Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.
October 22, 2021
Teen Transforms Container into Scenic Landscape
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Emelia Buckley likes painting the natural world because “it’s the most complex and simple concept on earth.” So she jumped at the chance to paint a nature scene on the biggest...
October 13, 2021
Carrying on the Legacy of the Heritage Shorthorn
Since acquiring its first Heritage Milking Shorthorn cow, Liberty, in 2018, Kline Creek Farm’s herd of Heritage Milking Shorthorn cattle has been growing. The farm now has four...
October 12, 2021
Nature's Tricks Are a Nature Lover's Treat
Wildlife have long embodied the spirit of Halloween using tricks, treats, and costumes. These strategies are essential for wild animals to survive, find food, and attract mates.
October 6, 2021
Hidden History of the Steeplechase
What happens when you combine a love of horses with a passion for philanthropy? At St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville in the 1980s and 1990s, it resulted in an annual...
October 5, 2021
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Looking for some “spooktacular” fun in October? Look no further than DuPage forest preserves!
From haunted hikes and wagon rides to pumpkin stories and rhymes for little ones, w...
October 1, 2021
Bosnian Students Visit Urban Stream Research Center
A group of 17 Bosnian high school students recently took part in an aquatic ecology program at the Forest Preserve District’s Urban Stream Research Center at Blackwell Forest...
September 27, 2021
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
OAKtober is Illinois’ monthlong celebration of oak trees and the things that make them great. We love oaks here at the DuPage Forest Preserve District, so we’re thrilled to be a...
September 21, 2021
DuPage Through the Lens of My Nikon
The pandemic has affected us in varying ways. Early on, many believed it would be over quickly and be nothing more than a minor historical footnote.
August 30, 2021
Why Art Matters to Saving Monarch Butterflies
DuPage Monarch Project is a collaboration of four local environmental organizations, each contributing essential resources of science, education, community organizing and public...
August 23, 2021
A Gateway to History, Golf and a Healthy Environment
When an 11-year-old Randy Cochran snuck into Salt Creek at night to pilfer lost golf balls at the private Elmhurst Country Club in Addison more than 50 years ago, he never...
July 21, 2021
Hidden History of the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad
Wayne Zaininger and Jordan Countryman
Imagine commuting to Chicago by train in the morning only to discover without warning that same afternoon that your Metra line had closed and would never operate again.
July 7, 2021
Moths sometimes seem like the forgotten cousins of butterflies. While butterflies may be some of the most well-known insects in the world, there are many more species of moths.
July 1, 2021
Donor's Matching Gift Supports the Blanding's Turtle
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Corporate-matching programs are attractive to many Friends of the Forest Preserve District donors and others who contribute to nonprofit foundations. T
June 14, 2021
Hidden History of Hidden Lake Bridge
On a breezy May afternoon, I stood on an old bridge that spans the East Branch DuPage River at Hidden Lake Forest Preserve in Downers Grove, talking to people as they crossed the...
June 2, 2021
Hidden History of Glacial Ridge
Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn is one of the DuPage Forest Preserve District’s most popular forest preserves.
May 20, 2021
Harmful blue-green algae blooms have become an all-too-common occurrence on some forest preserve lakes lately.
May 10, 2021
More Love for Monarch Butterflies
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
The DuPage Forest Preserve District board of commissioners is pledging to support the Illinois Monarch Project, a public and private sector partnership whose goal is to add 150...
April 23, 2021
Setting the Stage for Restoration
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
This winter, the Forest Preserve District began restoration of Belleau Woods Forest Preserve in Wheaton with donor funds dedicated by the Friends of the Forest Preserve District.
April 20, 2021
The Hidden History of Fullersburg Woods
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
When you visit a DuPage forest preserve to connect with nature, you don’t often consider its history and how it came to be developed as a preserve.
April 16, 2021
Reminder Not to Harvest Plants in the Preserves
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
As more plants and mushrooms emerge in the spring, it’s a good time to remind visitors not to harvest things — especially wild leeks and mushrooms — from DuPage forest preserves.
