Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation

10/12/2026

Coming in the midst of the fall harvest, today is also National Farmers Day. JDCF wishes to recognize and thank our local farmers for the hard work work they do every day on our behalf. From feeding our families to stewarding our land, farmers make all our lives better.

10/12/2026

Today marks Indigenous People’s Day - a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of the original inhabitants of the Americas, including the territories that eventually became the United States.

At JDCF, we take great pride in the fact our collaborations with Tribal Nations are woven into the fabric of our work throughout the entire year. One outstanding result awaits visitors to the Dubuque Museum of Art . For the first time, a traveling exhibit curated solely by artists from the Sauk and Fox Nation of Oklahoma is being displayed. JDCF volunteer Maureen Bardusk and staff member Hillary Holt are thrilled to have played supporting roles to curators Tony A. Tiger and Janae Grass during the years-long planning process.

The exhibition presents work that embodies the history and stories of past, present, and prospective generations of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, including traditional and contemporary textiles, painting, beadwork, printmaking, sculpture, and installation. It will run from now until February 7, 2027 with a celebration honoring the exhibit and its artists being planned for Saturday, October 24.

10/07/2026

10/05/2026

Horseshoe Mound will be closed on the following dates in October. All other JDCF preserves will be open daily dawn to dusk unless otherwise posted. We apologize for any inconvenience.

10/05/2026

September 30th marked the closing of the equestrian trails at our Big Sky Nature Reserve in Stockton. It was a very successful two-month season and we thank everyone who came out for respecting the rules of the reserve. We look forward to seeing you in 2027!

09/28/2026

JDCF is all abuzz to welcome as a 2026 Business Partner! Located in Elizabeth, IL, this charming, family-run agritourism business offers beekeeping tours, educational experiences, honey tastings, and honey sales. They even provide pollination services and mentorship for aspiring beekeepers! Join the hive at https://www.drycreekbeekeeping.com/ to find your perfect bee experience!

09/23/2026

"Reduce, reuse, recycle: a formula for a greener, cleaner future."

JDCF thanks the Galena High School for its donation of used picnic tables for reuse on the grounds of the historic Hess House that sits within our Mąą Pįį Preserve on Ferry Landing Road in Galena. The tables have already been put to good use by River Ridge 3rd graders who are participating in our Mighty Acorns outdoor education program.

Mighty Acorns is designed to connect kids with nature and foster the next generation of stewards of the land, water, and sky. The program begins in 3rd grade with students taking three field trips per year to explore one of JDCF’s seven public nature preserves. Each field trip has a learning game, a stewardship activity, and time for exploration. By the time students reach 5th grade, they have learned how to better care for the natural world over the course of nine field trips to a JDCF property. It is our hope to expand Mighty Acorns into other Jo Daviess County school districts as funding allows.

09/22/2026

Due to downed trees from the recent storms, the North Ridge Trail to the Spiroff Overlook at Horseshoe Mound is closed until further notice. Our stewardship team is working hard to clear storm damage across all seven of our public nature preserves. At over 1,500 acres, there is a lot of ground to cover! We appreciate your patience.

09/15/2026

We thank everyone who joined us for Miraculous Monarch Migration last Saturday. The event was part of the Monarch Watch Tagging Program, a large-scale community science project that began 1992. It helps scientists understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through tagging and recapture.

Every fall, Monarch Watch distributes more than a quarter of a million tags to thousands of volunteers across North America who tag monarchs as they migrate through their area. These "community scientists" capture monarchs, record the tag code, tag date, s*x of the butterfly, and geographic location. Each butterfly is then tagged and released.

JDCF submits the data we collect each year to Monarch Watch for inclusion in their research database. Our staff will check back with them to see if any of the monarchs tagged in Jo Daviess County are recovered after they reach their overwintering grounds in central Mexico.

JDCF thanks the Apple River State Bank/First Community Bank of Galena for sponsoring this event.

09/01/2026

Our friends at the Northwest Illinois Forestry Association are offering certified chainsaw safety training, or SAWW, at our Big Sky Stewardship Shop later this month.

New this year is Level 101, which is geared toward participants with little or no experience running a chainsaw, covering Level 1 material at a more deliberate pace over two full training days, in a supportive and dynamic setting.

Classes will be conducted by Luke Saunders, owner of Blue Heron Stewardship, LLC, Viroqua, WI. Mr. Saunders has been a SAWW certified chainsaw safety instructor for 12 years.

Registration is through NIFA at www.nifa.org. Level 101 has two sessions, September 18 and 19 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Cost is $320/person.