Events throughout Lake County raise awareness of environment, area attractions

As Earth Day activities throughout Lake County promote environmental awareness this weekend, organizers are hoping they also promote the area’s year-round attractions.

Take, for instance, Round Lake Area Park District’s Prairie Grass Nature Museum.

“It’s a secret,” said Kathy Paczynski, a recreation supervisor for the district. She oversees the museum and the district’s Earth Day activities.

“As long as I’ve been here it’s been kind of a struggle,” she said of drawing attention to the museum and its nearby Interpretive Nature Trail.

“People who live here don’t always know it’s there. It’s free. It has animals, activities. It’s a resource that people with children ought to learn about and enjoy. There’s a woodland, a pond and an oak woods. You can take a walk there. It’s not just a nature museum. It’s a whole area that’s valuable.”

Along with live small animals, the museum features lifelike displays and monthly facts, crafts and activities, as well as Nature Discovery Packs available for visitors to take as they explore Hart’s Woods.

As part of Earth Day – officially celebrated nationwide April 22 – the Prairie Grass Nature Museum will host free activities from noon to 2 p.m. both April 23 and 24 at the museum, located at the Aquatics Center and Nature Museum Building at the park district, 814 Hart Road, Round Lake.

Activities will include crafts involving recycling, solar cooking, seed planting and more as visitors learn about ways they can support nature, Paczynski said.

“My job is to really educate people about all things nature,” said Paczynski, who calls herself the “nature lady.” “Earth Day is right up there. Everything we do we want people to leave with a little more information and a sense of what they can do to help.

“I’m kind of the mindset that Earth Day should be every day.”

Elsewhere in Lake County, events will mark the 52nd year of Earth Day, themed “Invest in our Planet” this year. It’s a day designed to not only celebrate the planet and its environments, but to advocate and organize for sustainability and the environment.

Environmentalists throughout Lake County and beyond have hosted events throughout the week. Celebrating Earth Week 2022 from April 18-23, the College of Lake County is planning both an Eco-Restoration Workday and a Climate Solutions Summit on April 23 at the college’s Grayslake Campus. For information on the events, visit clcillinois.edu.

The third annual Earth Day at The Adler Arts Center will take place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. April 23 at the center, 1700 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.

The family friendly outdoor event focused on environmental awareness and education will allow visitors to learn about backyard hens, monarch butterflies, foraging and the history of the land and river. The event will include a Lake County Audubon table, where group members will provide information on how to make selections for native plant gardens and planting native hedges to replace buckthorn.

Among numerous activities, visitors to the event will help with litter cleanup, take part in a community pow wow and make crafts out of recycled items.

Each year’s event features a group art project involving upcycled materials, such as water bottles, CDs, DVDs and plastic bottle caps, said Jena Mertz, program and rental manager for The Adler Arts Center. Last year, participants made a human bird nest. Another year featured a chandelier made out of water bottles, Mertz said.

Visitors this year likely will make a curtain out of water bottles, as well as several make-and-take pieces out of DVDs and CDs, she said.

“We think that environmentalist goes hand in hand with the community and art,” she said. “A lot of environmentalists are artists because they see the beauty in nature. We just think it’s a great way to put all those together.”

Earth Day provides a way for many to discover The Adler Arts Center, she said.

“A lot of folks do tend to say, ‘I’ve lived in Libertyville my whole life and never been here,’ ‘’ she said. “It’s kind of a hidden gem. Most folks when they do discover us are happy.”