Forest Preserve District of Will County

06/19/2026

Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Do you love fishing or want to give it a try? Then head out to Monee Reservoir or Hidden Lakes Trout Farm in Bolingbrook because:
1) It's Free Fishing Days at both sites through Sunday, where you don't need a fishing license to cast a line. Plus there are freebies for dads at both sites.
2) We're hosting Fishing Under the Stars at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm on Saturday, which means the gates are open until 10 p.m.
3) Hidden Lakes Trout Farm is hosting a Father's Day Appreciation event on Sunday.

If you don't have a pole, you can check one out at both sites for free. Get all the details on all of these weekend events here: https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/event-calendar?startDate=2026-06-19&endDate=2026-06-21&activity=9c3af2b7-8353-40b4-9d55-b1d8dfb40fbe

06/18/2026

From March 1 to Aug. 15, the rookery access at Lake Renwick Preserve is closed to protect the nesting activity of migratory birds in the preserve. During this period, the only time to visit is when the Migratory Bird Viewings are held from 8 a.m. to noon each Saturday. As part of her Wander at Will series, Meghan McMahon headed out there for one of these programs and got to see a unique bird out on the islands.

With a goal of becoming a better birder, Meghan headed to a Lake Renwick Migratory Bird Viewing on a Saturday morning in June to learn more about some of our feathered friends.

06/18/2026

The Messenger Woods Nature Preserve roadway improvement project is now complete and the preserve is open again. That entrance road is now smooth as butter.

06/17/2026

After this state-endangered butternut tree fell, District staff stepped in to try to ensure it lives on. It's the only known butternut tree in Will County preserves.

06/17/2026

Move over, cardinals. Our Illinois state bird isn't the only red bird in town.

Learn about scarlet tanagers, bright red birds that live high in forest trees. Discover where they live, what they eat and why they are hard to spot.

06/17/2026

Improperly disposed of fishing line is a major problem in nature, often injuring or killing wildlife that gets entangled in it. Amy Tavolino and her husband, Jerry, are on the front lines fighting the problem as volunteers with the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.

A gosling tangled in fishing line got a second chance thanks to wildlife rescue volunteers.

06/16/2026

Can you name this flower?

06/15/2026

Meet today’s feathered friend, the pileated woodpecker. The loud drumming of these woodpeckers reverberates through the forests where they live, so they are heard much more often than they are seen. These boldly colored black-and-white birds are topped with a bright red crest, and they have long, sharp bills that are about the length of their heads. They excavate their nests in dead trees, and the holes they make are typically more rectangular than rounded. Their nesting locations can be sought after by other birds, including bluebirds, starlings, wood ducks and other woodpecker species. Pileated woodpeckers mainly eat insects, and their favorite food is carpenter ants. They aren’t a common backyard visitor, but you may be able to attract them with a suet feeder.

(Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock)

06/15/2026

What did you see over the weekend while out and about? We had a number of good sightings, such as a Blanding's turtle, green herons and their offspring, and many turtles on a log.

What's your go-to spot for wildlife spotting?

06/14/2026

We just love photos of the bison at U.S. Forest Service - Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and we really love photos of bison calves! If you zoom in on the wider shot here, you can see there are quite a few calves out in the pasture.

Did you know that westward expansion of the United States by European settlers nearly drove bison to extinction? Early in the 19th century, between 30 million and 60 million bison were thought to live in North America, but that number fell to fewer than 1,000 by the 1890s. The shockingly drastic decline was the result of a "Great Slaughter" caused by demand for the animals in international markets, the introduction of disease from livestock like cattle and sheep and a concerted effort by the U.S. government to kill buffalo as a means of controlling Native peoples and destroying their livelihood.

The bison population recovered from its low point at the end of the 19th century, but it's still nowhere near the level before the Great Slaughter. Today, bison occupy only about 1% of what their range once was, with the total bison population in the United States estimated between 400,000 and 500,000, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Read more about bison here: https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/headlines/news/celebrate-america-s-national-mammal.

(Photos courtesy of Mike Lorenz)