Forest Preserve District of Will County news briefs
Preserve the Moment Photo Contest Begins May 1
The Forest Preserve District’s sixth annual Preserve the Moment photo contest begins Saturday, May 1 and runs through Dec. 31. Winners will be chosen monthly and eight finalists’ photos will vie for top honors in January via public voting on the District’s Facebook page. The contest showcases the beauty of Will County preserves and the flora and fauna they protect.
Every entrant will receive a participation gift, monthly winners will each receive a $75 Visa gift card, and overall contest winners will receive Visa gift cards in these amounts: first place, $500; second place, $250; and third place, $150. Photo contest prizes are funded by The Nature Foundation of Will County.
Photos must be taken by amateur photographers age 18 or older, and they must be snapped in a Will County forest preserve on or after the May 1 contest start date. Please read all contest rules and photo upload instructions before entering the contest. Contest rules and a photo submission link will be posted on the Forest Preserve District’s website, ReconnectWithNature.org, starting May 1.
‘Migration Celebration’ takes flight May 8 at Four Rivers in Channahon
May is the perfect month for a “Migration Celebration” event that highlights the birds that rest and refuel in the preserves each spring as they head from their warm winter homes in the south to breeding grounds in the north.
This new Forest Preserve District of Will County event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, Channahon. The celebration will feature guided hikes and birding activities and presentations. A Bird Bio-Blitz and a Big Day Competition will both be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Guided hikes will begin at 10 a.m., 11.a.m, noon and 1 p.m.
Registration is required by Friday, May 7, to participate in the Bio-Blitz, the Big Day Competition and the hourly hikes. Program registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.
Participants registered for the guided hikes will also be able to see some of the resident birds from Hoo’s Woods Raptor Center, including a saw-whet owl and a bald eagle. The top birder from the Big Day Competition will win a Smithsonian field scope and tripod. Lil Deb’s Mobile Eats will be serving food from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
‘Pollinators: Little Helpers, Big Results’ runs through June 13 at Isle a la Cache in Romeoville
The “Pollinators: Little Helpers, Big Results” exhibit now open at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville focuses on pollinators and what we can do to save and sustain them and the important role they play in our ecosystem. The exhibit runs through Sunday, June 13, and it complements the museum’s “Plant by Numbers” program, the preserve’s pollinator garden and information on building bee hotels.
The museum is located at 501 E. Romeo Road/135th St. and hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays.
“This is the perfect time of year to be talking about pollinators because it is when we can be planting the flowering plants, trees, and shrubs that are so important to the health of pollinators and of the planet,” said Tina Riley, the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s facility supervisor at Isle a la Cache.
The museum will be adorned with photos of pollinators as well as panels filled with amazing pollinator facts. Visitors also can take part in fun activities designed to change the way people see the world around them, whether it be going for a walk outside or taking a bite of food made possible by pollinators.
This exhibit is made possible by The Paly Foundation, which focuses on efforts that highlight the importance of conserving and protecting natural habitats and wildlife populations. And it is partly funded by The Nature Foundation of Will County.
