In This Issue

Events
NORTHWEST
 
Tuesday, Nov 6 * 5:30 - 7 pm
Camp Reinberg - 1801 N Quentin Rd, Palatine
Free, hands-on workshop series teaching basic camping skills. No youth groups. All ages; children 16 & under w/adult.
 
Sunday, Nov 25 * 1 pm
Crabtree Nature Center - 3 Stover Rd, Barrington Hills
Join us for an old-school nature film and popcorn.

NORTH
   
Saturday, Nov 10 * 1-2 pm
River Trail Nature Center, 3120 Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook
Learn how to support native pollinators in your garden year round. Presented by University of Illinois Extension North Cook Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.
 
Friday, Nov 16 * 5-8 pm
Caldwell Woods - 6350 W Devon Ave, Chicago
There will be a cozy fire, s'mores, storytelling, astronomy, night hikes, and natural material building.

CENTRAL
 
Sunday, Nov 11 * 1 pm
Trailside Museum of Natural History, 738 Thatcher Ave, River Forest
Make a simple musical instrument, or bring your own. Play or just listen - all are welcome!

SOUTHWEST
 
Saturday, Nov 17 * 12-2:30 pm
Swallow Cliff Woods North - 10267 Calumet Sag Rd, Palos Hills
Never tried archery before? Attend this session to learn all things archery: history, bow parts, and proper technique.
 
National Take a Hike Day
Clear your mind and get some exercise by taking a hike to enjoy the natural beauty around you. Rubio Hike: 9.5 miles, intermediate-advanced pace. Midlothian Meadows Hike: 2.75 miles, casual pace.
SOUTH

Sunday, Nov 16 * 10 am - 3 pm
Sand Ridge Nature Center - 15891 Paxton Ave, South Holland
Experience costumed living-history demonstrators, history hikes, crafts, an imaginary wagon train adventure and more. Admission is free; nonperishable food or money donations benefitting a local food depository gratefully accepted.
 
Friday, Nov 30 * 5-8 pm
Dan Ryan Woods Central - 8395 S Western Ave, Chicago
Join us for s'mores by the fire, storytelling, and astronomy.


For details and a full event listing including all regular events at our six Nature Centers, visit our Events page.
Nov. 8, 2018: Public Hearing for FPCC Budget
There is a Public Hearing for the Forest Preserves' 2019 Budget on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 at 2 pm. Interested in speaking? Speakers are allowed three minutes to address the Board of Commissioner. Sign up online, over the phone at 312-603-6127, or in person at 118 N. Clark Street - Room 567, Chicago, IL 60602.

Learn more about the Forest Preserves' 2019 budget

RESTORATION THROUGHOUT FOREST PRESERVES BENEFITS LAND, ANIMALS AND PEOPLE


 
 
by Forest Preserves President Toni Preckwinkle

Throughout the Forest Preserves of Cook County, plants, animals and insects are preparing for colder months ahead. And while winter may mean hibernation for some, the Forest Preserves remain bustling with opportunities to enjoy nature. There are numerous special events and programs during November, as well as plenty of ways to get outside, including hiking, volunteering, camping and biking.
 
In this issue readers will hear from one of the Forest Preserves' burn bosses, the leader of a crew during prescribed burn seasons. Elliot Medina, senior resource technician in the Resource Management Department, has been performing prescribed burns with the Forest Preserves for eight years. He talks about the variables that go into prescribed burning, and why this ecological management technique is so beneficial to the landscape.
 
Readers will also learn about a continued partnership between the Forest Preserves and Friends of the Chicago River, which has been restoring vital breeding habitats for turtles in the preserves. Last month representatives from Friends, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and our Resource Management Department affixed transmitters to the shells of 20 stinkpot, snapping and painted turtles before they were released back into the wild. The transmitters allow researchers to track the turtles and understand if they're using the restored lands.
 
Finally, read about the ribbon-cutting at our Deer Grove East Interpretive Trail. The trail was completed in partnership with Chicago-based Openlands and includes interpretive elements such as signage and seating at four nodes celebrating different nature themes. Be sure to plan a visit to Deer Grove to walk the trail.
 
Don't forget that the Forest Preserves' 2019 picnic and special event permits go on sale beginning November 15. The public can purchase permits online, or stop in the Forest Preserves' General Headquarters or Dan Ryan Woods Visitor Center. Learn more about permits at fpdcc.com/permits.
 
We hope to see you in the Preserves!
 
Toni Preckwinkle, President
Forest Preserves of Cook County
2019 PERMIT SALES BEGIN NOVEMBER 15

Picnic permits for the 2019 season will go on sale beginning Thursday, November 15, 2018. Learn more about purchasing a picnic or special event permit in the Forest Preserves of Cook County at fpdcc.com/permits.

BURNING QUESTIONS ANSWERED: INTERVIEW WITH A BURN BOSS

Fall is more than changing leaves and end-of-the-year holidays. At the Forest Preserves, it's time for employees, volunteers, contractors and partners to head out into woodlands, prairies and savannas for the fall 2018 prescribed burn season.
 
Elliot Medina, senior resource technician with the Resource Management Department, is a burn boss and a veteran of burns since his first job out of college. He answered some of our most burning questions about this important management technique.
 
Read on...
TENDING TO THE TURTLES: HOW RESTORATION HELPS NATIVE TURTLES SURVIVE

For several years, the Forest Preserves of Cook County and Friends of the Chicago River have worked together to restore vital nesting habitat for turtles.
Recently, the project cleared 21 acres of invasive brush at Sag Quarries in Lemont.  Now our biologists and partners are studying how well turtles respond to the newly restored landscape. By affixing transmitters on 20 turtles--including stinkpot, snapping and painted turtles--researchers can use telemetry to understand if the restored land affects reproductive success rates. 

LAND, WATER, SKY: NEW INTERPRETIVE TRAIL OPENS AT DEER GROVE EAST

Following years of restoration work, Deer Grove East visitors can now experience the site's remarkable ecosystems while exploring a new trail amenity: interpretive nodes. The Interpretive Trail is an experiment in interpretation of this special site's unique topography, and features signs and seating at four nodes highlighting different basic nature themes: land, sky and water.
 
The unique design was funded by Openlands. Restoration work was conducted in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Nature Preserve Commission and the dedicated volunteer group Deer Grove Natural Area Volunteers.

CALENDAR PHOTO OF THE MONTH: NOVEMBER

The November calendar photo of the month, "Cap Sauers Holding on the Blue Trail" by Kevin Coyote-Trust, features a stunning autumn scene in the Palos Preserves. 
Explore the vast Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve from some of the most scenic trails in the Forest Preserves. To enter the preserve, park at Teason's Woods and hike west along the Yellow Unpaved Trail. Visitors will soon notice the sounds of cars and trucks melting away as they traverse the glacier-formed landscape-the center of this preserve is the most remote place in all of Cook County.
 
NOVEMBER 2018 VOLUNTEER AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Experience nature's transition from fall to winter. Consider joining a volunteer workday in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. There are opportunities throughout the county for people of all ages and experience levels.