Current Headlines

Sand Ridge Savanna is now the fifth preserve in the Forest Preserve District known to have bobcats. Learn more about bobcats and the District's game camera program with 10 questions answered by Becky Blankenship, the Forest Preserve's wildlife biologist.

Whether you want to know if the winds are calm enough to kayak, temperatures are hot enough to hike or the barometric pressure is conducive to reeling in fish, the new Monee Reservoir weather station and its live data should help you plan a fun and safe outing. 

Ruth Meyer, 2020 Volunteer of the Year, and Joel Craig and Barb Ferry, 2019 Volunteers of the Year, received their awards at the April 8 Board of Commissioners meeting. 

New limestone screenings are being added to a 2-mile stretch of the Wauponsee Glacial Trail, starting at North Arsenal Road and traveling north to approximately the 12-mile marker on the path.

The programs will be offered at both Forest Preserve and Village locations from April through September and they cover a wide variety of activities including gardening, bicycling and nature exploration.

Forest Preserve police are reminding visitors to lock their vehicles and to leave valuables at home as they plan their 2021 nature outings. 

Juan Lopez's 71-inch-long metal iguana made of nuts, bolts, screws and tools locked up first place in the Forest Preserve District's 2021 "Sculpting WILD" juried art show, which ended April 3 at Plum Creek Nature Center. Lopez was awarded the top prize of $500 for his creation.

The Nature Foundation of Will County's spring plant sale has concluded, but two more plant sales will be popping up in the coming weeks.

View the pollinator garden and landscaping at Isle a la Cache in Romeoville for inspiration, and then use templates available at Isle a la Cache Museum or online to create a natural landscape tailored to your yard's soil and sun conditions.

Thousands of votes were cast and there was one clear winner.

Program host Suzy Lyttle will take viewers on a journey to discover how and why the Forest Preserve monitors wildlife and the best locations for spotting waterfowl. The Buzz Bit will feature spring's early riser, the skunk cabbage, and a relaxing Moment of Zen with pelicans.

Hike, explore and recycle to show Mother Earth you care this year during Earth Day month activities offered by the Forest Preserve District in April.

Winter's deep snow and bitterly cold temperatures combined to cause a naturally occurring fish kill in a pond at Rock Run Preserve in Joliet. Spring's thaw has revealed the dead fish, which will soon decay and be scavenged by other creatures.

This map is updated daily as another way to notify the public when a prescribed burn is being conducted.

The new Joliet Iron Works signs were installed this past winter, and they focus more on the workers who braved great heat and heights to earn their paychecks and the neighborhoods and gathering sites they built in and around downtown Joliet.