ALTON - At the 18th annual Mississippi Earthtones Festival on Saturday, September 21, Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project, Alton Main Street, and the Jacoby Arts Center will award three local activists the 2024 Confluence Conservation Leadership Award at 3 pm. Since 2007, the festival organizers have recognized community members who have significantly contributed to the Riverbend region's environmental conservation. This year’s Confluence Conservation Leadership awardees include Crystal Stevens, Flourish Farmstead; Maggie Mahoney, Alton Yard Farms; and Carol Frerker, Willoughby Farms.
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“All three award recipients have made significant contributions to sustainable and regenerative agriculture, soil health, and environmental conservation in the Riverbend and are unsung heroes in our region,” said Virginia Woulfe-Beile, Co-Coordinator of the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois. “Join us at 3:00 p.m. on September 21 at the Mississippi Earthtones Festival’s main stage as we honor the work of these three leaders, who work tirelessly to advocate, educate, and inspire action in environmental conservation and sustainability .”
Crystal Stevens co-owns Flourish Farmstead & Folk School, a Botanical Sanctuary and regenerative farm, with her husband Eric, and two children Cayan and Iris. Crystal is a folk herbalist, an author, a multidisciplinary artist, and an organic herb farmer. Crystal runs Herbalism Programs and Workshops through the Flourish Folk School/School of Botanicals. She teaches herbalism, gardening, ethical wild foraging, wildcrafting classes, botanical dye classes, and earth skills classes at their farm in Godfrey, IL. Their family is passionate about earth stewardship and living a holistic lifestyle. She is currently enrolled in Project Dragonfly, a master's program at Miami University.
Maggie Mahoney is an Alton native who returned home six years ago and has been farming in the Riverbend community for the past 5. She lives in awe of the power of harmonizing with nature, nutrition, and the people who make up our community. By using no-till, sustainable, organic practices, she has made it her business to teach others how to do the same. It is an honor to demonstrate how being mindful about where your food comes from and from whom can profoundly impact how we support our wellness and that of others. Forever, let's grow together! Everyone deserves good food!
Carol Frerker has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science, and a teaching certification in secondary sciences. She started her career as a chemist, but her passion for the environment and teaching led her to volunteer at Willoughby Farm, in Collinsville. Over time, she transitioned to become the farm director, a role she has held for twenty-one years. She has been instrumental in transforming a 1920s family farm into a showcase community-driven Midwest farm and conservation reserve. Carol has developed Willoughby into a communal focal point, fostering local and regional collaboration in sustainability. She has been recognized for contributing to sustainability initiatives, including conservation, innovative stormwater management, and sustainable agriculture practices. Working with like-minded individuals who share a vision of environmental and community enhancement fuels her passion at Willoughby Farm, where she truly believes it takes the power of unity to achieve the greater good. “Willoughby Farm is my playground, a place I am blessed to call work, a place where I get to do some of my favorite things with good people for the right reasons!”
About Alton Main Street
Alton Main Street is a community based, not-for-profit, volunteer-led organization dedicated to securing the economic vitality and aesthetic quality of the historic downtown district. Since 1994, Alton Main Street has led volunteer efforts to transform Alton’s Downtown district into a thriving commercial and residential center through education, historic preservation, and coordination of social, economic, and beautification activities. To learn more, visit www.DowntownAlton.com.
About Jacoby Arts Center
The mission of Jacoby Arts Center is to nurture and promote the practice and appreciation of the arts through education, exhibits, cultural programs, and community outreach initiatives. For details on upcoming classes, events and programming, please visit www.JacobyArtsCenter.org.
About Sierra Club Illinois
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about Sierra Club’s work in Illinois, visit www.sierraclub.org/illinois.
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