(Aug. 26, 2021) — Help the DuPage Forest Preserve District provide healthy habitats for native plants and animals and inspiring places for visitors by donating to a virtual “Night for Nature” Sept. 13 – 16.
The fundraiser is hosted by the nonprofit Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which hopes to raise $12,000 for the Forest Preserve District’s conservation efforts and projects that connect people to nature.
Starting Aug. 30, donors can purchase rubber ducks for $25 apiece at dupageforest.org/night-for-nature for a Sept. 16 race at Blackwell Forest Preserve with $500 going to the winner. Only 250 ducks are available, and sales end Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. A video of the duck race, including an announcement of the winner, will be posted on the District’s Facebook page at 6 p.m. Sept. 16.
Donors can also bid on five exclusive forest preserve experiences in an online auction that runs from 8 a.m. Sept. 13 to 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at dupageforest.org/night-for-nature.
Also starting Sept. 13, the Friends will share stories over four days on the District’s Facebook page about the District’s efforts to conserve the federally endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly, the need for an improved wildlife rehabilitation clinic and visitor center at Willowbrook Wildlife Center, and the return of wildlife to a restored Spring Brook at Blackwell Forest Preserve.
- A behind-the-scenes tour for four of a prescription burn at a forest preserve this fall, which will show how this natural-resource management tool helps local habitats.
- An electrofishing demonstration for two at a forest preserve lake, where ecologists will use low-voltage currents to temporarily — and harmlessly — stun fish to net and record species before returning them to the water.
- A behind-the-scenes tour for four with the resident veterinarian at Willowbrook Wildlife Center, the Forest Preserve District’s wildlife rehabilitation facility
- A four-hour picnicking, boating or archery experience at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve
- One hour of personal instruction for one by a Forest Preserve District PGA staff member; one 18-hole round of golf for four with carts at The Preserve at Oak Meadows and Maple Meadows; and one 9-hole round for four with carts at Green Meadows.
“Your donation is an investment for the future of your DuPage forest preserves, because it will help support the restoration of those wild areas frequented by more than 6.3 million visitors each year,” said Larry Larson, the Friends’ board vice chair. “It will also protect the wildlife the Forest Preserve District manages and replenishes to ensure healthy ecosystems for visitors’ enjoyment now and into the future.”
DuPage Forest Preserve District President Daniel Hebreard agreed. “We are grateful to the Friends for its efforts to help raise funds in support of the Forest Preserve District’s mission to restore habitats and sustain wildlife while providing programs to connect people to nature,” Hebreard said.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been connecting people to nature for more than 100 years. More than 6.3 million people visit its 60 forest preserves, 166 miles of trails, six education centers and scores of programs each year. For information, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org, where you can also link to the District’s e-newsletter, blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
# # #