Catching Nature

Johnny Jannotti grew up with DuPage forest preserves as his playground. His childhood home was along the Illinois Prairie Path, giving him plenty of opportunities to connect to nature.

Janet Lawrence Nature explorer, volunteer  I live in Naperville with my husband and have three young adult kids. My youngest just started his freshman year at college, so we are new empty nesters! I spent the last 25 or so years volunteering as much as I could with Naperville Community School District 203 and other spots around town. This past spring I began a regular shift as a volunteer animal keeper at the District’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.

Since childhood, Kevin Keller has always been drawn to the outdoors, through photography, fishing, plants and gardening and weather watching. 

  Katherine Howard Nature Whisperer I grew up in Idaho and Alaska, so nature has always been up close and personal for me. My favorite childhood memories are entwined with experiences with wildlife, such as the many orphaned and injured animals that my stepfather would rehabilitate and release.

Julie Nelson Naperville Mom and nature lover My daughters — Olivia, 16 and Hannah, 14 — were about halfway through summer, and I felt we were in a rut. It seemed like each day they fell into the same routine of summer school, swimming, shopping, going to a movie or falling back to tech time and social media on their phones if we didn’t have other plans. I was looking for ways to find a bit of balance, unplug, practice mindfulness and make some memories without spending too much money. 

Vanessa Gallt always wanted to work with animals, and she found the perfect outlet as an animal care volunteer at the District’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn. She prepares diets for the numerous native wildlife Willowbrook cares for, cleans animal enclosures and monitors the well-being of animals.

Kathy Isoda was drawn to St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville because it was an opportunity to be part of a new forest preserve, and she loved its equestrian roots.

Bob Young has found the perfect outlet for his two passions: being outdoors and on the water. He serves as a volunteer zebra mussel monitor and volunteer ranger for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Helen Metanchuk rummages through the trunk of her car as she dons her vest, binoculars, tools and notebook and pen and sets out to check the 12 bluebird nest boxes on her route at Blackwell Forest Preserve’s McKee Marsh in West Chicago.