Join us for an intergenerational outdoor learning experience at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve (37W700 Dean Street in St. Charles). We will begin our time together 9:00 am on Saturday, August 5. Dress for the weather, and bring water, sunscreen, and bug repellant.

We will meet in the parking lot near the Creek Bend Nature Center, and take some time to reflect along Ferson Creek. Note that this is all on the north side of Dean Street. Then for those that wish to continue on, we can walk down to the prairies that are located south of Dean Street. As many of you may know, the Horlock Prairie is named for FVPC’s Bob Horlock, who oversaw the restoration of this prairie with his high school students.

LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve is a 459-acre preserve made up of a high-quality prairie remnant, a restored prairie, native woodland, and Ferson Creek, which meanders through the preserve. Much of the preserve is also a dedicated Nature Preserve, the highest level of protection under Illinois law reserved for the highest quality sites. Contained within the preserve is a true prairie relic (the Murray prairie), various restorations (including the Bob Horlock Prairie), flood plain forests, seeps, oak woodlands, and grassy fields. Seeds of prairie plants have been sown across acres of fields, both north and south of Dean Street. The site is varied and beautiful, with over 130 feet of elevation difference from the crest in the center of the property to Ferson Creek. There are almost nine miles of trails, including the starting point for the Great Western Trail.

Organizer for this event: Jeff Mengler.