Science & Nature
Check Out a Buried Prairie, Walk Among Giants or Visit the ‘Birthplace’ of Chicago: 6 Picks for Outdoor Weekend Adventures
This week’s “Pick Six” — our weekly roundup of outdoorsy recommendations in each of the Chicago region’s six counties — ranges from an unusual prairie remnant to a big day on the Fox River.
COOK COUNTY: Chicago Portage Day
Statue at the Chicago Portage National Historic Site. (Courtesy Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
Did you know Chicago’s “birthplace” is actually in suburban Lyons?
That would be the location of the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, which marks the western end of the portage linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.
In its day, the portage was “one of the most important travel routes of the mid-continent,” according to the National Park Service, and it played a significant factor in Chicago’s growth.
On Saturday, celebrate Portage Day with a visit to Portage Woods Forest Preserve at 4800 S. Harlem Ave., Lyons.
The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature storytelling, tours, exhibits and hikes. Click here for more information.
DUPAGE COUNTY: Walk Among Giants
An Olmec head in Fullersburg Woods. (Forest Preserve District of DuPage County / Facebook)
Only 17 of the colossal stone heads created by the ancient Mesoamerican Olmec people have ever been found. More than double that number of hand-painted replica sculptures are on display throughout DuPage County, including 13 scattered in four different forest preserves.
The “Olmec Trails” exhibit runs through Oct. 15. Build a hike, or two, around hunting for the heads at St. James Farm in Warrenville, Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, and Fullersburg Woods and Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook (click here for a map).
KANE COUNTY: Fox River Day, Part 1
Murals in progress at Batavia’s government center. The art represents native plants and wildlife found in the Fox River watershed. (Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners / Facebook)
Saturday is It’s Our Fox River Day (or IOFRD, pronounced “I offered”), an annual celebration of the Fox River watershed.
Dozens of events are planned up and down the watershed — which spans two states and more than 2,500 square miles — including a cleanup hosted by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County at Glenwood Park Forest Preserve in Batavia, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Click here for details.
While you’re in the area, check out artists at work on nature-inspired murals at Batavia’s Schielke Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 10 murals are being painted on windows at the government center, which is housed in a historic windmill factory along the Fox River. The artwork will highlight the watershed’s native plants and wildlife.
LAKE COUNTY: Fox River Day, Part 2
The Fox River Forest Preserve in Port Barrington has three miles of hiking/biking trails that wind along the banks of the Fox River, as well as through woodlands.
The preserve’s wetlands support endangered plant species, and visitors will even encounter some hilly topography.
MCHENRY COUNTY: Seed Starter
Milkweed seed. (Ordasi Tatyjana / iStock)
It’s prime season for conservationists to collect seed from native plants, which will be used in restoration projects across the region.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the seed after it’s harvested, you’re in luck. The McHenry County Conservation District is offering a rare look inside its native seed processing facility.
The tour isn’t scheduled until Sept. 28, but because space is limited and advance registration is required, we’re giving readers a heads up this week. Cost is free to county residents and $5 for non-residents.
The facility’s location will be shared with registrants prior to the program.
WILL COUNTY: Buried Prairie
(Vermont Cemetery Preserve / Facebook)
Remnant prairies — land never plowed, grazed or developed — are hard to come by in Illinois.
If you happen to be in or near Naperville, it’s worth taking a detour to the tiny one-acre remnant, Vermont Cemetery Preserve.
Hear us out: Yes, this nature preserve is an actual cemetery. But that’s why the land was never farmed or turned into a residential subdivision or office park.
Thanks to careful stewardship and oversight by the Forest Preserve District of Will County, a community of native plants is thriving at the preserve. These include rarities and a diversity of species seldom if ever found in restoration projects — offering a glimpse of what the landscape in the region would have looked like hundreds, and even thousands of years ago.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
