Churchville Prairie Burning Project Makes Way for New Growth

What better way to combat the unseasonably frigid temperatures Saturday than to start a giant fire?

A crew of parents, overseen by Elmhurst District 205 Building and Grounds Director Frank Schuh, conducted their annual prairie burn at Churchville Middle School to prepare the area for new native plants to bloom.

Churchville parent and coordinator of the Green Team, Elizabeth Dierksheide, said the prairie and its adjacent outdoor classroom is used as a learning tool for students at the school. The plan is to eventually add burr oak trees, fencing, a boardwalk and signage to the prairie, she said.

“It’s all a work in progress,” she said.

Former Churchville special education assistant Pam Mattson brought her son, Andrew, 20, a Churchville alum, and her husband, Ron, to assist with the burn.

“We’ve been involved every year, even though we’re not in the school anymore,” she said. Pam recently retired after eight years at Churchville.

The prairie plants have roots twice as deep as what is seen above ground, she said.

“A six-foot plan will have roots 12 feet deep,” she said, adding that this aids in water absorption for the surrounding buildings.

The crew filled backpacks with water to control the fire, if necessary, and rakes and “flappers” also were used to facilitate the burn. All of the equipment was borrowed from Elmhurst Park District, which also conducts its annual burn of the Illinois Prairie Path.

The prairie project at Churchville has received support from the Elmhurst Garden Club, as well as grants from the Elmhurst District 205 Foundation and the DuPage Community Foundation.

“It’s getting community recognition,” Dierksheide said. “It’s exciting for us here at Churchville to get the community to come up here and enjoy some of our property.

“If we are ever able to build a savannah and some trails, and get some interpretive signage, we’d love to have the kids from other elementary schools use it as a learning (tool),” she said.

The project was started in the 1990s by Ron Capek and John Laskasky, both retired Churchville teachers.