Forest Preserve District

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Take It Outside Challenge challenges participants to complete nature-themed missions to earn points and win prizes. Two Take It Outside Meetups are scheduled for Oct. 23 and Nov. 17.

A new trail connection wraps along and under the 135th Street bridge in Romeoville on the east side of the I&M Canal, and links 14.5 miles of continuous pathway, allowing travel from Lemont to Joliet.

A traveling exhibit that focuses on old growth forests and savannas will open Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

The Nature Foundation held its first board meeting in 2014 as the Friends of the Forest Preserve District of Will County. Since then, the nonprofit has raised funds to make education programs, infrastructure improvements possible.

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Police Chief David Pederson has been elected president of the DuPage Chiefs of Police Association, a role he will hold through September 2025.

Fall Frolic, running Oct. 6- Dec. 24, will take people of all ages on an adventure across Will County forest preserves.

Get into the spirit of fall by participating in the Spooky Scavenger Hunt at our Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

Goodenow Grove Campground in Crete is holding a Family Campout from Saturday, Sept. 28, to Sunday, Sept. 29. Forest Preserve District staff will help with setup and be there with entertainment.

Close out summer with a fishing excursion to idden Lakes Trout Farm in Bolingbrook. Two-hour sessions will be offered at 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 21.

A new kayak rental station is now up and running at Will County’s Lake Chaminwood Preserve in Channahon and is ready to go for the Labor Day weekend.

Participants who hike at least seven of 10 designated trails in Will County forest preserves this fall earn a special medallion that can be pinned to a backpack or walking stick.

Tuesdays through Sundays, Sept. 1-29, at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm in Bolingbrook stop by the Tackle Box bait shop to pick up your guide to the scavenger hunt.

A new paved path connecting the Lake Chaminwood Preserve in Channahon to the I&M Canal State Trail is now open. This new trail section connects via a bridge over the canal.

Explore the habitat of local bat species in Will County and watch bats emerge go out on their nightly hunt at Hammel Woods in Shorewood.

Rise and Shine Paddle will be held the morning of Thursday, Aug. 22. at the Will County forest preserve in Monee Township.

The Will County Forest District Board voted Aug. 8 to acquire 57-acres at cost of $1,037,400 to grow the forest preserve in Channahon.

View nesting herons, egrets and cormorants at Lake Renwick while the rookery is closed for nesting season.

Turtle Crossing signs were installed in a Lily Lake community on July 8 after neighborhood families came together to fund the project in an effort to protect their neighborhood turtles from vehicle traffic.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s spring Take It Outside Challenge ended with seven first-place winners and hundreds of fun memories and accomplishments for participants.

The Kane Forest Preserve Foundation will host its Golf Outing Thursday, Sept. 12.

These are the Forest Preserve District of Will County programs for the week of June 24. Online registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County will host a "Rusty Rodeo" to collect rusty crayfish, an invasive species, from waterways.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County will provide an educational program on cicadas Tuesday, June 18.

Kane County Forest Preserve District has a variety of different shelters, lodges and campsites available for use this season.

Kendall County Forest Preserve District has a variety of different shelters, bunkhouses and campsites available for use this season.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County family event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday in Romeoville celebrates pollinators and the special role they play in our lives. Admission is free.

Commissioners point to popularity of preserves.

Kendall County Forest Preserve District will present a cicada-related event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at Hoover Forest Preserve.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County's Youth Kayak Fishing Program will provide new opportunities to youth.

Kendall County Forest Preserve District will host a cicada-themed event at Hoover Forest Preserve, 11285 W. Fox Road, Yorkville.

May and June will mark the return of periodical cicadas, and Kane and Kendall counties will host several events to celebrate.

Fabyan Windmill's public tours will open June 2.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is offering free wood chips to the public on Sunday, April 28.

Construction for Kendall County's Mary M. Subat Nature Center and Hoover-Fox River Bluffs trail connection is planned for this year and 2025.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County will host a free scavenger hunt in Tekakwitha Woods Forest Preserve.

Here is a list of summer camps in Kendall County for summer.

Kane County Forest Preserve District Naturalists will cover basic bird-identification skills and share a few interesting stories along the way.

The PPFV's 50th anniversary will take place March 26.

Creek Bend Nature Center at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles will hold a variety of activities specific to the theme of the month this spring.

Learn about the history of bobcats in our state, recent bobcat recolonization of northern Illinois, and bobcat ecology during a Thursday, April 11 from 7-8:30 p.m.

The Kane County Forest District will help you learn many of the different ephemeral flower species with plant identification signs sponsored by the Kane Forest Preserve Foundation.

Jon J. Duerr, who led the Kane County Forest Preserve District to success in open space preservation, died Monday. He was 81.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s year-long Take It Outside Challenge kicks off this weekend. This year’s challenge comes with a twist.

When your pumpkins start to lose their luster, don’t drop them into the trash or dump them in nature, smash them at the Forest Preserve District of Will County's Plum Creek Nature Center.

The 2023 challenge runs from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30 and it features 10 hiking trails ranging in length from 1.04 miles to 5.99 miles. The trails can be tackled in any order.

Enjoy a fun excursion through the woods while the sun sets in Channahon.

Help the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County provide healthy habitats for native plants and animals by participating in “A Night for Nature” Sept. 14 at St. James Farm in Warrenville.

Fly dumping citations in Cook County Forest Preserves will new cost $750.

Another stretch of trail has been completed, announced the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which plans a celebratory gathering with special events at 10 a.m. June 10 at Danada Forest Preserve in Wheaton.

A gathering at 10 a.m. June 3 will celebrate the installation of two bridges – one replacement and one historically significant refurbishment – allowing full access to the preserve in Downers Grove in time for National Trails Day.