Terri Kearns was walking her dog at Stickney Run Conservation Area outside McHenry in 2024 when she saw something weird – what looked to be a gun box – up in one of the trees.

Back in the parking lot, she saw a sign with the number to call and spoke to a McHenry County Conservation District officer. When the officer showed up, she walked with him to where she’d seen the box in the tree.

It turned out to be a geocaching box. But the officer appreciated that not only did she notice something wasn’t quite right, but that she called it in. The officer suggested that Kearns get involved with SWEEP, the district’s volunteer group that passively helps to deter crime inside its park.

The district has used volunteers since the early 1990s to help keep an eye on property such as the Prairie Trail, even before it was linked to run the length of McHenry County, district Chief of Police Ryan Stewart said.

“It gets more people – more eyes and ears – when we can’t be there all of the time," Stewart said.

In 2008, the volunteer program became more formalized as the Safety Watch Education and Environmental Program. The volunteers are not asked to intervene or be police, but to watch and report where there is vandalism, dogs running off leashes or any other issues the agency should be aware of, Stewart said.

“We are super proud of the safety of our sites. All of the district’s sites are safe, and we take it upon ourselves to provide a safe and relaxing place [for residents],” he said.

The volunteers help to ensure that safety, Stewart added.

Carl Edstrom of Crystal Lake started volunteering with the conservation district after his retirement four years ago. Like Kearns, he was using the parks and trails almost daily while walking, hiking or biking.

“What we are doing is what we would be doing if visiting a conservation site anyway,” Edstrom said. “We become an extra set of eyes.”

What he sees – and calls in – varies from season to season and from year to year, but he often reports graffiti or other vandalism. Dogs running off a leash also is a big one.

What he does not do is wear any kind of identifiable vest or badge.

“If we are supposed to be there just helping to observe, you don’t want to call attention to yourself,” Edstrom said. “I have helped people who just needed assistance,” he said, such as if someone’s bike breaks down, “but I would do that anyway as a human being.”

Volunteers keep their cellphones on them and call 911 or the nonemergency number to send help if needed.

That might mean that one of his 11 sworn officers goes out, Stewart said. In some cases, an officer from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office or the nearest community’s police department is called in.

“We have responded for calls for service on the trail in the past, including 911 calls, but usually ... a continuation of a call for service originating within the city limits,” McHenry Police Cmdr. Nicholas Clesen said.

Of the calls for service to the trail through McHenry or the nearby Cold Springs Park, he found a few in 2024 and 2025.

“They weren’t in the park but at the cul-de-sac at the end of DePaul [Court] or the small parking lot leading to the park,” Clesen wrote in an email.

Since she began volunteering with SWEEP, Kearns also has learned to take photos of suspicious activity, including license plates; to use her phone to drop a pin where she saw vandalism; and to trust her instincts.

“I will call them if something seems off,” Kearns said, even if she is unsure why. “I have had [instances] ... where the hair on my arms stands up. I pay attention and maybe turn around.”

She and Edstrom are two of the volunteers out of almost 90 in the program who go to the monthly SWEEP volunteer meetings. There, they can get more training and hear what is going on.

Those sessions are usually run by officer Charlie Montgomery.

“I am the go-to person ... if the volunteers have questions,” he said.

There are no real requirements for hours or days that volunteers are on the trails – just that they are at least 18, can pass a background check and complete a volunteer orientation, Stewart said.

In all, the district’s 484 registered volunteers donated 10,832 hours last year, representing a $376,845 value, based on the national average from Independent Sector of $34.79 per volunteer hour, marketing and education director Caitlynn Martinez-McWhorter said.

Resident interested in the program or seeking to learn more can contact the volunteer coordinator at 815-338-6223 or volunteers@MCCDistrict.org.