Pick up a Passport, Travel to Forest Preserve Destinations this Spring and Summer

Do you know which Forest Preserve District of Will County visitor center has a 2,000-gallon aquarium filled with river fish, which one has a tank teeming with turtles, or which one has a live beehive? Do you know which visitor center sells baits and rents boats or which one has a green roof?

The Forest Preserve wants residents to discover these special places via a free Passport to the Preserves program, which encourages participants to visit five visitor centers and their surrounding preserves through Thursday, August 31.

To get started, pick up a passport at one of the visitor centers and prepare to travel to hot spots for nature fun. Once you have the passport in hand, visit rubbing stations at each visitor center to create a “stamp” impression on the passport with a crayon. Open the passport to the corresponding blank page for each visitor center and create a mini work of art.

Each site has a different nature-themed stamp. Rubbing stations are both inside and outside each visitor center, so if you visit the preserve while the visitor center is closed, you can still get your stamp.

Once you have all five stamp impressions, take the completed passport to the visitor center of your choice to receive a “Take It Outside” pin to adorn a hat, backpack, or jacket. The passport program is part of the yearlong “Take It Outside Campaign,” which was launched in January to inspire people to get in touch with nature to reap the physical and mental rewards of being outside.

“So many times, people walk into our visitor centers, and they’re amazed by what they see, saying, ‘I never knew this was here,’” noted Cindy Cain, the Forest Preserve’s public information officer. “We designed the passport program to encourage people to learn more about all the exciting exhibits, programs, and recreational activities each site has to offer. We hope you pick up a passport this spring and travel throughout Will County to discover what you may have been missing or rediscover a favorite destination.”

Here are the visitor centers included in the passport program: Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, Channahon; Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 419 Trout Farm Road, Bolingbrook; Isle a la Cache Museum, 501 E. Romeo Road (135th Street), Romeoville; Monee Reservoir Visitor Center, 27341 Ridgeland Avenue, Monee; and Plum Creek Nature Center, 27064 S. Dutton Road, Beecher. The passport lists all the fun things to see and do at each site.

Don’t forget to check online at ReconnectWithNature.org for visitor center and preserve hours before heading out the door. If you’re up for more adventure, check out the yearlong Take It Outside Challenge, which requires participants to complete nature-themed missions to earn points and win prizes and bragging rights as they move up the leaderboard via the free Goosechase smart phone app.