Every year, Thomas Jodelka‘s Honors Biology class volunteers at the North Branch Restoration Project, which is unique to other biology classes at Niles West. This restoration project has been working for over 40 years to restore habitat along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Their work consists of cutting and removing invasive species, collecting and spreading the seeds of native plants and performing other tasks to improve local habitats such as installing signs, performing trail maintenance and monitoring the populations of various animal and plant species.
Jodelka first started volunteering 18 years ago but has been volunteering at local Forest Preserves near his home for almost 20 years.
Students who participated worked on removing the invasive species of buckthorn trees. They used hand saws for the bigger and thicker trees and branches. They used loppers for the thinner trees and branches to cut down the trees and cut them into chunks before putting them in one of the two controlled fires. Burning the buckthorns made sure that their seeds wouldn’t spread and make more trees.
On top of the work they did, the students managed to enjoy their time learning about the invasive species, while also finding fun within the project.
“I’m really glad I went! It was a good learning opportunity since we got to learn how to identify buckthorn and how to remove it properly. I would definitely recommend volunteering with the North Branch Restoration Project to others! You get to get fresh air and do some physical work (not enough to be grueling, but enough to be a good challenge), all while helping the environment and our local ecosystems,” freshman Safiya Hedayat said.
Since students enjoyed volunteering at the North Branch so much in years prior, a club was made.
“That is how the NARWHALS (Through Natural Areas Restoration, We Help All Living Species) Ecology Club started. I sponsored that club for 15 years but decided to step away due to family obligations and also due to a lack of interest and initiative in students, unfortunately. I would consider bringing the club back in some capacity if a group of dedicated, independent students were interested in doing so,” Jodelka said.
The North Branch Restoration was chosen by Jodelka because of its location and the communities it serves. Also in previous years, Jodelka’s class would volunteer at the North Branch six times a year, but now they only volunteer once a year. Students are required three hours of volunteer service in Jodelka’s biology class. Students will have around two and a half months to complete the service and there are eight different volunteer options.
“In addition to the restoration work with the North Branch, some other options that students can use to earn their volunteer hours include working with me in the Niles West Prairie, performing yard work and other outdoor tasks for people in their community, or volunteering with various local organizations such as soup kitchens or shelters,” Jodelka said.
