Explore

In order to become familiar with local environment, it's going to require a fair about of study. There is, after all, an awful lot to learn and discover. But there is more to becoming a naturalist than just memorizing names, and being able to tell this and that apart. It is about understanding the local ecology - the history of the land, the geology, the climate, how species interact with each other, the role "natural disasters" such as fires and floods play, and so on. Indeed, the more you learn, the more fascinating everything becomes.  Trust me.

Yet all of this study amounts to nothing if at the end of the day, you don't set foot outside of the classroom and take a stroll down prairie paths and woodland trails. While it is true that the vast majority of Illinois has been swallowed up by agriculture and urban sprawl, there still remains hundreds of small forests and nature preserves scattered throughout the state. As part of my education, my goal is to explore as many of these areas as possible, starting with the local forest preserves and State Parks.

Those areas that I have designated as key destinations for this year are as follows: 

Illinois State Parks: 

• Silver Springs, Plano (16 miles)
• Starved Rock, Utica (52 miles)
• Buffalo Rock, Ottawa (45 miles)
• Apple River Canyon, Apple River (133 miles)
• Mississippi Palisades, Savannah (124 miles)
• Castle Rock, Oregon (73 miles)
• Chain O'Lakes, Spring Grove  (73 miles)

Kane Country Forest Preserves

• Oakhurst
• Barnes
• Big Rock
• Aurora West
• Bliss Woods
• Elburn
• Dick Young

Du Page Country Forest Preserves

• Springbock Prairie
• Blackwell, Warrenville
• West Chicago Prairie, West Chicago
• Waterfall Gen, Darien

Will Country Forest Preserves

• Isle a la Cache

USDA

• Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie