In This Issue


Events
Camping 101 is a free, hands-on workshop series designed to teach basic camping skills to families and novice campers. Learn tent set-up, campfire building, dressing for camping, camping etiquette and more. No registration is required.


Paint & Paddle

Thurs., Oct 6 * 10 am - 12:30 pm
Busse Lake Boating Center, E Higgins Rd & E Frontage Rd, Schaumburg

Get inspired by the fall colors and create a piece of art to take home. We will spend some time canoeing on Busse Lake followed by an art instructor-led palette knife class to create a painting. Supplies and equipment are provided. Call 312-533-5751 for more information or to reserve a spot. Space is limited.
 
An Evening at Trailside

Friday, Oct 7 * 5 - 8 pm
Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave, River Forest
Get up close and personal with your neighborhood Nature Center. Enjoy children's crafts, mini-nature programs, storytelling and snacks around a campfire, and much more.



Horsetail Lake, 123rd and 104th Avenue, Palos Park 

Bring your fishing rod or we will have ones to borrow for a fun day of fishing. Prizes awarded in different age groups for the largest fish caught. Fishing license exempt for this date and location. Call 708-671-3760 for more information. In cooperation with the Village of Palos Park and sponsored by BassPro Shop Bolingbrook.


GITy UP!: A Trails for Illinois Event

Saturday, Oct 8 - Sunday, Oct 9
Camp Bullfrog Lake, 9600 Wolf Rd, Willow Springs

GITy Up! is a bite-sized, overnight bike camping and trail running adventure along the Forest Preserves' Palos trail system, which was described as "one of the finest trail systems in the country" by Runners World in 2011. Click here for more information and to register.


 
Hiking 101 is a free workshop series designed to teach basic day-hiking skills. Learn the 10 essential items to bring on a hike, proper hike planning techniques, hiking etiquette and Leave No Trace, map reading and how to use a compass. No registration is required. Not suitable for ages 9 yrs. and younger. Participants 10-14 yrs. old must be accompanied by an adult.


Fall Paddle Festival

Saturday, Oct 15 * 1 - 4 pm
Skokie Lagoons Tower Road Boat Launch, Tower Rd east of I-94, Northfield

Enjoy the fall season with activities on and off the water. We will have canoe trips, guided hikes, archery, pumpkin painting and more.



Fall Festival

Sunday, Oct 16 * 10 am - 4 pm
River Trail Nature Center, 3120 Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook
Join us as we celebrate the season with a special day of autumn fun. Storytelling, beekeeping demonstrations, pumpkin painting, honey, hay rides and more! Admission is free; there are small fees for some activities or bring non-perishable food items to donate to The Greater Chicago Food Depository in exchange for activity tickets. 1 item=1 ticket.



Bring your family and friends for an opportunity to enjoy an evening in the Forest Preserves. Come join us for a cozy fire, s'mores, storytelling, astronomy, night hikes, natural material building and other nature-based activities. For more information, call 312-415-2970 or click here to inquire via email.


Canoe & Archery Skills Class

Wednesday, Oct 19 * 4:30 - 7 pm
Powderhorn Lake, 13843-14387 S Brainard, Burnham

We will be showcasing two of our most popular outdoor activities in the same night. First, Forest Preserves instructors will lead a paddling class-teaching proper paddling strokes and parts of a canoe. We will end the evening with an archery workshop where participants will get the opportunity to learn first-hand how to correctly shoot a bow and arrow. Ages 10 & up.



Leave No Child Inside: Family Fun Day!

Saturday, Oct 22 * 11 am - 2 pm
Sand Ridge Nature Center, 15891 S Paxton Ave, South Holland
Bring the kids to spend some time outside and have fun with our naturalist staff. We will have games, a nature scavenger hunt and more.



Archery 101
Tuesday, Oct 25 * 4 - 6 pm
Dan Ryan Woods, Grove 5, 8395 S Western Ave, Chicago
Never tried archery before? Attend one of these sessions to learn all things archery: history, bow parts and proper technique.



Bird the Preserves: Bird of the Month Event


Sunday, October 9 * 1 pm
Crabtree Nature Center, 3 Stover Road, Barrington Hills
 
Monday, October 10 * 1:30 pm
Sand Ridge Nature Center, 15891 S Paxton Ave, South Holland
 
Saturday, October 15 * 1 pm
Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave, River Forest


For information on bird walks, events and programs, visit our Bird the Preserves page.

 


For details and a full event listing including all regular events at our six Nature Centers, visit our Events page.


Bird Conservation Success Story: LaBagh Woods
This year and next, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bird Conservation Network are teaming up to highlight some of the bird conservation success stories in the Forest Preserves. 


Creative collaborations between government and nonprofit agencies, and volunteer monitors and stewards are improving habitat and increasing bird populations in grasslands, wetlands, woodlands and shrublands. We'll visit some of the best. Please join us to experience some great birding, great local conservationists and great success stories. 




The Cultural History of the Forest Preserves: Prehistoric Villages to Contemporary Communities
Attend this free forum from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, November 5, at The Field Museum to hear local archaeologists and historians discuss Chicago's prehistory, early history, contemporary Native American communities and the cultural significance of the bison in Cook County, now our national mammal. Artifacts recovered from the Forest Preserves will be on display and President Toni Preckwinkle will deliver welcoming remarks. Click here to learn more or to register. 
Optional Link


CELEBRATE FALL IN THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY




 
 
by Forest Preserves President Toni Preckwinkle


Fall is officially upon us, and what an excellent time to get outdoors and visit the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Throughout the Forest Preserves, visitors can enjoy the beautiful array of warm colors that will decorate the trees; celebrate the season with fall-themed festivals, events and programs; and enjoy a variety of fun activities with family and friends.
 
