Sponsored by
PrairieFire Foundation
   
Lake County Forest       Preserve District

ANNUAL MEETING—AN EVENING WITH GEORGE RABB
Great desserts, inspiring artwork and intelligent conversation—these are the hallmarks of our annual meeting. Tonight we’re honored to bring you a short talk by George Rabb, Ph.D., a man whose legendary genius and passion are influencing conservation practices on an international stage. We’re also unveiling an exciting exhibition of work by noted landscape photographer Jill Metcoff. And we can’t wait to share a brief summary of our recent accomplishments and plans for the year.
$10 (free for members)
6:30 – 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 20
Independence Grove, Libertyville
RSVP to info@libertyprairie.org or call 847.548.5989 ext. 33

JILL METCOFF PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
View evocative photographs of controlled prairie and woodland burns in this new exhibit by noted Chicago artist Jill Metcoff. Metcoff’s panoramic landscape images of the Midwest have been shown at many sites including the Chicago Botanic Garden. Visit www.lcfpd.org/ig for exhibit hours. Co-sponsored by the PrairieFire Foundation and the Lake County Forest Preserve District.
Free
Friday, March 21 through Sunday, July 20
Independence Grove Visitors Center, Libertyville

Photo by Gerald and Buff Corsi
@California Academy of Science

THE BEAST IN THE GARDEN—A BOOK DISCUSSION
A cozy country cottage is the setting for our exploration into the dilemma presented by David Baron in The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator’s Deadly Return to Suburban America. When mountain lions arrived outside Boulder, Colorado and began stalking humans, residents were divided in their responses. What resulted is a prime example of some challenges we face in living with nature. Our guest leader is Clay Nielson, director of scientific research, The Cougar Network. Clay is serving up hot tea and apple pie ala mode.
$15 ($10 for members), adults only
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 24
Radke House, Libertyville
Click here to register online
Download registration form

Sponsored by Wild Bird Centers in Libertyville and Fox River Grove

BIRDING AND BREAKFAST
Though the wildflowers will be lush to the point of distracting, we’ll stay focused on the delights of spring migration—that amazing phenomenon when all manner of birds flood back into the Midwest by the millions. If you’ve never birded before, don’t be shy—we’ll lend you some binoculars and get you started. Trip leader is Jeff Sundberg, Ph.D., our own board president, whose expertise is in birding, economics and land preservation. Afterward, we’ll have breakfast with Barbara Turner, a wonderful woman who will share the story of how she preserved this property she grew up on.
$25 ($20 for members), adults only
7 – 10 a.m.
Sunday, May 4
Reed-Turner Woodland, Long Grove
Click here to register online
Download registration form

12TH ANNUAL PRAIRIE PEDAL—A FAMILY BIKE RIDE
Celebrate spring and conservation with this popular Lake County tradition—a bike ride through beautiful natural areas. Choose from a variety of route lengths, ranging from child-friendly to challenging, and be sure to swing in to the well-appointed refreshment and education stations. At the end you’ll be greeted by massages, ice cream and a fabulous manicotti lunch. Check in and begin riding anytime between 8:30 and 11 a.m. at the Lake Forest Hospital building in Grayslake. Walk-ups welcome.
$20 adults ($25 after May 9), $10 ages 6-17 ($15 after May 9)
Free for children under 6
Sunday, May 18
Learn more
Click here to register online
Download Prairie Pedal registration form

PIT, MOUNTAIN, SHORE AND DUNE—A SURPRISING LOOK AT LAKE COUNTY’S NATURAL HERITAGE
You might want to double-knot your sneakers for this one. We’ll be moving fast on this whirlwind hiking tour of a Lake County you’ve never seen before, led by Ron Riepe, one of the most knowledgeable and engaging professors in the Midwest. This is a rare opportunity to descend into the geological goldmine of Thelen’s Sand and Gravel Pit, then clamber up Gander Mountain to picnic at the county’s highest peak, and scoot across the Valparaiso Moraine, through the Des Plaines River Valley, and into the heart of the state’s biological hot spot—IL Beach State Park. From copper to cactus, we’ll see it all.
$89 ($69 for members), adults only
7:45 a.m. check-in, 8 a.m. air-conditioned bus departs. Return by 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 19
Depart from Oak Openings Nature Preserve, Grayslake
Click here to register online
Download registration form

COLLAPSE—A BOOK DISCUSSION
A cozy country cottage is the setting for our exploration into Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond. From ancient Vikings and Mayans to modern day Rwanda and Montana, Diamond shows the link between environmental and economic stability, and aims to keep our collective memory strong. Sunny Sonnenschein, Ph.D., will lead the discussion over root beer and ice cream floats. Sunny works for Chicago Metropolis 2020 where her work focuses on the social, political, economic and environmental impacts of metropolitan growth and change.
$15 ($10 for members), adults only, advance registration required
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 24
Radke House, Libertyville
Click here to register online
Download registration form

SECRET GEMS—THE FARMS OF LAKE COUNTY
We all love to see them from the road, and we bemoan the loss of each and every one, but do you ever wonder just what happens on a Lake County farm these days? Treat yourself to a summer’s evening at some of our most notable farms and meet the gracious families who run them. Tony Titus, past president of the Lake County Farm Bureau, hosts this private tour of the centennial Lodesky Farm of Gurnee, the centennial Wirtz Farm of Mundelein and the Sandhill Organics Farm of Grayslake. We’ll travel by air-conditioned bus and finish with a scrumptious dinner prepared from locally grown food.
$69 ($49 for members), adults only, advance registration required
4 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 16
Depart from Liberty Prairie Conservancy office, Grayslake
Click here to register online
Download registration form

