A principal guardian of Lake County, Illinois' open space and natural areas since 1958. Connect with us: https://xitter.twitterapi.xyz/t.co/Q56L6Y6pnZ Cover photo © Jeanna Martinucci
Lake County, Illinois
Joined August 2008
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𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘀 (𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙮𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨) 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. 🐿🌳
Happy #WildlifeWednesday.
📸 Joe McDonald
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🌿 About 87 acres total will be added across three preserves. Our Board approved purchases of 75 acres at Pine Dunes and 10.3 acres at Lakewood. A separate deal with Riverwoods will add 1.7 acres to Ryerson Conservation Area.
lcfpd.org/87acres
📷 Tim Elliott at Pine Dunes
Fuzzy socks. Boots. Let’s go. 🥾
Our new Winter Walk lights up South Bay at Independence Grove in Libertyville from December 1 to March 14. Free until 9 pm nightly. Live music and fire pits Dec. 4, 11 and 18.
lcfpd.org/lights
📷 Thomas G. Wilson
November still has a few colors up its sleeve. 🍂
A warmer-than-average October helped delay the color change. @cbschicago asked experts at the @MortonArboretum why some trees are still green.
Show us what fall looks like in your favorite preserve!
cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mor…
🌳 New accessible way to explore Ryerson.
An all-terrain wheelchair is free to borrow at Ryerson Welcome Center, thanks to the 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Available on a first-come, first-served basis for exploring beyond paved paths.
LCFPD.org/Wheelchair
🏛️ Doors open. More stories inside.
Explore the Dunn Museum’s refreshed galleries, with new objects, bilingual exhibits and expanded Latino history displays, made possible by a $24,750 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services @US_IMLS.
LCFPD.org/Museum
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🐿️ Squirrels gather nuts. We gather news.
Our November e-newsletter is packed with fall walks, wildlife encounters, solar-lit trails and a tribute to Chuck Bartels’ life and legacy.
🍁 Gather a little inspiration: LCFPD.org/enews-signup
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🌙 The sun clocks out. You head out.
Starting tomorrow, November 1, solar-lit trails stay open until 9 pm daily.
✨ Old School: 1.3 miles
✨ Lakewood: 1.65 miles, with hills
Bring a flashlight or headlamp.
lcfpd.org/Solar-2026
📷 Thomas G. Wilson
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🦋 A monarch and milkweed. Name a better duo.
Norma Zamudio and Marcela Martinez handed out treats to 300 children at Heart of the City’s Trunk or Treat in Waukegan yesterday.
Milkweed feeds monarch caterpillars. The children got candy. 🍫
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🏆 Big win. Small energy footprint.
The net-zero Ryerson Education Center in Riverwoods won the Commercial/Institutional category in the 2026 @PHIUS1 Passive Projects Design Competition! 🌎
Conservation in practice: LCFPD.org/education-center
📷 Lake Flato, staff
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60 years of caring for your preserves! 💚 Celebrate Maintenance Worker Russell Hodgen’s 35 years and Natural Resources Crew Chief Ryan Juza’s 25 years with us. Their work keeps habitats thriving and preserves ready to explore. Thank you, Russell (left) and Ryan! 🎉
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From 𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗱 to 𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘆! 🪶
Sandhill cranes rub iron-rich mud into their feathers in spring & summer. By fall, the color fades, revealing their natural gray plumage. 🍁
Have you spotted any ahead of November's peak migration?
LCFPD.org/birding
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🍂 Heading out for fall color? Bring your trail manners:
🥾 Keep right, pass left.
🔔 Give a heads-up before passing.
🐾 Leash pets and pick up after them.
🌿 Stay on marked trails.
More tips: issuu.com/lcfpd/docs/horizon…
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🥱 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 … 🪺
Our education eastern screech owl molts each year, losing old feathers and growing new ones.
➡️ Attend a program: LCFPD.org/calendar
Happy #WildlifeWednesday.
The Preservation Foundation recently received a $5,000 grant from the @UnionPacific Community Ties Giving Program. Funds will support volunteer work in The Lake Plain Coastal Preserves. 🌊
👋 Get involved: lakeplain.org/getinvolved
📸 Spring Bluff in Winthrop Harbor; Bill Oakes
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🌳 We love sharing the stories that make Lake County special.
We earned 4 awards from @PRSA and APEX for Horizons magazine, the Alex Ross: Heroes & Villains media campaign, the Preservation Foundation annual report and our Birdwatching Guide.
LCFPD.org/Excellence-2026
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🌱 Thank you, @Nicor_Gas! A $5,000 grant to the Preservation Foundation, our charitable partner, will fund hand tools and seed mixes for volunteer restoration at Duck Farm in Lake Villa.
Join a workday: LCFPD.org/workdays
📷 Bill Oakes
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🍂 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹 … 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 🍁
🦆 Many birds are migrating south.
🍂 Leaves start turning shades of red, orange and gold.
🐿️ Wildlife is stashing food before winter arrives.
Happy #WildlifeWednesday.
📸 Ray Lake in Wauconda; John D. Kavc
🎃 Registration's open for the 40th & final Halloween Hikes at Ryerson Conservation Area! Enjoy a candlelit trail, nature skits, costumed characters, cider and donuts.
Oct. 23: 6–8:30 pm
Oct. 24: 5:30–8:30 pm
🎟️ LCFPD.org/Halloween-Hikes
🍂 LCFPD.org/Hikes-40
📷 Tim Elliott
🌳 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗔𝗞𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 & 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗯 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲.
Stop by on Saturday, October 3 and choose native plants for your yard from an inventory of 44 species.
➡️ Details: LCFPD.org/OAKtober
📷 Bill Oakes
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