Current Headlines

Dog park permits can be used at all six dog parks and they can be purchased online or at one of four visitor centers. 

The Forest Preserve has joined the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Trail Moments campaign, which is designed to publicize the safe opportunity trails offer for recreation, fitness and stress relief. Go to the Trail Moments website or share your special #TrailMoments on social media. 

The deadline to complete the self-paced hiking challenge is November 30. Trail logs can be turned in until December 31. 

Just in time for the lineup of fall and winter owl programs, the Forest Preserve's Bob Bryerton tells us why owls are such fascinating creatures and why we just can't learn enough about these stealthy, winged beasts. 

Now is the time to hike a trail, hop on your bike or cruise in your car to see the colorful fall palette nature has prepared. 

As temperatures begin to fall, the Forest Preserve is starting its winter preparation efforts.

More than 90 online field trip programs have been scheduled or have already taken place as educators seek to keep their students engaged in environmental education during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Forest Preserve is waving a paw goodbye to its K-9 Jullo, who served with distinction on the police force for eight years and is headed into retirement. He will live out his years with handler Dean Klier, a former Forest Preserve police sergeant.

The project, which will improve the health and safety of the DuPage River, has been in the planning stages since spring 2019. Once the work begins, it will take about a month to remove the dam and create oxygenating 'riffles' with natural river stones and a new canoe/kayak launch downstream.

The exhibit explores the challenges, including negative stereotypes, faced by Native peoples in North America in the past and today and the best way to move forward. 

A Forest Preserve news story about a rare bird sighting at Whalon Lake helped Lockport resident Matthew Serafini win September's portion of the Preserve the Moment photo contest. 

Game cameras recently photographed bobcats walking through a preserve. Photos of bobcats in the preserves are rare because the creatures are so elusive. Learn more about the game camera program with 10 questions answered by Becky Blankenship, the Forest Preserve's wildlife biologist.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert, the Forest Preserve invites you to join a wide variety of free bird-watching programs scheduled for October through December. Register for the programs, grab your binoculars and a field guide and dress for the weather.

Three hotels built by 14-year-old Luke Lunde of Manhattan and his Scouting crew at Isle a la Cache preserve in Romeoville are attracting solitary bees that nest in cavities and are important pollinators. 

The tortoise, which is not native to Illinois, was found at Hammel Woods around 4 miles from its home, so police believe it was dumped there by someone who found it wandering around its neighborhood after it escaped from its owners' backyard. Dumping animals of any kind in a preserve is against the law because it is harmful to the creatures and the environment.