Become a Bird Box Monitor
AOF maintains 22 bird nesting boxes around the Lake Zurich area in cooperation with the Village of Lake Zurich. We need several people to monitor these boxes for nesting activity over the course of the spring/summer. This is an easy and rewarding way to will help our local birds have successful nesting seasons. Monitoring includes […]
Findings From WWII During Lake Zurich Restoration
The habitat restoration volunteers with the Ancient Oaks Foundation often come upon man-made items when they meet at various area oak woodlands to clear them of invasives. Tires, deteriorated oil drums, rusty broken-down swings sets, and even the occasional crack pipe have been unearthed during the groups 10-year-long effort to restore the health […]
AOF Celebrates Giving Tuesday
Ancient Oaks Foundation Celebrates #GivingTuesday & Pledges to Raise Awareness of the Benefits of Restored Natural Recreational Areas
November 1, 2018. This #GivingTuesday, Ancient Oaks Foundation will celebrate giving by raising awareness and funds for the continued restoration of natural recreational areas.
#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, […]
Sighting of the Southern Flying Squirrel
Many people confuse the Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys Volans, with the Sugar Glider (Petaurus Breviceps). First, if you are reading this from Illinois, you may be surprised to find out that Illinois is home to the Southern Flying Squirrel. This magnificent creature can be found in the Eastern half of the United States […]
AOF Featured in LZHS Bear Facts
AOF Featured in LZHS Bear Facts Paper
A spring of flowers, a handmade boardwalk, and an array of wildlife, insects, and birds are just some examples of nature conservation that would not be present in LZ without the work of the Ancient Oaks Foundation.
Ten years ago, Judi Thode, […]
Oak Species – 119 Betty Lane, Lake Zurich
Description
“When we began to look for homes in Lake Zurich, I knew that I wanted to live in a wooded subdivision. I gasped when I saw our future property and the number of different oak species. When I started to research oak trees, I found out just how important they are to […]
Young Bur Oak – 45 Lake View Place, Lake Zurich
Description
This young bur oak is now a Future Heritage Oak. The owner’s mother, age 93, has nurtured this oak since it was a volunteer ( sprouted spontaneously) on her property. She has a great love for trees and it shows in the health of the oaks on her property.
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Pin Oak – 1240 Whitehall Lake Zurich
Description
The owner of this pin oak writes, “I’m not sure my Oak is all that significant. But, it looks nice and I love to watch it grow! It was planted as a large tree 14 years ago and has grown into a full, beautiful tree and now shades our backyard” We couldn’t […]
Red Oak – 114 Ash Street, Lake Zurich
Description
This red oak is a beautiful tree. The owner reports that “one of our ancient oaks was used by Indians to mark a trade route. They bent it when it was a sapling so that it would grow at a sharp angle”. Lake County curator Diane Dretske has a blog post about […]
Oak – 21707 Old Barn Road, Lake Zurich
The magnificent oak trees on the Heritage Oak property at 21707 Old Barn Road were first noted on the 1840 Federal Township Plats which can be found on the Lake County GIS Maps Online The AOF has counted rings on local oaks that have numbered in the 250s- back to the mid-1700’s. It is reasonable […]