For kids, some of summer’s most wonderful adventures happen outdoors. In the woods. On a trail. At the beach. Around a campfire. At your Park District, all of those sights, sounds, and experiences are possible at our popular Nature Camps. Registration is in full swing, and these camps fill fast. (Girl’s Outdoor Challenge already has a waitlist!)
If you’re new to camp registrations, check out Allie’s Crash Course in Camp Registration, and you’ll be an expert in no time.
There’s plenty of information about these exciting Nature Camps, but we also get requests to put it all in one place. So, here we go. (No sunscreen required).
If playing with friends on the beach along the shore of Lake Michigan, swimming almost every day, building towering sandcastles, seeing how the tides change the landscape, and finding newly uncovered treasures sounds like your kind of summer, then this is your camp.
Each week has a different theme that includes a local field trip, swimming lessons at Hidden Creek AquaPark, and fun activities like meeting live animals, creating one-of-a-kind artwork, fishing, scavenger hunts at The Preserve and so much more of what the Park District has to offer.
“One of the very special things that these campers get to experience at Rosewood Beach is seeing bullfrogs in the ravine… and hearing them sing!,” said Meghan Meredith, Program Manager at Heller Nature Center. Now there’s a memory that will last a lifetime!
High Tide, Low Tide is for rising 1st and 2nd graders. New this year, you can register for one week at a time, to fit your family’s vacation schedule. Register for four weeks or more and you’ll get a discount. But as you know, “Time and Tide Wait For No Man,” so sign up soon!
Eight great weeks await, each with its own nature-focused theme! And yes, this year you can pick the weeks that fit your schedule.
Designed for all kids ages 8–11, this camp is chock full of all the exciting activities that make summer camp so memorable. Encouraged by our experienced, caring counselors, every camper enjoys the healthy physical and mental play that inspires creativity every day. Outdoor fun includes wandering through the woods at Heller Nature Center and finding wildlife large and very small. Geocaching—those mini treasure hunts using GPS—is always a camp favorite. There’s lots of exploring at The Preserve and Danny Cunniff Park, learning about nature close up with unique and fascinating activities like pond dipping (don’t knock it ’til you’ve dipped!), fishing, and canoeing. We travel to some of the best indoor adventure sites for rock climbing and more on weekly field trips.
If being outdoors in summer means nature-based activities with a team of like-minded adventurers (rather than a team of sports enthusiasts), check out the wide world of nature that comes your way in this special camp. As Meghan says, “You never know what wonders you’ll find when you turn over that next log!”
Take your summer camp experience to the next level as you take on the challenges that come with the team building, fire building, life-skills building, and confidence building activities at the core of this 3-week camp for ages 11–14. Mark Bryant, Heller’s Naturalist and host of our popular video series “Wild Insights with Mark Bryant” leads campers as they boldly go into the woods, tackle the Teams Course, climb the crates, discover their hidden strengths—leadership, communication, empathy, ziplining, axe throwing(!)—and prepare for the overnight camping trips in weeks 2 and 3.
Every exciting week also includes paddle sports at the Skokie Lagoons, tips and tricks of successful outdoor cooking—including those new fire-building skills—learning to connect with the great outdoors in real-time, and gaining a whole new perspective on the world.
The featured events are, of course, the overnight camping trips. This year, in week 2, we’re off to Pratt Wayne Woods, the largest Forest Preserve in DuPage County for outdoor exploring, bonding with new friends, and a fun night of live-fire cooking—and s’mores!
During Week 3 our overnight is at the beautiful Chain O’ Lakes State Park, with exceptional hiking trails, abundant fishing, and wildlife at every turn. Outdoor cooking, campfire fun, and creating lasting friendships are the hallmarks of why kids come back year after year.
Don’t wait. Sign up for these adventures before they’re gone!
You can find out about these camps, and dozens more, 24/7 on our website. Summer’s coming and our counselors are ready. All we need is you!
Until next time… See you around the parks!
How do animals stay warm in the winter? Join Mark on the snowy trails of Heller Nature Center and discover how some of our aquatic friends survive the cold.
By Melanie O’Brien, Restoration Technician with our Natural Areas Department
The winter landscape at Heller Nature Center currently sports some curious clues about our ongoing restoration work. Behind the nature center, neon pink tags adorn native understory trees and shrubs, such as Hazelnut and Redbud. Piles of brush, dark burn scars among the leaf litter, and patches of scorched ground and vegetation in our northern prairie might have piqued your interest. The Park District’s natural areas crew, along with hardworking members of our volunteer program, have been busy taking advantage of the benefits of these cold months!
You might think outdoor work slows down with the plunging temperatures, but winter weather makes important restoration techniques possible. The cooler weather and low humidity of late fall produces dead leaves and vegetation, which means plenty of fuel and optimal atmospheric conditions that make prescription burns possible. Prescription burning has been part of Illinois’s ecosystems for thousands of years; our native plants have evolved and adapted alongside wildfire and the indigenous peoples of Illinois used controlled fire to clear brush and provide space for game and hunting. At Heller Nature Center, our natural areas crew utilizes controlled fire as a cost-effective tool to control non-native species such as buckthorn and honeysuckle. The blackened, exposed ground you see in our north and south prairies also provides excellent conditions for seeds of native flowers and grasses to germinate and thrive come spring.
