2024 Conservation@Home Cook County School Application

Conservation@Home Cook County recognizes and certifies school properties that demonstrate environmentally sound landscape practices. This program is brought to you by the partnership of Forest Preserves of Cook County and University of Illinois Extension.

Through the Conservation@Home School certification program, Chicago and suburban schools of Cook County have the opportunity to inspire students to be better environmental stewards while shaping landscapes in a conservation minded way. Our staff and volunteers can provide mentorship for your school to educate you about native vegetation, water and wildlife conservation and environmental curriculum. Guidance is provided through our school criteria checklist.

The biggest reward for integrating sustainable practices at your school is being aware that you are contributing to clean water, rich soil and resilient ecosystems that support people and wildlife.

Conservation@Home is a program of The Conservation Foundation. University of Illinois Extension is pleased to be a partner.

Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

School Name and Address:

How did you hear of the Conservation@Home Program?

Yard certification sign

Forest Preserves of Cook County Event

University of Illinois Extension Program or Master Gardener/Naturalist

The Conservation Foundation Program

Program flyer/brochure at library/community center

A website

A letter in the mail

Other

What is the approximate size of the school property? 1 acre is 43,560 square foot, or about 200 x 200 feet

Less than 1 acre

Approximately 1 acre

Over 5 acres

Over 10 acres

The school community has planted native flowers, grasses, trees or shrubs on the school's property

Yes

No

Please check all options that apply to the management of the property:

Incorporates a variety of native flowers and native grasses into existing landscape

Incorporates a variety of native trees and native shrubs into existing landscape

Creates or restores native woodlands, wetlands or prairie

None of the above

How long have you been integrating ecology curriculum and landscape conservation efforts with your school?

Beginning to add changes

1 - 2 Years

3 - 4 Years

5+ Years

There is native woodland, wetland or prairie on the school's grounds.

Yes

No

Do you have a list of the plants that are currently present on the property?

Yes

No

Do you have milkweed (genus: Asclepias) on your property? If so, how many stems? The Urban Monarch Conservation Program and Illinois Monarch Project are surveying how many milkweed stems are in the Cook County Area. Please indicate the amounts below.

None present

1-3

4-10

10-15

More than 15

Which of these common invasive plants do you have on your property? Please note, the presence of invasive species on your property does not disqualify you from applying.

Autumn olive

Buckthorn

Burning bush

Bush honeysuckle

Callery pear/Bradford pear

Japanese barberry

Multiflora rose

Other

No invasive species

Do you have any other invasive plant species on your property? If yes, please list them below. If you're unsure which species are considered invasive, visit https://extension.illinois.edu/invasives or https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/.

How are you managing the invasive species on your property?

Mechanical - hand pulling, digging up, cutting down plants, etc.

Prescribed fire

Chemical - herbicide treatment

Other

None of the above

If you marked "other", feel free to use this space to describe your efforts to manage invasive species on your property.

How do you provide habitat for wildlife?

Provides bird feeders

Provides bird bath, pond or other water features

Leaves native plants standing in fall to provide wildlife food and shelter

Landscapes with native plants that attract birds or butterflies

Offers bird or bat houses

Retains brush piles, dead trees (where safely possible) and logs

None of the above

How is water managed and conserved on school property?

Uses a rain barrel to gather and conserve rainwater

Reduces runoff with permeable hardscapes (walk, driveway, parking lot)

Existing rain garden or bio-swale

Directs water from downspouts to areas vegetated with plants

Directs downspouts to a bed of rocks to slow the flow of water

Provides effective shoreline buffer to filter water and minimize erosion

None of the above

How are conservation practices incorporated into educational opportunities?

Incorporates native plants/wildlife and ecological lessons into curriculum

Actively engages students to provide ecological educational outreach (garden tours, presentations, etc.)

Actively engages students in garden design process and layout

Utilize informal/formal educational signage or plant tags

School employees and students utilize natural areas for outdoor classroom/breaks/recess

Practices conservation within building (turning off lights, closing windows, recycling)

None of the above

How are chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizer) used on the property?

Encourages landscape company to use minimal or no synthetic pesticides

Minimal/non-use of synthetic fertilizers

Utilize integrated pest management (IPM), apply pesticides as a last resort

Organic fertilizer used when needed

None of the above

Please list any unique features present on the school property: (i.e. pond, shoreline vegetation, permeable pavers, storm water collection system, etc.)

Are you interested in certifying your school property OR being educated on native vegetation, water and wildlife conservation, and environmental curriculum? Master Gardeners and Naturalists volunteer for this program.

Certification

Mentor program to learn more about native vegetation, water and wildlife conservation and environmental curriculum.

Why are conservation practices important to your school?

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race