Forest Preserve District of Will County

Sunday, Dec. 1, through Tuesday, Dec. 31, on designated Will County forest preserve trails, run a virtual 5K. Choose one of 11 designated trails to run your own race in December.

The Will County Forest Preserve District approved its 2025 budget, including a reduction of property taxes by 27% while still funding capital improvements.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is seeking participants for its volunteer morning program, gathering seeds for future restoration efforts or clearing brush to give native plants room to grow.

The Indige-Facts traveling exhibit at the Isle a la Cache Museum covers such topics as terminology, population size and the sovereign rights of Native people.

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.

Hidden Lakes Trout Farm in Bolingbrook will be hosting a Trout Season Celebration beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.

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

Wear your favorite costume and search for spooktacular natural and super-natural items in the forest at the Spooky Scavenger Hunt at Four River Education Center in Channahon.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is throwing a Pelican Party on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. Live pelican presentations are scheduled.

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.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County will host “Indige-Facts” an exhibit examining Native Americans contributions to society at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville.

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.

Indige-Facts Exhibit will be held this fall at Isle a la Cache in Romeoville and features facts about contemporary Native Americans, terminology and population size to the sovereign rights of Native people.

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.

Come out to the Plum Creek Nature Center to see these fascinating birds up close and check out monarch and honeybee displays at forest preserve programs.

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

Museum Campus Day at the Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville is a good day trip and educational family outing.

Backpacking 101 Part 1 – Introduction to Backpacking will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at the center in Channahon, 25055 S Walnut Lane. Register by Friday, July 26.

The Will County Forest Preserve District is hosting a program at the Braidwood Dunes and Savanna in Reed Township on Saturday, July 27

Explore the stone foundations of Joliet’s once-thriving industrial plant that are over 100 years old.

The Nature Foundation of Will County presented a $33,400 donation check to the Forest Preserve at the District to be used for a variety of programs and projects.

Fish at night when the water is cooler and fish are more active at some Will County forest preserves this month.

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.

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.

Isle a la Cache Museum hosts a drop-in for a self-guided exploration of the campus on Sunday, June 22. Visit the 18th century-era Traders Cabin or peek inside the Native American longhouse.

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.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County board voted 16-2 for a bond plan with the only no votes from two commissioners who stirred an online campaign to reject the proposal.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources sponsors one weekend each summer to sample fishing without requiring a fishing license.

Two Forest Preserve District of Will County commissioners who plan to vote against $50 million bond plan pay for poll that shows opposition.

Commissioners point to popularity of preserves.

The bond plan would cost $9 a year for the owner of a $300,000 home, who actually will see an 18.5% reduction in total forest preserve taxes because previous bonds have been paid off, according to the district.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood joined a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the restoration of the ecosystem at the Prairie Bluff Nature Preserve in Crest Hill and and Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve in Lockport Township.

Forest preserves throughout Will County offer opportunities to get onto the water and experience nature up close. Kayak Kollege programs will be scheduled throughout the summer.

Joliet, Lockport park districts will feature cicada-themed activities.

Sally Wieclaw of New Lenox was named 2023 Volunteer of the Year during the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s annual banquet in April.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County acquires all-terrain wheelchair to help those with disabilities more easily explore its trails.

“It’s not like they come out of the ground and you hear this gigantic, deafening sound. They need time to complete their life cycle," said Nancy Kuhajda, program coordinator at the University of Illinois Extension in Will County, in describing the emergence of cicadas.

Connect with nature and friends new and old on a women’s camping weekend Friday, May 31 to 10 a.m. Sunday, June 2

Join a naturalist on a morning walk in the woods to search for feathers. Expect to see migratory birds and summer residents returning home on a Mother's Day program Sunday, May 12.

A Will County judge blocked the pretrial release of a retired Illinois Department of Corrections sergeant charged with shooting and killing his son at a Plainfield forest preserve.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County will host several educational programs the week of May 13 and May 20.