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A River Thru History: Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous
September 6 - 8
Friday, school day
Saturday, 10 am -5pm
Sunday, 10 am-4pm
Columbia Woods
Willow Springs
Look back 200 years to frontier life and enjoy food, music, crafts, games, reenactments, canoe races and more. Admission $8 and under. More details.
Afterschool Archery
Staff provides instruction in this workshop for ages 10 and up. Parents welcome! Call 708-771-1010 to reserve your spot.
*September 11, 5:30-7:30 pm
Eggers Woods, Grove 3 11201 S. Ave. B, Chicago *September 25, 5:30-7:30 pm Thatcher Woods 8030 Chicago Ave., River Forest
60th Annual American Indian Pow Wow September 13 - 15 Busse Woods South Elk Grove Village Friday, education day for schools Saturday, 11 am - 10 pm Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm Experience Native American dance, drumming, food, art, films, traditional dance. Admission under $10. Group rates available.  Fishin' Buddies Fall Fishing Derby September 14, 8 am - 2 pm Wampum Lake Thornton-Lansing This annual family fishing derby is perfect for novices and reel masters alike. Sign up at fishin-buddies.net Des Plaines River Cleanup September 14, 9:30 am Various sites Get to know the Des Plaines River while you help it out! Join this multi-county cleanup effort at sites along the river. Register here. Forest Jams September 19, 6 - 9 pm Cummings Square River Forest Steckman Studio and its OutLoud After-School Performers perform with West African Djembe Ensemble Low End Theory and dance band Ru Ja Veev. Jam with the band, too!  Bullfrog Lake Paddle September 21, 9 am - 1 pm 9600 Wolf Rd, Willow Springs Join us for a morning paddle around Bullfrog Lake. Instruction provided. Bring your own canoe or use ours. Call 708-771-1010 to reserve a spot. Archaeology Day September 21, 10 am - 3 pm Sand Ridge Nature Center South Holland Join us for a day of activities to promote a better understanding of historic Native American culture. Guided hikes, archaeology displays, activities, crafts and more. Family Campout September 21, 2 pm- September 22, 10 am Bullfrog Lake, 9600 Wolf Rd Willow Springs Sleep under the stars, cook over a campfire and enjoy night hikes, canoeing, storytelling and more. Food and tents provided. $50/family of up to 6. Registration required: fpdcc.rvp@cookcountyil.gov.  National Public Lands Day September 28 Join the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands. The Forest Preserves will host workdays across the county. Click here to find one near you! Commissioner Schneider's Fishing Derby
September 28, 9 am - noon Celebrate a day fishing at Busse Woods with friends and family. Bring your gear. No fishing license needed during National Hunting and Fishing Days! Register at 847-640-1632 or tim.schneider@cookcountyil.gov.  Hike and Seek September 28, noon - 3 pm Bemis Woods South Ogden Ave. & Wolf Rd. Western Springs Explore nature trails with fun activities, learning stations and a scavenger hunt. Hosted by the National Wildlife Federation. Fee and registration required. Stars, Stories and S'mores September 28, 6 - 9 pm Thatcher Woods Pavilion 8030 Chicago Ave., River Forest Bring the whole family to enjoy an evening in the woods. We'll have a fire, storytelling, snacks and other nature activities.  Photo Meet-Up September 28, 10 am Sagawau Environmental Learning Center Lemont A series for photographers of all skill levels! Our naturalist will lead a tour, sharing vistas and natural life. Capture images and share tips. Details here.  Art in Nature September 29, 10 am-4 pm Crabtree Nature Center Barrington Hills Observe 50 artists painting along our scenic trails. Listen to live music, view artwork for sale and vote for your favorite artist. Try your hand at creating your own artwork. For details and a full event listing including all regular events at our six nature centers, visit our Events page. | |
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Introducing the Forest Preserve Foundation
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 Like many other forest preserves and conservation districts, the Forest Preserves of Cook County now has a new partner in the Forest Preserve Foundation. The Foundation is an independent, 501(c)(3) charitable foundation dedicated to raising funds and in-kind resources to support initiatives in the forest preserves that are new, innovative and not able to be supported through current tax revenues.
The Foundation Board of Directors has already raised more than $240,000 from new non-tax sources.
To learn more about the Foundation's work, as well as the Conservation Cup, its golf fundraiser, on September 12, please click here.
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A FALL CORNUCOPIA
by Forest Preserves President Toni Preckwinkle
Fall is a special time in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Crisp air and changing leaves mean it's time for fall festivals and longer hikes. Squirrels will soon be busily hiding acorns to last through the winter.
We think you'll notice that the Forest Preserve staff has followed the squirrels' lead -- in a sense. While they aren't stashing acorns, they've been busy planning and bringing exciting programs to the preserves. All this work has greatly increased the number, variety and quality of public events across the county.
Spend a minute or two with our Fall 2013 Schedule, and we believe you'll find yourself looking for a pen to start circling things. Opportunities for children and adults include:
- The natural - revel in our autumn woods and prairies on guided hikes across the county
- The cultural - experience cultures past and present at the Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous and the American Indian Pow Wow
- The recreational - learn to paddle and try out a 10-passenger voyageur canoe on Powderhorn Lake
- The intellectual - explore the ancient Silurian Sea on a fossil hunt at Sagawau Environmental Learning Center
Our robust lineup includes new series, longstanding traditions and innovative nature center programming. As the Forest Preserves of Cook County continues to celebrate its 100-year anniversary, you'll see additional programs and events. It's part of a reinvigorated effort to connect people to their preserves. We hope you'll join us to experience the wonders of nature.
