Nature Center Events, Paddling, Aquatics Centers Open
From Cook County Forest Preserve PR:
Birding Paddle
Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m.
Skokie Lagoons, Winnetka. Meet at the Tower Road Boat Launch (parking lot is located at 1757 Tower Road in Winnetka).
Space is limited; call 708.771.1189 to reserve a spot.
Join us for this free paddling event during the height of bird migration.
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Crabtree Nature Center’s International Migratory Bird Day Celebration
Saturday, May 11, noon – 4 p.m.
Crabtree Nature Center, Palatine Road, one mile west of Barrington Road.
The annual event brings attention to the challenges that migratory birds face every year. Join our staff and volunteers from the Prairie Woods Audubon Society as we identify birds along our trails. Activities will include Beginning Birding, our Migratory Bird Obstacle Course Challenge, and more.
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A Celebration Of Birds: International Migratory Bird Day at the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center
Saturday, May 11, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Sagawau Environmental Learning Center, 12545 W 111th St., Lemont.
Celebrate the lives of migratory birds as they fly across the Americas. Learn simple ways to identify and protect these birds by visiting our Tip Stations. Join us for bird hikes, bird banding, build a nest box, nest search, and many other activities.
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Nature Block Party at Eggers Woods
Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Eggers Grove, 11201 S. Avenue B, Chicago.
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be hosting the first-ever Nature Block Party, a free family program celebrating nature, at Eggers Grove and William Powers State Recreation Area.
Activities at Eggers Grove will include guided tree and bird hikes, removal of invasive garlic mustard and other restoration work, bike activities and bike helmet giveaways, while the William Powers State Recreation Area will host fishing and archery. Eggers Grove is located at 11201 S. Avenue B, and William Powers is located at 12949 S. Avenue O, both on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
Participants are encouraged to bring their bikes and use the Burnham Greenway Trail to travel between the two sites. Knowledgeable naturalists from the Sand Ridge Nature Center will be available along the tail to provide more information on local plants and wildlife.
The Forest Preserve District will also dedicate the newly renovated Eggers Grove Pavilion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. New trails, extensions and improvements planned in the area will be highlighted.
This event is part of the National Urban Biodiversity Week, a seven-city collaboration to bring urban dwellers into contact with local flora and fauna. Urban Biodiversity Week will showcase events in the Millennium Reserve: Calumet Core area. It will celebrate urban biodiversity and conservation activities and will provide opportunities for local residents and visitors to participate in outdoor activities in the Calumet region. Please check www.urbanbioweek.illinois.gov for a full list of events happening during the week.
Other event partners include Wild Indigo, University of Illinois Extension, the Chicago Park District and the Calumet Ecological Park Association.
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Aquatics Centers Open
Saturday, May 25
– Whealan Pool Aquatic Center, 6200 W. Devon Avenue, east of Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
– Cermak Family Aquatic Center, 7600 W. Ogden Avenue, west of Harlem Avenue, at the Des Plaines River, Lyons
– Green Lake Family Aquatic Center, 1100 River Oaks Drive, Calumet City
Admission to all Aquatics Centers is FREE on Saturday, May 25. For the rest of the summer, rates are:
Children 3 & under: FREE
Children ages 4 to 12: $4.00
Adults (12 years & older): $6.00
Family Aquatic Pass is $150.00/family of 4 (additional members are $35/person).
An Individual Aquatic Pass is $40.00.
Special event rentals of the facilities for the 2013 summer season are also be available.
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About The Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Established in 1914, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County is the oldest and largest forest preserve system in the nation, maintaining more than 68,000 acres of open land for the education, pleasure and recreation of the public.
The District strives to protect and restore the county’s diverse ecosystems, so all our unique native plants and animals can live and thrive. Each year, millions of people use these lands and facilities to enjoy or study nature, bicycle, hike, fish, cross-country ski, picnic, golf, canoe, or simply relax in a large preserve that leaves urban life behind.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on May 3, 2013