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Humane society kennel manager Malorie Ernst picked up the donation at the March 11 Forest Preserve Board meeting with an adoptable dog, Rocco, in tow. Calendar sales raised almost $6,000 for the shelter, which receives no government funding and relies on donations alone.

The Certificate of Achievement received by the District for its comprehensive annual financial report is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.

The transfer of 466 acres in February gives the Forest Preserve ownership of around 780 acres of the 1,000-acre preserve located in eastern Will County.

Bait, snacks and fishing licenses will be available for purchase when the Monee Reservoir Visitor Center and concessions stand reopen to the public. Boat rentals start in April and kayak and canoe rentals in May.

The event schedule offers a wide range of activities that are sprinkled throughout the year to inspire patrons to revisit sites they already love and to motivate others to discover a new place to enjoy the outdoors. Art, food, nature and fitness are all on tap as we get underway for some fun in '21.

The site is closed to general access from March 1-August 15 to protect nesting birds. Visitors will be allowed only during bird-watching programs. The other two access areas for the preserve – Turtle Lake and Copley Nature Park – remain open from 8 a.m.-sunset year-round.

Coyote mating season is underway and pupping season is near, so it's important to take steps to prevent potential conflicts.

Crane Nuclear was selected for volunteer work accomplished by its employees along the DuPage River in Naperville. And Eagle Scout candidate Jaden Fehrenbacher was chosen for organizing a team to repair a trailside shelter at Hammel Woods in Shorewood. 

When the Monee Reservoir Visitor Center reopens for the season on March 2, plastic water bottles will no longer be an option and only boxed water will be sold. The switch to boxed water is part of the Forest Preserve's push to become more sustainable.

Region 7, which includes Will County, moved to a Phase 4 Restore Illinois pandemic plan on Monday, February 1. As a result, Forest Preserve indoor program capacity and Four Rivers Environmental Education Center rentals have expanded to a maximum of 50 people. 

The state grant will be used to enhance three southern Will County preserves that are home to 20 species considered endangered or threatened in Illinois and 43 species of greatest conservation need.

A 40-acre Homer Township purchase will expand Hadley Valley Preserve and provide a missing link for a Spring Creek Greenway Trail extension, and a 40-acre Washington Township donation will begin the establishment of a new eastern Will County preserve.

Incongruous as it seems, winter is prime time for seed spreading across the Forest Preserve District.

The show's premier epioside for 2021 features the history of Joliet Iron Works Historic Site and the eagles of Rock Run Rookery. The episode will air on Facebook at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 27.

This is the third batch of Blanding's turtle hatchlings the Forest Preserve District has received as part of a regional recovery program for the state-endangered species. They will be released into the wild in late summer or fall of 2021.