Community Corner
Local Women Honored For Work With Conservation Foundation
The women were recognized for their dedication to conservation in the Fox Valley region.
From TCF: Two area women were recognized by The Conservation Foundation (TCF) for their dedication to conservation in the Fox Valley region and connecting people to nature at its Fall Membership Dinner on Tuesday, November 13. Mary Ochsenschlager, of Sugar Grove, and June Keibler, of Dundee, both received a green jacket, similar to the jacket presented to Masters Golf winners, that has become a coveted expression of gratitude for those working to protect the environment and educate others to preserve and protect our natural resources. Ochsenschlager was the first naturalist and youth program director at the St. Charles Park District and served 20 years on the Kane County Planning Commission. She was named the 2018 Sugar Grove Citizen of the Year for stewardship programs she leads at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve near her home. She has supported TCF as a member of the Kane County Advisory Council.
Keibler is one of the founders of the Fox Valley Land Foundation which merged with TCF in 2007 and served on the TCF board of trustees for 10 years. She has been volunteering in natural area restoration for more than 20 years and serves on the Kane County Advisory Council and as a steward for Raceway Woods in Carpentersville. The presentation was made during TCF’s Fall Membership Dinner which was held at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora. The program included speakers Pam Otto, a naturalist at the St. Charles Park District, and Valerie Blaine, environmental education manager for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, on Women In Conservation sharing stories of these unsung leaders in the American conservation movement. The Conservation Foundation is one of the region’s oldest and largest not-for-profit land and watershed conservation organizations, with more than 4,000 members. Founded in 1972, TCF has helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, restored and cleaned miles of rivers and streams, and educated thousands of kids by engaging them in nature and the outdoors.
Image via TCF