PRESERVING THE FAMILY’S LAND
Stop at the library for this overview of options available to people who want to preserve the natural or rural character of their properties. Our staff teams up with attorney Julia Magnus to introduce the options, including conservation easements—voluntary agreements in which ownership and privacy are retained but development is permanently prohibited. You’ll receive updates on tax benefits, county growth projections and more. You’re interested but can’t make this date? Call us or periodically check our website for additional dates and locations.
Free; no reservations needed.
Thursday, September 11  7-8 p.m., Antioch Public Library
Tuesday, September 16  10-11 a.m., Wauconda Public Library
Saturday, October 25  10-11 a.m., Wauconda Public Library

PRAIRIE HARVEST CELEBRATION
Join us at our second annual Prairie Harvest Celebration benefit at the home of hosts George and Vicky Ranney.  It's a unique opportunity to see a place that remains largely unchanged since the first settler Levi Baxter received the deed to this land in 1844.  You'll enjoy an evening of breathtaking views, music, cocktails, silent and live auctions, and a harvest dinner prepared with the bounty of local family farms.  Take a walk in time through majestic oak groves that stand as a testament to the value of land preservation.  
$125 per person, adults only, advance registration required
Sunday, September 21
Grayslake
Silent Auction Items (List will be available in early September)
Click here to register online
Download Registration Form

SECRET GEMS—HIDDEN PLACES OF THE LIBERTY PRAIRIE RESERVE
Hike through an autumn landscape of rolling farm fields, oak woods, wetlands and prairie. Stop for a picnic snack at a secluded estate and then hike some more. You’ll visit some of our own properties as well as those of private landowners. Trip leaders are our own Steve Barg and Tim Girmscheid, two friends who have a bit of a tendency to wade through any grove, thicket, stream or berry patch they come across.
$25 ($20 for members), adults only, advance registration required
9 a.m. – noon
Saturday, October 18
Liberty Prairie Reserve, central Lake County
Click here to register online
Download registration form

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Let’s take a mid-week break to meet up at Mickey Finn’s for good food and conversation. Steve Byers, a man worth listening to, will give a short talk about the unusually large concentration of species that takes refuge here in Lake County. Steve’s been a field representative with the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission for 18 years, and he knows his stuff. Adults only.
$45 ($30 for members), non-members receive a one-year membership
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wednesday, November 5
Mickey Finn’s, Libertyville
Click here to register online
Download registration form

ILLUMINATION IN THE FLATWOODS—A BOOK DISCUSSION
A cozy country cottage is the setting for our exploration into Illumination in the Flatwoods: A Season with the Wild Turkey by Joe Hutto. This book pairs art with journal entries to tell the story of a wildlife artist’s six-month stay in the loblolly pinewoods of Florida with a brood of young turkeys. Our own Nathan Aaberg will lead the conversation over hot apple cider and fresh cinnamon oatmeal cookies. Nathan's passion is to find better ways for people to live with nature, and he believes it all starts with sharing ideas and stories with each other.
$15 ($10 for members), adults only
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 13
Radke House, Libertyville
Click here to register online
Download registration form

VOICES OF THE LAND
For over 200 years, folks have penned their astonishing stories about wildlife and nature in the Chicago area and here is your chance to hear the best of them. Through fun, poignant and stirring readings and music, acclaimed author Joel Greenburg teams up with musicians Tom Kastle and Barb Silverman to share from his newest book, Of Prairie, Woods & Water: Two Centuries of Chicago Nature Writing, a compilation of 100 first-person accounts. It doesn’t get more authentic than this. Co-sponsored by Friends of Ryerson Woods and Byron Colby Barn. 
$10 each ($8 for members), adults and teens only
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 23
Byron Colby Barn, Grayslake
Download registration form

VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS
Though we’re driven to preserve open space, our roots lie in caring for properties already preserved, and we’re pleased to keep that tradition alive. Please join us at our monthly workdays, where we provide tools and instruction, and volunteers help with projects such as weed control, seed collecting and planting. Trust us: it’s not too intense, and you’ll enjoy meeting some nice people while helping a natural area. We meet the second Saturday of every month, 9 a.m. to noon, and we alternate between Oak Openings in Grayslake and Liberty Prairie in Libertyville, two nature preserves owned by Libertyville Township (directions below). Wear jeans and boots; we’ll bring gloves, water and nourishment. Registration suggested but not mandatory for this
no-charge event.
April 12              Oak Openings
May 10                Liberty Prairie
June 14                Oak Openings
July 12                 Liberty Prairie
August 9             Oak Openings
September 13   Liberty Prairie
October 11          Oak Openings
November 8      Liberty Prairie
December 13     Oak Openings

Oak Openings Nature Preserve: From the corner of Routes 45 and 120 in Grayslake, go south on Route 45 for about one-half mile. Look for sign and parking lot on east side of road.

Liberty Prairie Nature Preserve: From the corner of Routes 45 and 120 in Grayslake, go south on 45 to Casey Road. Drive east on Casey about one mile. Look for the “Trail Crossing” sign and turn south at the first driveway past it. Park and meet where the driveway and trail intersect.

back to top