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VOL. 87 • NO. 18
Passion for nature, family comes together in new preserve dation of Elizabeth. The story began more than 30 years ago when John and The soon-to-open RutherBarbara Rutherford of Warren, ford Refuge at Twin Bridges true conservationists at heart, nature preserve is a stunning found an ad in the newspaunion of one family’s passion per for 24 acres of land along for nature and love for each Clear Creek. According to their other. The property is physicaldaughter, Darcy Renkens, they saw something special in the property, located at 9532 E. Twin Bridges Road, Warren, so they bought it and began the restoration process. The property showcases a large variety of habitats that support many unusual wildflowers and animals. A wet prairie, dry prairie and oak savanna make up just a portion of the terrain. Rare plant species like the turtlehead and the shooting star reside there as well as sedge meadow. Clear Creek winds its way through the property and is known to be one of the cleanest streams in Jo Daviess County. The area is a beautiful representation of the Driftless Region of Illinois. When the couple passed in 2018, the property was passed PHOTO SUBMITTED Shopper’s Guide onto their four adult children, Barbara and John Rutherford once owned the 24-acre Bryn, Jay, Brad and Darcy. The parcel that is now the Rutherford Refuge at Twin Bridg- children then contacted with es in Warren. The nature preserve named in their memo- the Jo Daviess Conservation By Mary Hookham CORRESPONDENT
ly small but bursting with energy, love and beauty. “After 40 years of doing this work, I’ve learned you can’t separate the human story from the land story,” said Steve Barg, executive director of the Jo Daviess Conservation Foun-
ry will open to the public on June 1.
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Foundation to learn more about turning the property into a public preserve in memory of their parents. “The late John Rutherford was one of our foundation’s founding members back in 1993 and soon after, Barbara started a closely-related organization called the Natural Area Guardians,” Barg said. “They were two very powerful forces 30 years ago and successfully found others who had conservation interests.” Barg said he believes the Rutherfords cared about this property because they understood the necessity of maintaining every piece of nature no matter how large or small. It’s relatable to the famous Aldo Leopold quote: “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering” in that every piece matters. Without every piece, the operation won’t work as it should. “If you lose a piece, it could become the most important piece and then the implement won’t run right,” Barg said. “Nature is like that; it you keep all the pieces and care for them, nature will work well, but if you start getting rid of the pieces, you might not have enough food to feed the birds and insects.” The preserve is slated to open June 1. Members of the public will be able to walk dogs on the one-mile trail, have picnics, watch birds and learn about the rare wildflowers, natural areas, insects and wildlife on the property. Blooming plants can be enjoyed midApril through mid-October. “This little preserve stands out as an oasis of nature and native habitat in the middle of agricultural land,” Barg said. “There’s a wonderful human story here of people who love the land and really wanted to care for it and restore it to health and diversity.”
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Recognizing a good deed
Sidney Weegens of Lena received the Good Deed Award from the National American Legion Auxiliary. Weegens was nominated by the Lena unit for providing balloon bouquets to the residents of the Lena Living Center for Valentine’s Day. She is the daughter of Jeff and Michelle Weegens. PHOTO SUBMITTED Shopper’s Guide
Orangeville football hangs tough, focuses on positives By Trenten Scheidegger CORRESPONDENT
If you just look at the Northwest Upstate Illini-North Conference standings on paper, you might think that the Orangeville Broncos varsity football team has not been very competitive this season. That could not be further from the truth, however. Prior to their week five game, the Broncos held a record of just 1-3, the result of a three-game losing streak the team suffered after winning their first game of the season. That win came on March 19, when the Broncos won on the road against the East Dubuque Warriors. It was Orangeville’s senior quarterback, Jake Doyle, who scored the first touchdown of the season when he kept the ball on a run around the edge for a score in the first quarter. The Broncos would surrender their lead for a short time, until senior Caleb Janecke rushed for a score up the middle from 10 yards out. The touchdown gave Orangeville a 12-8 lead that would hold through halftime. Janecke would extend the lead for the Broncos when he plunged in from one yard out for his second touchdown of the game. The Broncos held an 18-8 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and would have to rely on their defense from there on out. The Warriors were able
to score and eventually get another stop, setting them up for the opportunity for a comeback with the score 1814. East Dubuque was able to drive all the way down to Orangeville’s one yard line, but a fumbled snap with under five seconds left would allow the clock to tick out on what was surely one of the most exciting games that returned us to Illinois high school football. The schedule did not do the Broncos any favors as their next three weeks consisted of playing the defending state champions in Lena-Winslow, a tough Galena team, and a 2-1 Durand-Pecatonica squad. The Broncos fell to the Panthers 22-12 and then found themselves in another nail-biter when they hosted Galena, a week later. In a battle of defenses, Orangeville struggled to find momentum in the first half. The Pirates would score the only touchdown of the half, leaving the Broncos trailing 7-0 at the break. Orangeville was finally able to get the ball moving in the third quarter with a long drive that was capped off by a 15-yard touchdown run by Chase Jordan. After the two-point conversion, the Broncos held their first lead of the game, up 8-7 late in the third. The Orangeville defense held strong until the final drive
See FOOTBALL, Page 7
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