Summer Take It Outside Challenge winners announced in Forest Preserve competition

Six people will share in top honors now that the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Summer Soiree edition of the Take It Outside Challenge has concluded.

They completed all 206 missions to earn 4,135 points for first place. Two other participants also completed all missions, but one was ineligible for the prize because he won in a previous seasonal challenge, and one was ineligible because she is a Forest Preserve volunteer.

The challenge began June 30 and ended Sept. 21. Participants were given nature-themed missions to complete to earn points.

The six winners were: Marisa Dion of Crest Hill, Kelly Kastner of Woodridge, Randy Markz of Frankfort, Rita Mueller of Naperville, Aisha Ray of Romeoville, Lynn Rowley of Bolingbrook.

Ray said the best part about the challenge was that it was a family-friendly activity.

“The children, who were reluctant initially, found themselves actually enjoying some of the missions,” she said. “That was the greatest reward for me. I joined the challenge on a whim for the exercise and finished with so much more.”

Dion said she loved spending time out in nature with family and friends.

“My friends and I even created a group so that we could meet up and explore the preserves together while working on the missions,” she said. “I appreciated the missions that encouraged me to try new things, like attending a Fun & Food Trucks event or going kayaking.”

The first-place winners will each receive a $150 share of the $900 prize pool in the form of Amazon gift cards. Other winners were chosen at random. Overall, there were more than 30 prize winners. Some of the prizes were provided by Wild Birds Unlimited in Joliet, Crumble Cookies in Mokena and The Nature Foundation of Will County.

The final seasonal Take It Outside challenge for the year, Fall Frolic, begins Sunday, Oct. 6, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 14. To participate, download the free Goosechase app to your smartphone and search for the challenge or use join code ED7MGP.

The Take It Outside Challenge is sponsored by The Nature Foundation of Will County. For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.