Chris Haddad Scanlon is the steward of Sundown Meadows. She recently turned 32 and is currently an Assistant Attorney General in the Medicaid Fraud Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s office. She has been a steward for almost 11 years! We asked her for the 411 on her site and being a steward.
1. Tell us about Sundown Meadows.
Well, for those who do not know, Sundown Meadows is nestled up against Arie Crown, just across the street from Theodore Stone Woods. All three sites are managed now and are looking pretty great. It has a mix of prairie -which you have to go off the marked trails to find- and woodland, as well as a man-made and stocked lake (Lake Ida). I have even seen people ice fishing on that lake, though that is a rare site.
Sundown Meadows has some old foundations from buildings I have yet to identify. The ones I have found are located in the western/northwestern section of the site, off the orange trail, and they are much more accessible in the winter.
Also, the prairie is looking really great lately due to the help of school groups, scout troops, and some contractors. It has a high concentration of Marsh Blazingstar (Liatrise Spicata), as well as other beautiful plants, so I highly recommend visiting the prairie in late July or early August.
2. What got you on the path to becoming a Steward?
When I was a freshman in high school at Nazareth Academy, I heard an announcement over the PA asking if we wanted to learn how to cut down trees and save the environment at the same time. It piqued my interest, so I went to the presentation. The following Saturday I went to my first volunteer workday at Bemis Woods with Dave Lloyd. Dave was a lot of fun to work with, as were his other volunteers, so I just kept coming back. By the time I went to college, I had started going to workdays at Ted Stone Woods as well with George and Barbara Birmingham. Barbara, George, and Dave all took me under their wing, and over the years I learned how to run workdays and manage a site. When I first got my certification, Dave let me co-steward with him at Bemis for a while, until I got Sundown Meadows.
3. How is it living in Springfield and having a site here? How did that happen and do you have a succession plan?
Well, I will answer the last question first, because that has the shorter answer. My husband, Josh, and I got an opportunity in Springfield that we just could not pass up, so we moved. As to a succession plan, I guess I have not really given it much thought.
Now, as to your first question, the only way I can pull off managing Sundown Meadows while living in Springfield is because I have a spectacular support system. My parents live in the suburbs, about 15 minutes from Sundown Meadows, and they have been my base of operations since I became a steward. When I come up, I always stay with them, and they have let me store tools, equipment, and seed in their shed since I became a steward. I never really had my own car until we moved to Springfield, and they have always let me use their car. Josh is also very support of my monthly trips to Chicago. My husband and my family are my regular volunteers, and I really cannot say enough about the kind of support they have shown me.
In addition to my family, my fellow stewards have really stepped up to help me, as has the District. The Birminghams at Ted Stone and the Dudlos at Arie Crown have gone out of their way to help me get tools when I need extras for a big group. Kathy Garness has covered some of my workdays when I could not make it, so I did not have to cancel them. Even the District has gone above and beyond by delivering tools directly to Sundown Meadows on my workdays. There is no way I could do this from Springfield (or from anywhere else, really) without the help and support I get from my family, friends, and from the District!
4. What is the best and worst thing about being a Steward?
This is a surprisingly hard question. There are so many wonderful things about being a steward! I love having a site to manage: exploring it, discovering all of its quirks and what makes it unique, and even just being there. I also love sharing nature with anyone who will listen! Seriously, just ask my husband. I will happily share (even over-share) what I know about Sundown Meadows, ecosystems, nature, native plants, birds– you get the idea. I have been doing this for over a decade now, and I still have tons to learn. Perhaps the best thing is this there is always more to learn about your site, and when you are a steward you have the excuse to spend your time and effort learning every last bit of it, in as much detail as you want! I love learning about my site, watching it change, and seeing how it responds and grows.
The worst thing about being a steward is also a hard question. Having any kind of regular responsibility can be physically and mentally draining at times. Having one that is so very far away certainly does not make it any easier. That said, this question is difficult because I really love being a steward. Things that bother me (like distance, really cold weather, and mornings) just don’t matter very much. That does not mean I won’t complain about them (as my family can attest to), it just means that I love doing this, even when it is physically or mentally a pain in my behind.