[Advocacy-outreach] West Lawn Spring Meeting 1/26 + Shrub Giveaway, Updates & MORE

[Adolfo Castrejon]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I'd like to take a moment to thank you for your support to our fledgling
organization. In our second year, we hope to make an even bigger impact on
the local community and collaborate on meaningful projects to beautify the
neighborhood and bring nature into our hearts.

With that being said, we do have quite a number of updates to give y'all
about upcoming events + projects. First, *we are having our first spring
meeting next week*. Please refer to the flyer below.

*NEXT MEETING: **WEDNESDAY MARCH 26TH*
*WEST LAWN PUBLIC LIBRARY *
*4020 W. 63RD STREET*
*6-7.30 PM*

Updates:
*1) Tree Planter's Grant With Openlands- West Lawn Park*
We've begun canvassing and asking homeowners to request a free tree to be
planted in front of their home!

Please refer your neighbors who live *within .5 miles of West Lawn Park* (4233
W 65th Street)

Here is the link to request a tree
<https://openlands.jotform.com/250564297292969?fbclid=IwY2xjawJGvzBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYJIxLT1sV0oxJnmrIvUMnsgkQ2QuJgtWRAhoV8bqBvo6J0vqM3NkwPy5A_aem_Wk5pvwTraRN7-6B3_k-ULg>
and
you can refer to the Openlands flyer attached below. We had almost 70
volunteers come out last year to our Spring planting day at Richardson
Middle School.
*Tentatively scheduled for May 10th @ 9 AM*

*2) Native Shrub Giveaway*
We're giving out native shrubs again this year with more species variety
and 3x the quantity!

These shrubs will be delivered by Mid-April and require a site inspection
prior. We will plant and give you care instructions for them. FREE OF
CHARGE. Please message back to reserve a shrub, they will be going like
hotcakes!!!

*Highlights* include elderberry, hazelnut, two kinds of fruit trees, and
various dogwoods. Please refer to the slide deck below which will be added
with more details.

While you can keep most of these shrubs 3-6 feet tall, *the real magic
happens when you let them grow 6-10 feet tall* as local native birds will
start to use them for nesting sites. We will make sure each shrub is
appropriate for your site. We are also asking them to be planted IN FRONT
of your home so everyone can view and enjoy!

*3) Marquette Park News*
The red-winged blackbirds are back and have been lining up all along the
lagoon calling out to female mates.
We're anticipating the arrival of the herons (Great Blue Heron,
Black-Crowned Night Heron) any time now!

On a typical walk, you'll find Cardinals, Chickadees, a lone Hairy
Woodpecker, Mallard ducks, Canada geese, and plenty of Robins. I saw an
American Tree Sparrow on my last walk and while with our Vice President,
Evelyn Alvarez, we heard at least two American Woodcocks! Meep!

We'd like to *plan a bird walk* *soon* to observe Spring Migration as well
as a massive park clean up. There's plenty of trash and debris left over
the winter and we'd love to keep the park in good order for everyone to
enjoy.

*4) Schools, Libraries, & Churches*
We're working with local schools, libraries, and churches to implement
native gardens on their campus  grounds. If you are a CPS teacher or think
your church would be interested in implementing a pollinator garden please
reach out to me directly.

Finally,
We'd also like to thank everyone who joined our Winter Sowing event in
January. It was an amazing event. We will provide a final opportunity for
winter sowing during an open hours event, TBA.

While there's plenty more going on behind the scenes and more news waiting
to be announced, I will stop here for now...

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. Thank
you for reading if you've made it this far, and please enjoy the rest of
your week.
-Adolfo Castrejon
 2025 WLCC Shrub Giveaway
<https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NnF4o1CXxGQamamyseWWl2tCl5260MZxaNlX_2NofpY>



Adolfo Castrejon
Founder
Linksite: https://campsite.bio/westlawnconservationclub
Instagram: @westlawnconservationclub

 Image.png
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MJshZ1oW4azYbge6wqc40OsMR3E0Wf1Q/view?usp=drive_web>
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