Current headlines

Featured news

All news

• Police K-9 sitting in grassy field

  End of Watch: Forest Preserve mourns beloved K-9 Jullo

  8/22/2022

  Family, friends, neighbors and police officers surrounded retired Forest Preserve K-9 Jullo as his End of Watch came on Saturday, Aug. 20. The police dog served the District for eight years before retiring in 2020. 

  Read more
• Woods Walk sign

  Tiptoe into fall with the Woods Walk hiking challenge

  8/19/2022

  Take the annual Woods Walk challenge through Nov. 30. Hike seven of the designated trails to earn the 2022 commemorative medallion. 

  Read more
• People using the Old Plank Road Trail

  Two regional trails slated for $1.37 million paving upgrades

  8/15/2022

  Paving work has been completed on the Joliet Junction Trail, and work will begin in October on the Old Plank Road Trial. The asphalt work is needed to protect and maintain the popular paths.

  Read more
• Man in wheelchair on trail with his daughter

  The Preserves Are for You: Dad's love of outdoor recreation shows 'anything is possible'

  8/12/2022

  Born with a tumor on his spine and paralyzed since he was eight months old, Bill Bogdan of Mokena is extremely active in adaptive sports and loves nature. His lifetime of exploring the preserves, especially Hickory Creek Preserve near his home, has inspired his daughter, Hannah, to seek a career in adaptive outdoor recreation. 

  Read more
• Brown-eyed susans in bloom

  Kankakee Sands features 'spectacular' blooms after years of restoration

  8/8/2022

  From hairy puccoon in the spring to rattlesnake master in the summer, Kankakee Sands Preserve is in full bloom thanks to a multiyear restoration effort that is converting the rare ecosystem back to what the land was generations ago. 

  Read more
• Turkey vulture perched on a branch

  Turkey vulture picks apart the competition to win July’s portion of photo contest

  8/2/2022

  Shorewood resident Joe Viola's photo of a turkey vulture at Rock Run Rookery won July's portion of the Forest Preserve's Preserve the Moment Photo Contest. The contest will continue with monthly winners through December. Overall winners will be chosen in January. 

  Read more
• Woman walking on trail with her two dogs

  The Preserves Are for You: Finding solace in the forest

  7/11/2022

  Joliet resident Lorraine Guerrero Neumayer appreciates the healing power of nature. 

  Read more
• X-rays showing ornate box turtle eggs

  Area vet clinic provides key assist in ornate box turtle study

  7/11/2022

  For the second straight year, a Forest Preserve study into the ornate box turtle population in southern Will County has gotten a crucial assist from Lakewood Animal Hospital in Morris.

  Read more
• Geocache kit

  Forest Preserve enters the geocaching game with five hidden treasures

  7/7/2022

  The Forest Preserve District has placed geocaches in five preserves as part of a new recreational offering, which is the first time the District is sponsoring its own caches in the preserves.

  Read more
• Sunlight shining through trees in forest

  Streaming sunlight shot wins June's photo contest

  7/7/2022

  Joliet resident Michelle Wendling's photo of sunlight streaming through the trees at Hadley Valley preserve had the most votes on Facebook after being chosen as one of five finalist photos by judges. 

  Read more