Three Barrington area conservation organizations will collaborate to help Barrington-area residents protect local water sources, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Barrington Area Community Foundation. 

Flint Creek/Spring Creek Watersheds Partnership (FC/SCWP), Barrington Area Conservation Trust (BACT) and Citizens for Conservation (CFC) will work together to create restoration demonstration areas, educational activities, native planting instructions, sample planting designs, online resources, and how-to libraries. 

Each organization will draw on its area of expertise for the initiative. FC/SCWP will coordinate and lead efforts; BACT will develop the demonstration area along Flint Creek in Pederson Preserve in Barrington; and CFC will develop the schematic planting design, determine best native plants and create homeowner designs. 

“The plan is to demonstrate attractive native plant arrangements—including sedges — for stream banks and lakeshores, as folks don’t realize how much sediment, pesticides, and herbicides wash off their lawns,” said Faye Sinnott, FC/SCWP’s coordinator. “Sedges can offer effective filtration and can be a subtle, strategic addition to lawns.”

The three organizations will work together to assess their educational materials to determine what each group already has; they will then evaluate areas for improvement and create additional aids that will best help area residents with water-protection efforts. Materials, including instructions, plant examples, graphic design documents, and supportive information, will become available on each organization’s websites. 

“We are extremely thankful to be working with CFC and FC/SCWP, who are sharing their expertise and assistance with this important project and which will benefit the entire community,” said BACT President Bryan Croll. 

“CFC is excited to be collaborating with FC/SCWP and BACT on this initiative, which is so important to Barrington’s water-quality conservation efforts” added Kathleen Leitner, CFC president. “This is a unique step forward in helping our community advance its legacy of conservation engagement for the future decades.”