Howard Colman Hall Creek Preserve
The Byron Forest Preserve District will be offering a creek study walk at their Howard Colman Hall Creek Preserve on Saturday, April 27 from 9-10:30 a.m. Assistant Superintendent of Education, Janet Dahlberg, will lead this free hands-on family program for ages 8 and up. Parents must accompany children under 10. The forest preserve will provide collecting nets, buckets and field guides. Participants should wear shoes or boots that can get wet. Advance registration is required by April 25 by calling 815 234-8535, Ext. 200. This program will be meeting at the Howard Colman Hall Creek Preserve parking lot located at 12749 North Weldon Road.
Bald Hill Big Tree
The Byron Forest Preserve District will be having a Bald Hill Big Tree Event on Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at their Bald Hill Prairie Preserve located at 5502 North Silver Creek Road, Mt. Morris. This free family event will feature guided tours to see the Illinois Big Tree Champion Eastern cottonwood, hands-on geology programs, tours of the recently restored oak savannas, grassland bird watching, wildflower walks, hay ride tours of the preserve and much more. For more information call 815 234-8535, Ext. 200 or visit www.byronforestpreserve.com
Nachusa Grasslands Bison Tour
The Byron Forest Preserve District in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa Grasslands will offer two “Inside the Fence Bison Tours” at the Nachusa Grasslands in Franklin Grove on Saturday, June 1. We will be meeting at the Nachusa Grasslands Visitor’s Center located at 2075 Lowden Road, Franklin Grove. Our group will then be transported via open trucks for a guided tour to see the Nachusa Grasslands bison herd before the prairie grass gets too high to see the new spring calves.
In the fall of 2014, The Nature Conservancy brought a herd of 30 genetically pure wild bison from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota to the Nachusa Grasslands to establish the first wild bison herd in Illinois in nearly 200 years in order to complete their prairie ecosystem. The herd continues to grow with many new calves born each spring and is now up to around 120 wild bison.
The cost for the program is $10 per person. Register early as space is limited by calling the Byron Forest Preserve District at 815 234-8535, Ext. 200. There will be two sessions to choose from, one in the morning beginning at 10 a.m. and another in the afternoon starting at 1 p.m. Each session will last approximately two hours.
