$59K Foundation Donation Advances Preserve Projects

WILL COUNTY, IL — Projects at Bolingbrook and Romeoville preserves were among those supported by a $59,525 donation from the Nature Foundation of Will County, according to a release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

The Nature Foundation of Will County presented a check to the Forest Preserve District of Will County at its June 12 Board meeting. The quarterly donation continues the Foundation’s support for the Forest Preserve’s nature education, habitat restoration and community engagement efforts, the preserve said.

A range of Forest Preserve initiatives – including prescribed burns, volunteer supplies through ComEd’s Dollars for Doers program, and a native plant sale in partnership with Nicor Gas – benefit from the donation, according to the preserve.

Educational programming supported by the funding also includes new supplies for Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, made possible through a partnership with the Sgt. Thomas A. Gilbert Memorial Foundation, and a redesigned Willy’s Wilderness website for kids launching this summer.

The Foundation is also backing teacher appreciation events sponsored by ONEOK, offering educators a day of relaxation and connection through activities like yoga, hiking and kayaking.

The Foundation’s fundraising work also supports the Forest Preserve’s public engagement efforts such as the Smithsonian Pollinator Exhibit and Pollinator Party at Isle a la Cache Museum, bird feeding stations at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon and Hidden Oaks, and a wellness day lunch sponsored by Mistwood Golf Club’s McWethy’s Tavern.

A Foundation partnership with Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund supports the District’s fishing derby season, including the June 28 Kids Fishing Derby at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm. It also helps fund the Be A Trailblazer digital scavenger hunt, encouraging people to explore the preserves on their own schedule, the preserve said.

“Our donors, partners and sponsors support programs that protect nature, inspire discovery and bring people and nature together,” Foundation Executive Director Tara Neff said in a release. “These funding priorities are deeply interconnected. Our well-being is inseparable from the health of our environment.”