When December and January turn frigid, trees, plants, and insect life are dormant. This winter, our crew and volunteer members focus on our oak and hickory woodlands, cutting invasive brush and removing the plant material through brush pile burns, a method that leaves a distinctive ground scar that can be reused for multiple burns. In these dormant conditions, plant matter can be disturbed and removed without causing harm to living insects and plants. When the ground is frozen, the soil won’t be torn up or trampled as crew members and volunteers (carefully) walk the woods and haul cut brush, performing the important work of creating excellent growing conditions for native woodland flowers that thrive in Heller’s open woodlands, such as Trout Lily, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Red Trillium.
Heller’s outdoor winter workload can benefit more than our Park District’s native habitats – it can benefit your health as well! If you’re tired of the treadmill, or want to experience a little more sunlight during these short days, or simply need a breath of fresh air, why not attend a weekly volunteer workday hosted by our natural areas team? Volunteer workdays take place every Friday, 9-11am, all year around, with tools and training provided by our crew of experienced restoration technicians. Cutting and hauling brush is such great exercise, you won’t even need to depend on our burn pile to keep warm! If you’d like to be added to our list of volunteers and receive our workday emails, please contact our Natural Areas Manager, Liz Ricketts, at [email protected].
Winter only feels like it lasts forever; before long, the ground thaws, the trees bud, and green shoots grow toward the warming air. The soil where a stand of dense buckthorn grew the previous year is blanketed in native ephemerals like Bloodroot, Rue Anemone and Mayapple. These positive changes to our native habitats wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing interests and efforts of our Park District community, or without the boons we gain in our coldest months. When we look at the big picture, it’s not hard to envision wintertime as a fruitful season.
By Melanie O’Brien, Restoration Technician with our Natural Areas Department
When you think of natural areas, you might picture rolling prairies or peaceful woodlands. But did you know that right by our playgrounds and picnic spots, there’s a simpler kind of natural area? It’s called a no-mow zone!
Just as it sounds, a no-mow zone is an area where we let nature take the lead and stop mowing. This is the first step towards turning what used to be a neat, controlled patch of grass into a thriving natural space. It’s a conservation method used by everyone—from homeowners to the National Parks Service—and it’s something we’re embracing right here at the Park District! Some of our no-mow zones are well along in their transformation, while others are just getting started. So, why are we doing this?
The benefits range from the environmental to the economical. Reducing mowing areas will reduce fuel cost and consumption, as well as noise and air pollution. Areas of mature, diverse natural plant growth more efficiently retain excess water and prevent erosion. The presence of native plants offers important habitat and food sources for pollinators, birds, small mammals, and reptiles.
No-mow zones also protect some of our most cherished natural features. Take Sunset Woods Park, for example—8 of its 38 acres are a designated natural area of closed mesic savannah. In the midst of the playgrounds and trails, you’ll find over 200 native trees: white oak, swamp white oak, red oak, hickories, and sugar maples, to name a few. You might have noticed groupings of these trees growing within areas of tall grass and wildflowers. These trees benefit from the no-mow zones, which protect their bark and roots from mower damage. Repeated exposure of the vulnerable living tissue normally protected by a tree’s tough outer bark can leave a tree stressed and susceptible to a variety of diseases and pests. Be on the lookout—as part of the ongoing effort to preserve the health of Sunset’s trees, additional and expanded no-mow zones will be appearing soon!
At Larry Fink Memorial Park, you’ll see a mature example of a no-mow zone. Enveloping a playground and basketball court, a variety of native wildflowers, grasses, sedges and rushes have flourished. Among the tall goldenrod, you’ll discover unique native Illinois species—some you might recognize, and some you might not! Here, the pink heads of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) nod below the tufted flowerheads of false boneset (Brickellia eupatorioides). Grass-leaved goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia) and sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) add to the yellow expanse, while blue vervain (Verbena hastata) contributes some much-needed violet to the mix. Established in 2018 by Natural Areas staff and volunteers, assisted by native seeding, plugs, and the occasional invasive species removal, the Fink no-mow is well underway.
Back north, the process begins again at Sleepy Hollow Park. Right now, you’ll only see small flags marking the area. But over time, a portion of Sleepy Hollow’s two acres of flatwoods will gradually expand, adding even more beauty and diversity to this small, 14-acre park.
The best part? You don’t have to travel far to witness these transformations—they’re happening right here in our own backyard!
You never know what winged friends you’ll find at the Preserve of Highland Park! On this episode of Wild Insights, grab your binoculars and join Mark on a birding adventure.
Connecting with nature is important at any age! Heller Nature Center’s programs are designed to inspire a lifelong appreciation for nature, foster environmental stewardship, and promote a healthier, more connected community. Whether you are an avid nature enthusiast or simply looking to explore new outdoor activities, Heller Nature Center offers something for everyone.
