Nature helps put life in perspective for Melvin Godson and provides a way to disconnect from technology and daily stresses. It also helped him get through the pandemic.
Alex DeBear is a 16-year-old birder from Naperville. He has a deep love for all things nature related, including photography, citizen science and creating art with natural elements.
Nature and the outdoors help Rick and Lisa Hootman keep mentally, physically and socially active. They like hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, reading and attending academic classes and lectures.
As a retired teacher, it only makes sense that John Cebula continues to teach. He’s active in the DuPage Birding Club and presents many bird-related program throughout the area.
When Cindy Crosby and her husband first moved to DuPage County in 1998, she was afraid there wouldn’t be much in the way of natural areas in the suburbs. To her delight, she discovered a wealth of natural resources to explore and enjoy in DuPage forest preserves and beyond.
Jim Fousek is a volunteer trades interpreter at Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago. He has been blacksmithing for a little over 20 years, first with the Lisle Heritage Society and then in the barn/blacksmith shop at Lisle Station Park Museum in Lisle. He and his wife, Donna, live in Lisle.
Rita Guill credits her mother with instilling a love of nature in her. She and her husband, John, are carrying on that tradition with their kids: Nathaniel (18), Aidan (17), Dominic (14) and Bella (13)
Ian McLeod and his wife moved to DuPage County from Chicago to start a family more than 20 years ago. Now they have two daughters, Emily and Katie, and two golden retrievers, Henry and Hanna, who keep them on their toes.