Volunteer Workdays - November to February

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From November through February, most Nachusa Grasslands workdays involve:

• Felling trees with chainsaws by trained sawyers
• Loppering branches and shrubs
• Applying herbicide
• Dragging limbs and vines to brush piles
• Burning brush piles when conditions permit
• Because of the nature of these cold weather tasks, extreme caution must be exercised, and children under age 17 should not participate.

Safety measures include:

• No felling trees within 300 feet of any other people
• No trimming trees with a chainsaw within 50 feet of any other people
• No operating a Terex or Bobcat within 500 feet of any other people
• During winter, all workday participants should wear adequate cold weather gear: heavy jacket, sweatshirt, long pants, boots, gloves, and hats. 
• You may encounter multiflora rose and other thorny plants, so choose old outerwear that you don't care about snagging.
• For all work in wooded areas, eye wear is required. If you do not have eye wear, safety glasses will be provided to you.
• For all tasks requiring the use of hand cutting tools (loppers, snips, scissors, bow saws, etc.), work gloves are required.
• The steward in charge reserves the right to exclude anyone who is not suitably dressed or equipped for conditions.

Keep in mind:

• Please contact us if you plan on coming with a group of 6 or more people, so that we will prepare adequate transportation and equipment. 
• You may contact us by responding to the weekly workday email, posting a comment on Facebook, or sending a note through the Contact Us page.
• Workdays may be cancelled due to the weather: temperatures below 15°, high winds, rain, deep snow, or icy roads.
• No workdays will take place during controlled burn season in March and April 2020.
• Check the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands Facebook page for cancellations.

College students:

• College students seeking extra credit or fulfilling class requirements are welcome to participate in workdays from early May through early November. Stewardship activities usually include weed management and seed collecting.
• During the late fall, winter, and early spring, Nachusa staff and trained volunteers focus on tree and brush removal involving heavy equipment. Because of safety considerations, workdays are not open to students seeking extra credit or fulfilling class requirements from November 23, 2019, to February 29, 2020.
• Note that no workdays will take place during controlled burn season in March and April 2020.
• If you are planning on attending a workday, please discuss your participation with your instructor. You do not need to telephone or email us.

Download Nachusa's Workday Information

UPDATED 11/2019