Category: Illinois Department of Natural resources

Goodbye 2023…Hello 2024!

by anders458, posted in @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, bouldering, camping, canoeing, canyons, Chicago, Chicago Parks, climbing, conservation, cross-country skiing, Des Plaines River, fall colors, farms, fens, fishing, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF DUPAGE COUNTY, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF KANE COUNTY, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve of Cook County, glacial kames, hiking, horseback riding, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, kayaking, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, local history, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, nature centers, prairies, sledding, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF "NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND" I want to thank my "Nature in Chicagoland" readers for visiting my blog in 2023. Last year, my blog received the most reader views and visits in its nearly seven-year history, and I'm grateful to those who take the time to read my stories and … Continue reading Goodbye 2023…Hello 2024!

More Than 25 Illinois Nature Preserves to Visit to Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Creation of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

by anders458, posted in @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, canoeing, canyons, conservation, cross-country skiing, Des Plaines River, eskers, fall colors, fens, fishing, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF DUPAGE COUNTY, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF KANE COUNTY, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve of Cook County, glacial kames, hiking, horseback riding, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, kayaking, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake County Illinois attractions, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, nature centers, prairies, sledding, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized, volunteering, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND In 1963, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act, which created the means of protecting the state’s rarest and most endangered landscapes. The act established the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC) to “preserve, protect, and defend natural areas and endangered species … Continue reading More Than 25 Illinois Nature Preserves to Visit to Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Creation of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve: Enjoy a Challenging Hike on a Glacial Kame, Go Sledding, and Search for the Mysterious Face on a Tree

by anders458, posted in biking, birdwatching, fall colors, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF KANE COUNTY, glacial kames, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, kids activities, sledding, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND The forested hills of Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve (41W600 Hughes Road, Elburn, IL 60119) reminded me of some sort of nature castle above the mostly flat farm fields that surrounded it. As I drove toward the preserve on a late-April day, farmers were at work … Continue reading Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve: Enjoy a Challenging Hike on a Glacial Kame, Go Sledding, and Search for the Mysterious Face on a Tree

10 Thoughts About Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve and Fall in Chicagoland’s Forest Preserves

by anders458, posted in @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, eskers, fall colors, Forest Preserve of Cook County, hiking, horseback riding, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, prairies, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I spent more than three blissful hours at Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve last Tuesday. I hiked more than 6 miles and, if you can believe the 1s and 0s, my phone told me that I’d walked up the equivalent of 32 floors during my … Continue reading 10 Thoughts About Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve and Fall in Chicagoland’s Forest Preserves

Art Exhibition Celebrates the Stunning Prairies of Illinois

by anders458, posted in books, fall colors, holiday gifts, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, museums, nature art, prairies, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Prairies are a special part of our natural world, and they’re sometimes overlooked amidst the forests and Great Lakes of the Midwest. But a walk in a prairie is a wonderful thing in any season. The wildflowers, grasses, and wild creatures of our Illinois prairies, … Continue reading Art Exhibition Celebrates the Stunning Prairies of Illinois

17 Things to Do Outdoors in Chicagoland This Summer 

by anders458, posted in @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, botanical gardens and arboretums, camping, canoeing, Chicago, Chicago Parks, Chicago River, conservation, Driftless Region, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF DUPAGE COUNTY, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF KANE COUNTY, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve of Cook County, Galena Illinois, gardening, hiking, horseback riding, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, Indiana, Iowa, kayaking, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake Michigan, local history, museums, National Park Service, nature art, nature centers, prairies, Uncategorized

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Summer officially began at 9:58 A.M. this morning, although I'm sure you've been enjoying our beautiful weather for awhile. But, despite global climate change, summer remains short in Chicagoland. In just a few months, our kids will be back in school, and a month or … Continue reading 17 Things to Do Outdoors in Chicagoland This Summer 

Buffalo Rock State Park: Awesome Views of the Illinois River, Earth Art, and Tranquility

by anders458, posted in biking, birdwatching, camping, fall colors, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, nature art, prairies, settlers and Indians, snowshoeing, Uncategorized

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I was looking for the 650-foot-long turtle, but what I was really seeking was state park solitude.   I'd visited two other Illinois state parks in LaSalle County earlier in the day. The first two were jammed with people enjoying the trails, deep sandstone canyons, … Continue reading Buffalo Rock State Park: Awesome Views of the Illinois River, Earth Art, and Tranquility

Bell Bowl Prairie Was Destroyed Yesterday—But the Fight Continues to Protect Wildlands in Illinois and Beyond

by anders458, posted in birdwatching, conservation, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, prairies, Uncategorized

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND In the darkness yesterday morning at 6:00 a.m., a single bulldozer began tearing into and destroying an ecosystem that had existed for tens of thousands of years. Bell Bowl Prairie was bulldozed as part of a runway expansion for Chicago Rockford International Airport and the … Continue reading Bell Bowl Prairie Was Destroyed Yesterday—But the Fight Continues to Protect Wildlands in Illinois and Beyond

Celebrating the Six-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland

by anders458, posted in @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, camping, canoeing, Chicago, Chicago Parks, Chicago River, Chicago stories, fall colors, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF DUPAGE COUNTY, FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF KANE COUNTY, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve of Cook County, Galena Illinois, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, kayaking, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake Michigan, MCHENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT, National Park Service, nature centers, prairies, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized, winter activities, Wisconsin

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Today is the six-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland, and I'm so happy to have written more than 225 articles about the woods, wetlands, prairies, lakes, and other natural areas that make up Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. I'm pleased that Nature in Chicagoland has … Continue reading Celebrating the Six-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland

Goodbye 2022…Hello 2023!

by anders458, posted in @FPDCC, biking, birdwatching, books, camping, canoeing, Chicago, Chicago Parks, conservation, conservatories, fall colors, fens, fishing, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Forest Preserve of Cook County, hiking, holiday gifts, Illinois, Illinois Department of Natural resources, Illinois Nature preserves, Indiana, kids activities, Lake County Forest Preserves, Lake County Illinois attractions, Lake Michigan, National Park Service, nature art, prairies, snowshoeing, spring wildflowers, Uncategorized, winter activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I want to thank my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2022. I continue to love writing this blog, and wish I had more time in my daily life to do so. I visited many nature destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West … Continue reading Goodbye 2022…Hello 2023!