BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG AND BOOK
Nearly two weeks ago, I decided to take a break from my professional writing, editing, and project management duties to wander McHenry County, Illinois. I saw farms . . . and more farms. And more farms. Big skies. Horses, sheep, and cows. Lots of American flags. And multiple amazing nature destinations, where I barely saw a soul.
The Land Conservancy of McHenry County manages eight preserves that are open to the public, and it recently promoted a driving tour of these properties. (Information on the tour, a printable map, and descriptions of the sites are available here.)
Given my busy schedule and my desire to see the preserves at their summer peak, I decided to try to visit all eight properties in one day. This is not as challenging as you might think because seven of its properties are less than 84 acres in size. So, I left my Chicago North Side home early one morning and traveled 48 miles to Hennen Conservation Area—my first stop on the tour.
Hennen Conservation Area was once farmland until Tony and Phyllis Hennen acquired the property in the early 1970s. They planted thousands of native hardwood seedlings and otherwise tried to restore the land. In 2008, they placed a conservation easement on the 25-acre property to protect it from development and then donated the site to the city of Woodstock in 2009. The property is owned by Woodstock and managed by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, which has its offices on site.
Hennen Conservation Area offers two miles of hiking trails that traverse wetlands, prairies, and forests that contain pine trees, many large oak trees, and other species that are native to the Midwest. It also has a large pond, which is great for birdwatching (more on that later). When I first reached the pond, dragonflies came out to investigate me (“boring human with a camera,” they said), and they were soon on their way. I spotted several turtles, frogs, and green herons as I circled the pond. The preserve’s wide grassy trails were easy to navigate, and the woods, wetlands, and prairies were awash with late-summer color—especially sweet black-eyed Susans and swamp milkweed. I liked the fact that the trails had good signage to denote each specific trail (e.g., Sky Dance Trail, Turkey Run Trail, Soggy Bottom Trail). You won’t get lost in this preserve, but it’s still nice to know where you are as you hike.
Hennen Conservation Area is an excellent spot for birdwatching. Birders have recorded 130 species in this small space, according to eBird. Species include brown thrashers, red-breasted nuthatches, Cooper’s hawks, eastern bluebirds, common yellowthroats, ruby-throated hummingbirds, sandhill cranes, green herons, great blue herons, downy woodpeckers, eastern wood-pewees, wood ducks, and black-capped chickadees.
Did I complete the Land Conservancy of McHenry County’s driving tour in one day?
No, but I had a great time roaming McHenry County, listening to 80s and 90s hits on First Wave on Sirius (they certainly love playing the Smiths, New Order, and Depeche Mode), having a picnic lunch at one of the preserves, and seeing a way of life that was a refreshing change from my Chicago neighborhood. I loved the peace and tranquility that the trails brought, and I saw no one on the trails until my last stop.
I made it to five of eight conservancy spots (Hennen Conservation Area, Yonder Prairie, Gateway Park, Irish Oaks Nature Preserve, and Wolf Oak Woods) and two McHenry County Conservation District spots (Kishwaukee Headwaters Natural Area and Boone Creek Conservation Area). I’ll be back to see the last three spots and revisit some of the others. I encourage you to play hooky from work one day and try the conservancy’s driving tour. My tour was much more fun than conjuring and wrestling words and sentences, interacting with freelancers, and dealing with other publishing rigamarole. I’m sure you’ll have the same reaaction regardless of your vocation.
Before You Go
Hennen Conservation Area is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Dogs are allowed, but they must be on leashes.
Here’s an interesting video about restoration efforts at the site and its biodiversity.
Consider volunteering at one of the conservancy’s properties. Opportunities are available in areas such as seed collecting, community event, community food forest, restoration, and wildlife monitoring. An internship program, as well as conservancy membership, are also available. Finally, check out the conservancy’s blog, YouTube channel, and Field Notes for more information about its activities.
Copyright (text): © Andrew Morkes
Copyright (photos): © Andrew Morkes, except the following bird photos:
Black-Capped Chickadee, Courtney Celley, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS); Brown Thrasher, B. Raeburn, National Park Service (NPS); Common Yellowthroat, Jeremy Smith, USFW; Cooper’s Hawk, Jim Hudgins, USFWS; Cooper’s Hawk, Lane Wintermute, USFWS; Eastern Bluebird, Bill Thompson, USFWS; Eastern Wood Pewee, Grayson Smith, USFWS; Great Blue Heron, Lee Karney, USFWS; Great Blue Heron, Randy Streufert, USFWS; Great Blue Heron, George Gentry, USFWS; Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Dave Menke, USFWS; Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Alan Schmierer, USFWS; Sandhill Crane, Courtney Celley, USFWS; Wood Duck, Clayton Ferrell, USFWS; Wood Duck, Lee Karney, USFWS
Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.
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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I’ve been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 80 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, College Readiness: The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, the Vault Career Guide to Consulting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series), Lerner Publishing, and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades, Hands-On Careers, Social Media Today, Woman in STEM Careers, Getting Started, and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental- and clean energy-focused titles that I’ve written or co-written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)
- Women in Environmental Sciences (Women in STEM Careers)
Articles about my work have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Practical Homeschooling, and other publications. My photographs of musicians, artists, and the natural world have been published in several books. My poetry has been published in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review. As an amateur artist, I’m pleased to say that four of my paintings were included in the 2025 Beverly Art Walk.