September 2025 Newsletter

Quarry Care (Oct 11) - Lakes Management

To begin, we would like to invite you to the first Quarry Care of the 2025/26 season, taking place on October 11, 2025, from 9AM to 12PM! This will be a special session with Frank Sladek, Urban and Community Fishing Program Coordinator at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Participants will learn about lake management, receive fishing instruction, and have the opportunity to catch and tag fish in The Forge Quarry. Registration is limited, so sign up ASAP if you are interested! We will meet at the Lower Quarry Shelf at The Forge: Lemont Quarries.

Quarry Care + Weeds to Seeds (Nov 8)

The November Quarry Care date will be another unique session. Instead of removing invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle, we will hand-broadcast native seed in the prairie, wetland, and Krueger Quarry shorelines. The seed mixes contain 30+ species of native prairie grasses and forbs, including big bluestem, leadplant, and asters. Many of the native species we have been seeding over the last few years are beginning to thrive. Additional seeding boosts native plant communities and diversity, giving them a chance to overpower the weedy and invasive species that are still present, both above ground and in the seed bank.

After Quarry Care, we will adjourn to the Nature Education Center, joined by Tim Fitzgibbons, Senior Res Tech with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, for a look into the role of fire in a healthy ecosystem. Afterwards, TWWT will provide a presentation on restoration progress at the Heritage Quarries. Anyone and everyone is welcome to register. We hope to see you there!

Aquatic Management Update

Aquatic management has been ongoing in the Great Lakes Quarry System with support and guidance from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries, the village, and McCloud Aquatics. Our goal is to reduce invasive and weedy aquatic plants and algal species to improve sunlight penetration, promote species diversity, and enhance water quality. Like on land, aquatic invasive species overgrow their environment, creating dense monocultures that block sunlight from reaching other species. In addition, algal blooms can result in drastic shifts in dissolved oxygen and nutrients, potentially resulting in fish kills. 

Working with our partners over the last 18 months, we have seen a dramatic improvement in the sections of the Great Lakes Quarry that were most impacted by invasives. Efforts are ongoing, but we are excited about the progress we have made to date.