Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

An injured coyote, now fully recovered, gets a new lease on life thanks to some help from District employees. Take a look! #coyote #wildliferescue #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation

Eastern Bluebirds are easily spotted in the forest preserves these days, but in the mid-1900s their numbers were seriously on the decline. Meet Barbara, one of our Natural Resources volunteers who has spent the last ten years monitoring and maintaining bluebird nesting boxes. Take a look!

It's Blanding's turtle release season, thanks to some help from our volunteers. Take a look! #PreservedForYou #ecology #turtles #endangeredspecies #conservation #biology #volunteerism

As we bring National Public Works Week to a close, we're taking a moment to appreciate and highlight all the hard work our crews have been doing lately to prepare for the busy season. In the past two weeks, staff have done asphalt work in the parking lots, trail resurfacing, and hazardous tree removal. Thank you to Facilities, Grounds (Landscape, Roads, Trails and Streams, Forestry), Fleet, and Ranger Operations! Want to join the team? Apply here https://lnkd.in/eak4WkZ

District staff at Blackwell's Urban Stream Research Center recently released 25 Great Plains Mudbugs back into the wild. These native crayfish were collected as eggs and reared at the USRC for the past year, as a part of our Hine’s emerald dragonfly captive rearing program. These crayfish will build burrows in the soil that become necessary habitat for those federally endangered dragonflies. #PreservedForYou #Conservation #ecology #ecologicalrestoration 📸 : Aquatic Resources Supervisor Andres Ortega

This National Police Week we'd like to recognize the contributions of our DuPage Forest Preserve Police. Officers maintain the safety of forest preserves and protect the flora and fauna that reside within their boundaries. National Police Week happens to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month. We are especially grateful for the training our officers undergo to aid those in need during mental health crises. Members of the department are certified in crisis intervention, and last year responded to 17 intervention calls. This month, you'll see all officers wearing badges and pins in support of Mental Health Awareness. Be sure to thank them for their work! https://lnkd.in/dySVmegf

We're reaching an exciting new milestone in the Fullersburg Woods restoration project! Natural Resources members were recently out spreading native seeds. Take a look! #restoration #naturalresources #nativeplants #ecology #localgov

District staff were featured on WGN's "Spotlight Chicago" yesterday to discuss the response to their viral video illustrating the life cycle of 17-year cicadas... and yes, they were in costume! https://lnkd.in/ggE-e963

This transformation is MASSIVE. Visitors to Fullersburg Woods have witnessed quite a bit of change in the forest preserve this year. After removing decades worth of overgrown, invasive brush this past winter, the preserve looked alarmingly empty; but this blank slate is exactly what was needed to restore habitat. Now that competition for sunlight and water has been removed, it’s time to plant native trees! This will be one of the first steps to healing the landscape and creating vital habitat for wildlife. Thank you to the District’s forestry department for carrying out the planting of these trees, and thank you to the staff members at Fullersburg Woods who have worked so hard to educate visitors on why this work is actually a good thing. We can’t wait to see how the landscape continues to evolve with new vegetation, critters, and time. #restoration #nativeplants #trees #forestry #arboriculture #ecology #naturalresources

Maple Grove Forest Preserve is getting a new bridge thanks to funding secured by Congressman Sean Casten! Improvements will also be made to the stormwater pipeline that goes across the river to the water treatment plant down the road. Overall, this project will give our community clean water and safe passageway to enjoy the outdoors. #DownersGrove #Bridge #Bridges #WaterTreatment #Stormwater #Infrastructure