Nature

A planned change in leadership at the Forest Preserve District of Will County takes place Friday when Executive Director Ralph Schultz retires.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging the public to be aware of ticks to prevent the spread of Lyme disease during these warm weather months.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County has reopened the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook following a 15-month, $2 million renovation.

John Fuqua of Plainfield was named the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Volunteer of the Year for his work on Hammel Woods restoration efforts.  

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reminds everyone to leave baby birds and young animals alone when encountering them in the wild.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is celebrating bird season with its annual bird photography competition for all ages.

Edna Keith Elementary School students will join Joliet city officials in annual celebration of trees.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is inviting people to hit the trails again for the Be a Trailblazer program. Sessions runs from Thursday to Saturday, May 24.

Here are the Forest Preserve District of Will County programs for the week of April 21. Online registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.

With spring here and temperatures slowly warming it is time to get out your bike and head out to these Will County trails.

The event begins at 10 a.m. with a ribboncutting for the grand opening of the new wildlife display on the second floor of the grist mill museum.

As part of a restoration project required by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Army Corps of Engineers, Heidelberg Materials is in the process of enhancing its existing berm along Illinois Route 53 in Romeoville.

The members of the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance are taking a breather after decades of service to Downers Grove and are passing the torch of community activism.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County is inviting adventurers of all ages to take on a new kind of spring challenge – one that blends exploration and history.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville will host a spring exhibit that highlights pollinators beginning Wednesday.

A Wellness Workshop –Wellness Workshop – Our Place in Nature: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the Sugar Creek Administration Center, Joliet.

Beginning Wednesday, a portion of the Rock Run Greenway Trail in Joliet is scheduled to close for several months.

Romeoville has announced it will renew its Monarch Pledge this year, vowing to help protect the iconic butterflies and other pollinators.

Forest Preserve District of Will County programs offer plenty of family fun for spring break outings in March.

The U.S. Forest Service will be conducting prescribed burns this spring at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, beginning in March.

Join a naturalist for a hike to find wildflowers and hear stories of how these beauties were named on Thursday, March 20, at the Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Will County.

A St. Patrick's Day eve concert, a noted guest flutist showcased by the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, jazz greats, military memorabilia and a day devoted to native plants are featured in DuPage and Cook counties.

A North American gray wolf will take center stage at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Mammal Madness event at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday.

Abbbot Hays, 27, of Chicago; Erick “Iggy” Ignaczak, 44, of Berwyn; Harsha Pandaraboyina, 23, of Crest Hill; and Emily Harvey, 35, of Manhattan, feel they lost their jobs as part of under President Donald Trump’s decision to slash federal spending.

The project at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, which is 30% completed, currently has approximately $475 thousand dollars in invoices that are unreimbursed with the freeze.

Learn the do’s and don’ts for birdhouses and bird feeders at a Forest Preserve District of Will County webinar Wednesday, Feb. 26.

The supervisor’s office and welcome center had temporarily closed on Dec. 9 to undergo extensive maintenance to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

Eclectic entertainment and attractions spice the Valentine's Day weekend across the suburbs.

After decades on the wish list, long-sought improvements at the Volo Bog State Natural Area in Ingleside have been funded and are expected to proceed.

An intrepid professor and a trio of students have been chasing evidence of a rare and elusive dragonfly through the remarkable habitat at Joliet Junior College.

If you’re excited and inspired by the sight of a bald eagle soaring majestically above, then your Super Bowl has arrived.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s annual celebration of bald eagles will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

Mark your calendars now with the dates of Forest Preserve District of Will County’s events and programs in the new year.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Healing with Nature series features six Will County residents and their stories.

Here is a look at through the eyes of Daily Chronicle photographers at some of the flora and fauna in DeKalb County from 2024.

The very last installment of Pam Otto's Good Natured column shares what's ahead for this naturalist extraordinaire.

Pam Otto: "After 25 years of living the dream as a naturalist, I’m stepping away from full-time employment to chase after a few other dreams and goals I’ve set for this next chapter."

The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener program marks 50 years this year. In 2023 alone, 2,358 active volunteers invested 165,508 hours of service to improve the well-being of their environment and their local communities.

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie trailheads, trails and hunting areas will remain open during this time.

This non-native plant blankets its surrounding landscape and smothers everything in sight.

Is your home's exterior experiencing a conflict with a cavity-roosting bird?

Museums around the world - and in Will County are participating, giving patrons a chance to learn and shop on Museum Store Sunday..

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

For those of us who aren’t great with binoculars or whose eyes don’t pick up on subtle details, Cooper’s and sharp-shins look practically identical. And big changes now are coming to bird identities.

The lingering warmth this fall has led to an extended kinglet-sighting season. Typically seen in northern Illinois in October, both golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets are still popping up in numerous parks and preserves.

Their great numbers can be attributed to their reputation as beneficial insects, because they consume large quantities of garden and crop pests.

Kane County Certified Naturalists is a year-long program designed for adults who want to learn more about the natural history of our great county, and also find out about ways to put that knowledge to good use.

When they’re not creating tiny works of functional art, female potter wasps also function as pollinators. They are one of many reasons why it’s important to “leave the leaves” through the cold months.

Turkey vultures are notoriously wary, and spook at the slightest hint of something amiss.

The cormorant is a creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky bird that's a familiar sight along the Fox River as well as select marshes and assorted neighborhood retention ponds.