Check out our upcoming Adult/Adult-Friendly Programs:
Eat the forest! Join The Wild Dryad on a foraging tour of Heller’s woods; learn how to spot wild edibles and how best to cook them. Sample some of the plants we find on our hike.
Join us for an evening of nature-themed trivia. Enter in teams of up to 6, or join a team of new friends on arrival. Then, compete with fellow residents to see who knows more about the ecology in our local area and beyond.
This is a BYOB event. Light snacks will be provided.
Ages 21+
Our honey bees have been working all summer making our famous Heller Honey. Come and experience how to harvest our honey with one of our naturalists and take home a small jar you harvested from the hives.
From natural areas restoration to beekeeping, outdoor volunteer opportunities are aplenty!
The periodic cicadas have arrived! On this episode of Wild Insights, Mark describes the difference between periodic and annual cicadas, their molting process, and where you can see them in Highland Park!
We’re excited to welcome a new Naturalist Teacher, Kerrick Goodman-Lucker, to our team. Kerrick has a passion for teaching about the outdoors and is excited to work with the local community. Get to know Kerrick with a quick Q&A––and be sure to say hello if you see him on the trails or teaching a program at Heller and Rosewood Beach!
I was born in Florida, moved to California to get a graduate degree in Museum Education, lived there for 13 years, and then moved to Illinois in 2019. Yes, I am liking the snow quite well, thank you.
I was a classroom teacher until 2021, when I switched to curriculum development. I came to miss being outside in nature, talking to humans not on a screen, and leaving my house ever. Heller Nature Center is a beautiful, peaceful outdoor setting, and my work encourages me to get out and walk and talk to more nature lovers. What’s not to love?
Three truths and no lies: I used to ride horses when I was a kid (English pleasure and beginning hunter-jumper). I spent a year interning on a farm where I learned to build stuff out of mud and straw and took care of goats and chickens. I love almost all animals, but I am deeply afraid of leeches. Bonus: I used to teach tai chi and pentjak silat.
I have visited Ireland and Scotland, and also New Zealand and Australia. I would love to go back to any of those beautiful places. One day I want to visit the cloud forests of Costa Rica.
My favorite season is fall. When I was a kid in Florida, I used to think snow was imaginary. I sort of had the sense that somewhere fall happened and it must be really pretty, so I would collect dead leaves and acorns from under the live oaks in our 85 degree September days and make little “fall” displays.
I wish more people knew about some of our really quirky, creative programs at HNC! Spread the word! We’re not all teams courses and sedate nature walks over here!
THE CICADAS ARE COMING! Join Mark on this edition of Wild Insights where he shares what’s in store for this rare “double brood emergence!”
Here’s what to know about this once-in-a-lifetime event!
For the first time since 1803, two broods belonging to two different species of periodical cicadas will emerge at the same time—an occurrence that happens only once every 221 years! One brood has been underground for 13 years, and the other for 17 years. What’s more, this year’s cicada groups, known as Brood XIII and Brood XIX, happened to make their homes adjacent to one another, with a narrow overlap in central Illinois.
Cicadas typically emerge once the soil temperature reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. We would expect the larger majority to emerge from mid-May to early June, but this year, we may see them earlier due to the early warm temperatures.
The insects are expected to merge all over the Midwest. However, here in Illinois, we may be primed to see more than our neighbors. Brood XIX (the 17-year brood) has a wide range across the Midwest and into Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. Brood XIII’s (the 13-year brood) population is mostly centered around Illinois but stretches into Wisconsin, Ohio, and Iowa.
Noise, and lots of it! Cicadas are emerging primarily to mate, and their calls are loud. Their calls can reach 100 decibels, comparable to a motorcycle or a jackhammer! You will also probably see large gatherings of the young nymphs, and their old shells around the base and on the trunks of trees.
Not at all! While they may be big and loud, cicadas are harmless to humans and pets. And while they may do some damage to trees and large plants as they lay their eggs, they are not harmful to household gardens and crops like locusts are. This year, cicadas will be a valuable food source for birds and other predators.
Every so often the sun, moon, and Earth align just right to put on a spectacular show! On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will take place, meaning that the moon will pass in front of the sun, creating a shadow over the sun. Chicago and its surrounding suburbs will experience an estimated 94% totality—higher than the 2017 eclipse and higher than any future eclipses in Chicagoland.
At 12:50pm, the moon will start to pass in front of the sun, moving slowly at first and then picking up speed. The peak time to see it in Chicagoland will be around 2:07pm. By 3:22pm, it will move out of the area and the whole show will be over!
Because we live outside the path of totality (the stretch of land in which the moon will completely cover the sun, resulting in a total eclipse), it is extremely important to wear eclipse glasses while viewing the solar eclipse to avoid eye damage. Regular sunglasses are NOT safe for viewing.
Don’t have eclipse glasses? There’s another way to safely view the solar eclipse! Check out this how-to from NASA on making your own box pinhole projector: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14391/
You don’t want to miss this! The next total solar eclipse in the United States is set to take place on August 12, 2045. The next total solar eclipse with Chicago in a path of totality isn’t until August 4, 2111!