In this month's Forest Way, readers will learn about one of the Forest Preserves' newest locations - Oak Forest Heritage Preserve. This 176-acre site offers visitors the opportunity to traverse a nearly two-mile paved trail while learning the varied stories of how the site has been used throughout history.
 
Also in this month's newsletter is a story on the turtle habitat restoration and subsequent study being conducted by the Forest Preserves and Friends of the Chicago River. Our organizations have been working together on a multi-tiered project designed to positively impact the reproductive success of osprey, bats and turtles.
 
Finally, don't forget to vote for your favorite photos in the 5th Annual Forest Preserves Photo Contest. The winning photos will be featured in the 2017 wall calendar and on the FPCC website, used on social media accounts, and displayed in an exhibit at the Cook County Building in downtown Chicago, as well as in various courthouses. Voting begins Monday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. on the Forest Preserves' Facebook. Click here to view the photo contest gallery. 
 
I'd also like to make special note that this year marks the 20th anniversary of Chicago Wilderness, a regional alliance of 200 organizations that work together across ecological and geographic boundaries. They will be hosting their annual Chicago Wilderness Congress at the University of Illinois Chicago Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 2. For those interested in joining more than 700 of the region's top conservation and community partners for in-depth discussions on collaborative conservation, species monitoring, program evaluation and more, click here to learn more.
 
We hope to see you in the Preserves!
 
Toni Preckwinkle, President
VOTE NOW FOR 2017 FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY CALENDAR PHOTOS 


The Forest Preserves of Cook County is seeking your help in selecting 12 winning photographs to be featured in our 2017 wall calendar. Photographs were submitted during the Fifth Annual Photo Contest, and highlight some of the places, fauna and flora that visitors can see while exploring the Forest Preserves. 


The voting period begins Monday, October 3 at 10 am, and remain open until 4 pm on Tuesday, October 11. During the voting period, anyone with a Facebook account can vote for a photo by pressing the "like" button on that photo in the official photo contest gallery, found at Facebook.com/FPDCC. 


DID YOU KNOW? HONEY IS PRODUCED AT RIVER TRAIL NATURE CENTER


Among the sugar maples and resident wildlife at River Trail Nature Center, many visitors may have heard the buzz of bees while visiting over the summer. That's because volunteer beekeepers and Nature Center staff tend to bee hives on site!


River Trail Nature Center is home to eight to 10 bee hives, each with its own queen bee, 60,000-80,000 worker bees, and a few hundred drones. Each bee plays an important role in the honey production process. The queen bee can lay between 1,500 and 2,000 eggs per day, while the drone's only job is to mate with the queen. Worker bees do all the work of the hive.


Learn more about River Trail Nature Center's honey



FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY, FRIENDS OF THE CHICAGO RIVER JOIN TOGETHER TO HELP TURTLES


Through a partnership between the Forest Preserves of Cook County and Friends of the Chicago River, a multi-tiered project designed to have direct impact on Cook County's wildlife has been underway for several years, with a goal of positively benefitting the reproductive success of osprey, bats and turtles. Recently, the organizations met up to place transmitters on turtles to understand exactly how well the project is working.


Researchers knew that turtle habitat was far too limited. Without a clear and sunny location near water bodies, local female turtles have been burying their eggs along roadways and trails, making for easy discovery by predators. In order to save the turtles from predation, direct action by the agencies was coordinated and is now being tested.
BIRD OF THE MONTH: RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
Red-bellied woodpeckers can catch and cache with ease. These birds have the tools and techniques to support a varied diet year-round. Learn more about their tools and techniques and where you can go to see red-bellied woodpeckers.
 
Each month during our 2016 Bird the Preserves initiative, we're giving you the opportunity to see some of the most interesting birds in the Preserves.




LASTING LEGACY: COMMISSIONER JOAN PATRICIA MURPHY


During a special Board of Commissioners meeting, President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board of Commissioners presented Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy's family with a resolution honoring the Commissioner for her many contributions to Cook County and the Forest Preserves of Cook County. 


ENJOY FALL, HALLOWEEN EVENTS IN THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY




From pumpkin painting and fall color hikes, to costume-clad children and spooky stories around a campfire, there are numerous opportunities throughout Cook County for families and visitors of all ages to get outdoors this season and enjoy a variety of fun fall activities in the Forest Preserves of Cook County!
 
Throughout the fall, visitors can enjoy hikes through groves of golden sugar maples, relaxing paddles beneath a sky full of migratory birds, and an evening with family and friends around campfires while spending a night under the stars at the Forest Preserves' five campgrounds. The Forest Preserves' six Nature Centers are also a great place for free or low-cost educational programs along with a number of other events and activities which are planned in the Preserves throughout the season. 


OAK FOREST HERITAGE PRESERVE NOW OPEN


Steeped in history, the Forest Preserves of Cook County's recently opened Oak Forest Heritage Preserve provides residents and visitors the opportunity to learn the many distinct stories of how the site has been used throughout time while traversing nearly two miles of paved trail and immersing themselves in nature.
 
The 176.3-acre Oak Forest Heritage Preserve site, adjacent to the Oak Forest Health Center, was acquired by the Forest Preserves from Cook County in 2010 and has important ecological, cultural and historical value. Improvements to the site began in August 2014, and include a 1.7-mile loop trail and a series of interpretive signage telling the historic stories of the new forest preserve. 




Forest Preserve District of Cook County | 536 N. Harlem Avenue | River Forest | IL | 60305