Register Now! Pigtoes and creepers and muckets, oh my! Join us Saturday, August 8th at ParkLands' Hayes Woods Preserve for an interactive educational opportunity for all ages. Local biologists will lead two groups of 15 participants on a shallow wade into the Mackinaw River in search of freshwater mussels, using the catch (and subsequent release)

Register Now! Join us for our 2020 Annual Meeting! Location: Hazle Preserve at north Chinquapin Bluffs Land and Water Reserve This event is for members only.  Not yet a member?  Join us today! Agenda: 10:30:  Guided hike to the north bluffs 12:30:  Meeting and lunch provided by Scout's Downtown Cafe (menu coming soon) Annual report Nominations for board

8:00 – 11:00am at ParkLands’ Sweeney Woods Preserve, just north of Lake Bloomington. We will be pruning small, fast-growing trees that have overtaken the floodplain to make way for our slower-growing, preferred native trees. No experience necessary! Work gloves, individual tools (loppers), and instruction will be provided. Hand sanitizer and PPE masks will also be

8:00 - 11:00am at ParkLands' Sweeney Woods Preserve, just north of Lake Bloomington. We will be pruning small, fast-growing trees that have overtaken the floodplain to make way for our slower-growing, preferred native trees. No experience necessary! Work gloves, individual tools (loppers), and instruction will be provided. Masks are required anytime we gather, such as

Register here   Illinois Master Naturalists - join us for TWO unique opportunities wrapped up into one workday on Saturday, October 17th from 9am-12pm. First, we will be removing woody brush (primarily redbud) from the remnant hill prairie on the north side of Chinquapin Bluffs Land & Water Reserve.  This bluff is one of ParkLands' most

Sign-up   Directions   StraightUp Solar employees, join us at the ParkLands Foundation's Moon Preserve near Lake Bloomington to remove the highly invasive Lespedeza cuneata before it spreads throughout the prairie.  Please wear long pants and bring water and work gloves, though we'll have extra of both on hand.  We will provide the loppers and waste bags

It's that time of the year!  Most of our cherished native plants gone to seed, and we need your help to collect them for dispersal at other sites.  Join us at a special remnant prairie to collect seeds original to this site before they are gone! We will meet at the BP gas station in

It's that time of the year!  Most of our cherished native plants gone to seed, and we need your help to collect them for dispersal at other sites.  Join us at a special remnant prairie to collect seeds original to this site before they are gone! We will meet at the BP gas station in

As if you need more reasons to get outside this weekend, we're offering one more. In support of the nationwide movement to #OptOutside the day after Thanksgiving, we're giving away gear to anyone who hikes TWO of our preserves on Friday. We'll call it the Two Preserve Challenge. I know... creative, right? Why #OptOutside 2020

Note:  This event was originally scheduled for January 1st, 2021 but was rescheduled due to weather. What better way to bring in the new year than time outside?  Join us at Lexington Preserve on December 31st for a guided hike through one of our best-kept secrets.  From a prairie wildflower garden to hulking bottomland trees,

  Whether you're a first time skier or a seasoned expert, join us Saturday February 20th for a cross-country adventure through one of central Illinois' finest landscapes.   Admission covers ski rental from WildCountry in Normal (optional), guidance from experienced skiers, refreshments afterwards, and fundraising support for the ParkLands Foundation.  Snowshoes are also available by choice