Current headlines
Featured news
All news
-
A man pours seed into a mixer.
Winter seed mixing work sows prairies of tomorrow
1/2/2025A year of seed collection by staff and volunteers culminated with a seed mixing day at a Forest Preserve barn in December. The seed will be sown this winter in areas targeted for restoration, leading to blooms and better species diversity next year in the preserves.
-
Destinee Ortiz (left) and Judy Ogalla (right)
Forest Preserve Board reorganizes, elects new officers
12/23/2024The Forest Preserve District's Board reorganized on Dec. 19 and elected officers for the next two years. Destinee Ortiz of Romeoville was selected as president for the first year of a two-year term, and Judy Ogalla of Monee will serve as president for the second year of the term.
-
A woman holds a captive bald eagle.
Mark your calendar for exciting 2025 events
12/17/2024The Forest Preserve District's 2025 calendar is chock full of exciting events and exhibitions ranging from Eagle Watch and a Smokey Bear art exhibition in January to Pelican Party and Woods Walk in the fall.
-
Thorn Creek bridge closed due to safety concerns
12/11/2024The bridge over Thorn Creek has been closed at Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve due to structural safety concerns. The bridge closure has affected the trail system and only the Thorn Creek Nature Center Loop Trail will be open for public use until further notice.
-
Bald eagle soaring through the air.
Are you seeing bald eagles in the preserves? Give them some space
12/8/2024If you go eagle watching this year, remember to keep your distance so as not to disturb these amazing creatures. If a bird is reacting to you, then you are too close.
-
A man and woman stand on a sidewalk in a forest preserve.
Healing With Nature: Crete man battling cancer finds health and hope on paths at Goodenow Grove
11/21/2024Tom Scott of Crete is giving thanks this year for the people in his life who pushed him to start walking at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve as he was recovering from cancer. The daily hikes have given him better health, hope for the future and a new appreciation of nature.
-
A woman rides a bike
Forest Preserve Board approves balanced 2025 budget; property tax rate will decrease 27%
11/15/2024The Forest Preserve's Board of Commissioners approved a balanced 2025 budget on Nov. 14. The spending plan includes a 27% drop in the property tax rate and funding for operations, maintenance, land acquisition and preserve improvement projects.
-
Valuables on a center console in a car
Prevent vehicle burglaries by following these tips
11/8/2024Forest Preserve police are reminding visitors to lock their vehicles and to leave valuables at home as they plan their nature outings.
-
A woman stands on a bridge.
Healing With Nature: Easing life’s transitions with the calmness of forest bathing
10/21/2024Barbara Collins, a Bolingbrook retiree, turned to nature and her history with plants to find a new purpose in life.
-
A rusty-patched bumble bee, with its white and yellow bands flies into a purple colored wild bergamot flower.
Forest Preserve staff discover endangered species not seen in the preserves since 1983
9/23/2024Ecologist Barbara Sherwood said she almost cried when she spied a Bombus affinis, the federally endangered rusty-patched bumblebee, in a Des Plaines River Valley preserve this summer.
Events
Volunteer Morning: Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
Get some fresh air and exercise while helping to make a difference in your community by attending one or more of the Forest Preserve’s volunteer mornings.
The Buzz
Wild Relatives: The fennec fox
Fennec foxes are the smallest fox species in the world, and they thrive in the extreme conditions of the Sahara Desert.
Migration watch: Monarchs have landed in Illinois
We're charting migrations this season, announcing when a variety of species hit major milestones on their travels north.