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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 The Scoop Today onto their four adult children, Barbara and John Rutherford once owned the 24- Bryn, Jay, Brad and Darcy. The acre parcel that is now the Rutherford Refuge at Twin children then contacted with Bridges. The nature preserve named in their memory 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-
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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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021
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Stockton FFA members earn degrees
Two members of the Stockton FFA Chapter will be earning degrees in coming months. Haley Brudi will be earning her American FFA Degree, awarded by the National FFA Organization, which is the highest degree any member can earn. Less than 1 percent of FFA members earn their American FFA Degree, according to a high school news release. Joseph Brudi will be earning his State FFA Degree, which is the highest degree that the state can award its members. Haley will be recognized at the National FFA Convention in October, while Joseph will be recognized at the Illinois State FFA Convention in June.
Stateline-crossing football teams make the most of spring season By Trenten Scheidegger CORRESPONDENT
It was not long ago when high school athletes around the country did not know if they would be able to play contact sports this year, or any time soon. Although everyone had to face the possibility of not playing, the idea of actually playing was even more far-fetched for schools like Scales Mound and Warren, whose football teams compete across state lines in Wisconsin. With all the differences in regulations, it seemed possible that Warren and Scales Mound could be left stranded with nowhere to play. That was over two months ago, however, as both Warren and Scales Mound have been making the most of their opportunity to compete.
Although it was more than a year ago, the Black Hawk-Warren Warriors were returning from a perfect season in which they claimed the Wisconsin Division 7 state high school football championship in the first year of their co-op. Benton-Scales Mound-Shullsburg was coming off a season where they finished 7-2 and lost a heartbreaking first round playoff game to Darlington, 35-34. Despite both teams losing significant players to graduation, both were expected to make a strong return. That was before the 2020 fall season was canceled and the Covid Spring-Small Conference was created to help facilitate an alternate spring season.
See TEAMS, Page 6
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