dispose of material from September.

With the cooler weather upon us this should be a relaxing event. All equipment will be provided but as always we suggest that you bring something to drink.

See you all on the 2nd!

The efforts for September 4th were a success. Over a dozen volunteers assisted with the removal of Buckthorn and other invasive brush between the pond and cemetery. Along with helping to fulfill Community Service hours for High School students, it was also an honor to have Lawrence Varkalis, President of the Midwest Cemetery Preservation, available to lend a helping hand. There were a lot of new volunteers, some of which also made this their very first visit to Bachelors Grove cemetery.

The holiday weekend created a lot of casual visits to the area. As brush was being removed and placed into a large pile to be disposed of later, many of the visitors stopped by to see the positive results in action. Some have gained an interest in the activities and we look forward to many more new volunteers in the future. Bill Fath of the Bachelors Grove Prairie team also spoke with some of the visitors on the importance of ecological restoration and as always we are proud to be a part of his own efforts in restoring a portion of the old Bachelors Grove settlement.

Volunteer Kathy Baltz was once again available to help capture photographs of the event. If you would like to see some of her work you may visit our Facebook page for details. Although the live video streaming had a minor technical difficulty we are currently working on resolving the issue. On a more positive note, we received an additional monetary donation from volunteer Charles Petrey which has brought us near completion of our yearly goal. If you would also like to help reach our goal we currently have a limited number of Topps Allen & Ginter's Bachelors Grove Cemetery Cards available for purchase.

The photograph to the right shows a before and after shot of the work performed on the 4th. Comparing it to some of the scenic photographs found in the Archives this area hasn't looked this good in over 30 years. Great job everyone!!

During the September 4th event we will be streaming live video from the cemetery. This will be the first time streaming an event and anyone who is unable to attend can now watch the activities via Ustream or the Recreational Center. We very much welcome your input as to the reliability of the video stream and any ideas you may have. If there is enough interest with the on-line feed we will be sure to upgrade the video quality in the future in order to further enhance your interest in the restoration efforts.

For those attending, everyone will be meeting at the pond next to the cemetery at 12:00 PM. Please sign in when you arrive and if you happen to need validation for Community Service hours be sure to speak with a coordinator before you leave.

Cemetery restoration work will take place on Sunday, September 4th between 12:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. The restoration efforts will consist of the removal of invasive brush next to the pond just outside of the northern entrance to the cemetery. We will also have garbage bags available for litter pick-up. All necessary tools will be provided but we recommend that all volunteers bring bug spray.

See you all on the 4th!

It turned out to be a beautiful day to perform another fun-filled Spring clean-up. As all of the volunteers eagerly waited for everyone to arrive, the clock was counting down for the headstone recovery effort at the nearby pond. Due to all of the fantastic assistance we are pleased to announce that the recovery was a complete success! With the recovery time falling under ten minutes everyone had a chance to relax in pride and enjoy the rest of the day in conversation.

Thanks to a wonderful monetary donation from Sylvia Moody of California, hip waders were able to be purchased in order to ensure a fast, safe, dry recovery. There are many more items to be recovered from the pond and only time will tell if more headstones will be on the list. But one thing is certain, those hip waders will come in very handy during those mud-sinking adventures.

If you too would like to help offset the monetary obligations endured by the restoration efforts please feel free to use our donation area found on the left-hand side of the website. Simply purchasing the Trail Map is a great way to help while receiving something extra in return. If enough money is raised from the maps we can also afford to develop a depth chart of the entire pond which could be available by next year. Rest assured that every penny makes an absolute difference in all aspects of the Bachelors Grove experience.

We are looking forward to fishing out a very large mysterious item that has been spotted in the pond over the years and we will keep you posted as to when that event will take place. In the meantime, you can view a preliminary video of the headstone recovery effort on YouTube in high-definition or in lower resolution by using the player below. Hopefully we will have all of the material recorded that day for a more complete video but for now enjoy the show!

In celebration of Earth Day, a litter clean-up and headstone recovery effort will take place on Saturday, April 23rd, between 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. All efforts will be focused upon the path leading to the cemetery, the cemetery itself, and the general area around the nearby pond. Also scheduled is the recovery of a war veteran headstone found within the pond. Assistance will be needed lifting the headstone out of the water so if you feel that you will be able to help please contact a coordinator ahead of time so they may plan accordingly. For further details about the headstone please visit the forum topic hosted by the Bachelors Grove Cemetery & Settlement Recreational Center.

All volunteers will be meeting at the cemetery itself along with garbage bags and gloves being provided by the Forest Preserve District. Please note that you may want to bring a hard metal rake if you are taking part in dragging litter out of the pond. Dedicated photographers are needed for this event so please feel free to bring your equipment and have fun watching the activities while taking part in some great conversation.

Earlier this month the Forest Preserve District of Cook County came out to erect the adoption sign for the woods surrounding Bachelors Grove cemetery. As always, the Grove Restoration Project is honored to be a part of the Preserve Keeper Corps Adopt-A-Site program and we look forward to many more years of service to the community! It is also a true pleasure to finally give the surrounding woods a name which also happens to be in recognition to the family that founded the cemetery.

If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us. See you all on the 24th!

The Bachelors Grove Prairie team will be performing restoration activities out at Bachelors Grove Prairie on Sunday, March 27th, between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Some of the volunteering efforts will include the removal of invasive plants and attending brush-pile burns.

Everyone will be meeting in the far east end of the parking lot to Bur Oak Woods at 9:00 AM. All of the necessary equipment and gloves will be provided so you do not need to worry about bringing anything besides some water to drink.

For directions to Bachelors Grove Prairie and to obtain help with finding Bur Oak Woods, be sure to visit the Directions page for assistance. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us.