Current headlines

The next installment of the Healing With Nature series features Nick Wallace of Joliet. The combat veteran and former Marine sergeant picked up 70 bags of trash at a preserve recently. He said being in nature reduces his anxiety and provides pure enjoyment.  

An adaptive all-terrain wheelchair is now available for public use at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. The GRIT Freedom Chair – Spartan Model can be used by people of all ages and abilities. 

The winter Take It Outside Challenge ended March 30 with more than 30 people completing all 110 missions to land in first place. The next seasonal challenge starts April 14. 

A cinnamon teal has been spotted in Crete, which is the first time this bird has ever been reported in Will County. 

The Forest Preserve District has 30 fishing line recycling containers installed at fishing locations for anglers to properly dispose of their broken or unneeded monofilament. The goal is to eliminate fishing line from the environment and to protect wildlife in the preserves. 

Off-leash dogs are not allowed in the forest preserves other than inside the dog parks. If your dog is loose, you could be ticketed. Off-leash dogs scare other preserve visitors and their pets and the loose dogs could be harmed themselves or do damage to the environment. 

The first seasonal challenge of this year's Take It Outside campaign has seen many new participants as well as returning participants from last year as the community of nature lovers continues to build up steam.

Julie Jacobsen, a 54-year-old Naperville resident, says being outside was an essential part of her weight loss journey. In the process, she says she became healthier, happier and more fulfilled than she ever has as an adult. 

A recent visit by a group from Little Friends in Warrenville highlighted just how welcoming the Forest Preserve's Four Rivers Environmental Education Center is to all people, regardless of abilities. The site is now nationally accredited for inclusivity, which means all are welcome and all can participate. 

Extensive, multiyear restoration efforts at the Forest Preserve District's Sand Ridge Savanna Nature Preserve have earned an "Excellence in Ecological Restoration" award from Chicago Wilderness. The District received the award on Jan. 17 at a “Celebration of Conservation” banquet at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.