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• A woman wearing a backpack on a hike.

  Celebrate Earth Day with the Forest Preserve District

  3/20/2023

  Celebrate Earth Day all month long in April with activities designed to give Mother Nature a helping hand. Attend an Earth Day festival, volunteer to clean up a shoreline or go on an Earth Day safari. 

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• A collection of seed packets for sale at Isle a la Cache Museum.

  Slip into spring with seeds and more from visitor center gift shops

  3/13/2023

  The Forest Preserve's visitor center gift shops are stocked with spring items, including veggie, herb and flower seeds at Isle a la Cache Museum, bird-related items at Four Rivers, local honey at Hidden Oaks and fair-trade containers at Plum Creek. 

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• Forest Preserve police team raises thousands with Polar Plunge effort

  3/13/2023

  They came in hot and they got out cold Saturday at the Braidwood Recreation Club, raising thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Illinois. 

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• The quiet space at Four Rivers.

  Quiet space at Four Rivers comforts those with sensory processing needs

  3/7/2023

  Four Rivers Environmental Education Center has created a quiet space for those with sensory processing needs. The goal is to remove all barriers for visitors and to make everyone feel welcome at the visitor center.  

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• An aerial view of Monee Reservoir

  Monee Reservoir Visitor Center now open for the season

  3/1/2023

  Both humans and fish will have something new to eat at Monee Reservoir Visitor Center this year. Also, visitors who bring their own kayaks or canoes will no longer have to buy a launch pass, and fishing poles can be checked out for free. 

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• The Bartling family (left) and Black family are enjoying exploring the preserves as part of the Take It Outside Challenge.

  Families tackling Take It Outside Challenge to bond … and win!

  3/1/2023

  Parents and their children have jumped on the yearlong Take It Outside Challenge bandwagon. They're competing together and bonding over shared experiences in nature. 

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• A mated pair of bald eagles sits in a nest while incubating eggs

  Bald eagle update: Our second mated pair is incubating eggs

  2/27/2023

  The bald eagle population has been booming in Will County in recent years, and, if things go as planned, we'll have some new arrivals coming in March.

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• Double-crested cormorants sit atop the nesting platforms at Lake Renwick Heron Rookery.

  Lake Renwick Heron Rookery access restricted for bird nesting season

  2/24/2023

  Public access will be limited starting March 1 at Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve to protect nesting birds and their young this spring and summer. Members of the public can visit the site during this time by signing up for bird viewing programs.

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• Aerial view of the Wauponsee Glacial Trail bridge over the Kankakee River.

  Hike the three longest trails in Will County to earn your Triple Crown

  2/23/2023

  The Will County Triple Crown Hiking Challenge kicked off March 1. Participants have four months to walk the Wauponsee Glacial Trail and the Will County sections of the Old Plank Road Trail and I&M Canal State Trail. 

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• A man and woman hold replica eagle talons and eggs.

  Watch 'The Buzz' to learn about eagle monitoring and the fur trade era

  2/17/2023

  February's 'Buzz' nature show explores what it takes to monitor eagles in the preserves and the intricacies of the 18th-century French fur trade era. The show debuts Wednesday, Feb. 22, on the Forest Preserve District's Facebook and YouTube pages. 

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