Description: Learn about bat species in Illinois and the work of the Illinois Bat Conservation Program. The Illinois Natural History Survey biologist will join Park Naturalist Lisa Sons for a night hike using acoustic devices to see and hear what bat species are along the trails at Starved Rock State Park. Program registration is required and
Description: Jake Krancic from Utica, Illinois will share his story of sailing America’s Great Loop. The Great Loop is a 6,000-nautical-mile adventure that circumnavigates the eastern third of the United States, which includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the New York and Canadian Canals, the Great Lakes, Inland Rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. All “Loopers,”
Description: Let’s paint some happy little sunflowers at Matthiessen State Park this summer! Join Park Naturalist Lisa Sons as she goes through the steps of using acrylic paints on canvas to capture the sunflower fields at the park in July. Space is limited and registration opens at 8 a.m. on June 9th on Starved Rock Eventbrite
Description: Join state entomologists for a presentation on Illinois moths and how they catch/release moths at night for research. After the presentation and a night hike, we will set up a catch-and-release sheet at the park to see what moths we find. Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023 Time: 7 p.m. Location: Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center Registration
Description: The first Saturday of June is National Trails Day! Celebrate with us by participating in a Leave No Trace campaign at Starved Rock State Park and some fun activities involving the trails, canyons, waterfalls, and more! Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023 Time: 10 a.m. – Noon Location: Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center Registration required: No
Description: Go squirrely with fun education about squirrel species at Starved Rock State Park! A storybook will be read followed by a craft and a short hike in search of squirrels! Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center Registration required: Please email [email protected] to register.
Description: Join Brooke Morgan from the Illinois Museum Research and Collections Center for a lecture on the current archaeological knowledge of the earliest Indigenous inhabitants of the Illinois River Valley during the Late Pleistocene, commonly referred to as the Paleoindian period. Learn how Clovis, Folsom, and other hunter-gatherers utilized the landscape during the last Ice
Description: Celebrate the season with a fun and educational program on wildlife in winter while making a fun craft to hang on the trees outside to feed and watch wildlife during the winter. A storybook will be read followed by a craft and a short winter hike in search of signs of wildlife. Date: Saturday, December
Description: Spend a couple of hours relaxing while you learn how to paint with Park Naturalist Lisa Sons. Each participant will learn how to use acrylic paints to make a dimensional winter woodland landscape perfect for framing or small enough to turn into a special holiday card to celebrate the season. All supplies are furnished through
Description: Why does a beaver have a paddle-like tail? Why do raccoons have a dark mask around their eyes? Why do owls turn their heads almost all the way around? Join park naturalists in their search for the answers to animals and their adaptations that help them live the way they do in their