Click here to visit our Events page!
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Staff and visitors share their pathway picks
With more than 300 miles of trails across the forest preserves, one can head in almost any direction for a fantastic hike. We asked Forest Preserves staff as well as Facebook and Twitter followers for descriptions of their "favorite trail mile." Why not try one of these this September?
"The Purple Flower Field, on the red multi-track trail, between Spears Woods and Old Country Lane."
-Nancy Fallon, via Facebook
"The road leading from Camp Sullivan to Camp Falcon in Oak Forest, it is so peaceful, full of old structures from the farmhouses that existed there years and years ago, the bridge over the Tinley Creek, the old stairway that leads to where there once was a family getaway, either for the Sullivan Family or the Goesel Family of the early 1800s. Absolutely peaceful and full of history, days gone by if you will. A beautiful walk."
-Gloria J. Funk, FPCC Administrative Assistant
"Walking the Somme footpaths in Northbrook, through head-high flowers, from prairie through woodland to savanna."
-Mary Laraia, FPCC Deputy General Superintendent
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"I love various stretches of the unpaved paths through Swallow Cliff and 40-Acre Woods in Palos Hills. Although you aren't too far from Route 83, you feel secluded from the world, hidden under a tall canopy of trees. One such spot is just east of the toboggan slides and West of LaGrange (the northern underpass). There is a tree-dotted hill that rises to the south and trees hiding you on the north. I love that patch."
-Mary Wilson, via Facebook
"I am partial to the far western stretch of the yellow trail over at Deer Grove West in Palatine. Probably because it looks nothing like "typical flat Illinois" and it feels 300 miles away from any big city. That section of trail is heavily-forested with mature trees, even hickory, and of course old bur and white oaks. It reminds me of the Appalachians slightly (where I grew up in North Carolina). The trail's terrain winds up and down, with memorable right angle turns, stone bridges that arch over seasonal creeks and golden light levels at dawn and dusk that make you stand still and quiet."
-Lindsay Ivanyi, FPCC Resource Specialist
We received many more responses than we could include here. Discover more Favorite Trail Miles, with links to the preserves, by clicking here.
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2014 CALENDAR PHOTO CONTEST
| Winners will be featured in our 2014 Wall Calendar!
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Our photo contest is back! More than 350 photos were submitted in last year's inaugural contest, and more than 1500 votes were cast on the winners through our Facebook page.
Now it's your turn to be part of the contest! Send us your best images of Cook County Forest Preserve landscape, flora, fauna and of course people enjoying the outdoors. Submit your photos via Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/fpdcc and tag them #FP2014CC between September 1 and 15.
Then, check back here on Facebook between October 1 and 10 to vote for your favorites. Your photo could be featured in the Forest Preserves 2014 wall calendar and in an exhibition downtown and in the suburbs!
PLEASE READ ALL OFFICIAL RULES BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR PHOTOS.
Good luck!
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
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Des Plaines River Cleanup
A century ago, the Des Plaines River was narrow enough that a person could actually leap over it in places. Human changes to the landscape have dramatically changed the Des Plaines, making it a much larger, more polluted and more flood-prone river. Yet, tucked just below the busy urban landscape, it remains a wild and wondrous place. The river supports many fish, mussels, birds, mammals and other aquatic species, and it makes for a great daytrip by canoe.
The Forest Preserves of Cook County is teaming up across county lines with the Upper Des Plaines River Ecosystem Partnership, Lake County Forest Preserves, paddling groups and other partners for the 3rd Annual Des Plaines River Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 14, at 9:30 a.m.
This volunteer event spans many miles of river and celebrates the statewide It's Our River Day (which officially falls on September 21 this year).
Read more and join in!
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River Trail's Junior Naturalists get dirty, not unruly...
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 Carving a jack-o-lantern out of a turnip, taking a print of a mushroom spore, and examining an owl pellet are just a few of the projects for our Junior Naturalists to discover this fall.
Designed for kids aged 7-12, Junior Naturalists is a program of independent learning run through the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook. Each season, students complete six projects to learn about what's happening in nature during that time of year. They choose their projects from among more than 90 possible ideas, ranging from writing a poem or drawing a picture to conducting research. Some may also undertake more complex tasks such as raising butterflies.
Junior Naturalists also attend an exclusive class with one of the River Trail Naturalists. Classes are small (2-6 students) and focus on a variety of seasonal topics, including learning about and caring for the nature center's live exhibit animals, catching and releasing insects, using microscopes and discovering animal tracks.
Three-month sessions begin in September (fall), December (winter), March (spring) and June (summer). The fee is $10 for the first session, and $5 for returning students. Click here to register!
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Cook County has the second-most rare species of any county in Illinois
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 With 113 total endangered or threatened species, Cook County ranks just below our northern neighbor, Lake County (at 138), as protecting the largest number of rare plant and animal species in Illinois. The number drops off dramatically in other counties-72 of Illinois' 102 counties tally fewer than 30 threatened or endangered species (both state and federal). It may seem counterintuitive that the most urbanized corner of our state also harbors the largest number of rare species. Read the full article to find out why! |
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Cottonwood in more than 100 feet tall, with a trunk 18 feet around
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Robbi Shew with champion cottonwood (note friends in background)
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The Forest Preserves of Cook County have their first official "champion tree"! Robbi Shew of North Riverside nominated this giant from her walks through National Grove along the Des Plaines River. The tree measures 218 inches (18 feet, 2 inches) around at breast height. It is more than 100 feet tall (subject to official verification), and the crown spread is some 60 feet.
You could nominate the next champion! Learn what it takes.
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