Byron Forest Preserve District issued the following announcement on Apr. 29.
Get outside, learn about wildlife, and contribute to science this Saturday, May 1!
We invite you to join us and participate in the City Nature Challenge this Saturday at the following preserves.
SATURDAY, MAY 1
9-11 AM at Barrick Oaks Homestead Preserve
Walk along our creek with Byron Forest Preserve staff to look for both common and rare birds. Adjacent prairie and oak savanna habitats attract a wide variety to this preserve. The distance hiked will be about a mile on flat terrain. Free, please register at www.byronforestpreserve.com or call 815-234-8535.
9-10:30 AM at Nardi Equine Prairie Preserve
Hike through remnant and sandy soil prairies and oak savannas with Byron Forest Preserve staff to observe plant and animal life. This hike will be approximately 2 miles along hilly terrain. Free, please register at www.byronforestpreserve.com or call 815-234-8535.
11:30 AM 1:30 PM at Howard Colman Hall Creek Preserve
Join Byron Forest Preserve staff for a hike and creek study, and participate in one or both. This preserve shares a creek with Severson Dells Nature Center, and is adjacent to the R. Robert Funderburg Preserve. Restoration efforts have greatly improved habitats on this preserve, which include tallgrass prairie, oak savannas, and oak-hickory woodlands. The hikes over moderately hilly terrain will start at 11:30 and 12:30 from the parking lot; staff will also remain at the creek through this event and you may join them whenever you like. Free, please register at www.byronforestpreserve.com or call 815-234-8535.
2-3:30 PM Bald Hill Prairie Preserve
Hike with Byron Forest Preserve staff through gravel hill prairies and oak savannas with a stop at the biggest tree in Illinois. This preserve is known for rare prairie plants and grassland birds, including woolly milkweed, northern harriers, and short-eared owls. A bobcat was seen on a trail camera this winter. This is a moderately hilly two mile hike with lots of elevation change. Free, please register at www.byronforestpreserve.com or call 815-234-8535.
We encourage you to take photos of plants and wildlife, April 30 to May 3, and upload them to iNaturalist app to be part of a friendly competition between hundreds of cities around the world. This is a global effort to document wildlife. Local citizen scientists who want to help participate can find out more information and see a complete list of area events at www.seversondells.com/city-nature-challenge.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Byron Forest Preserve District
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