So far this year, The Nature Foundation of Will County has secured $147,600 to help the Forest Preserve District of Will County preserve and protect Will County’s natural resources and create enhanced recreational and educational opportunities.
These funds come from donations made to the Foundation, including gifts from individual donors and corporate partners as well as revenue from Forest Preserve merchandise sales, said Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation of Will County.
“Our donors and partners are so incredibly generous,” Neff said. “Some of them have been part of our community since our first year of operation in 2014. All of our donors make it possible for us to support for everything you love about the Forest Preserve District.”
The Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization and is eligible to apply for funding opportunities for which the Forest Preserve is not and applications are submitted to various funders throughout the year for projects approved by the Forest Preserve District.
Financial gifts from The Nature Foundation to the Forest Preserve District fall into four categories: recreation; nature education; arts and interpretation; and land stewardship. These dollars are spent across the county to enhance people’s experiences in their Will County preserves, Neff said.
“The Foundation works to create a legacy of giving that supports and celebrates the preservation, conservation, education and recreation priorities of the Forest Preserve District of Will County in perpetuity,” she said. “We fund Forest Preserve projects and initiatives that protect nature, inspire discovery, and bring people and nature together.”
For employees, financial support from The Nature Foundation is a way of broadening the Forest Preserve’s reach, said Lydia Pond, director of visitor services.
“It is an avenue to make some of our dreams come true,” she said. “We are able to do all the things we hope for and then a little bit more.”
Here is a closer look at the many ways funding from The Nature Foundation will support the forest preserves and the people who use them in 2025.
Recreation
So far this year, the Nature Foundation has allocated $45,600 in funding to support recreation initiatives in the preserves. This includes bicycle racks and repair stations, benches, water fountains and outdoor recreation programs such as Woods Walk and the Be a Trailblazer campaign.
“Working with The Nature Foundation allows us to include those extra elements that bring a project to the next level,” said Colleen Novander, director of planning and land preservation.
Novander said funding from The Nature Foundation is like “the icing on the cake,” explaining that the Forest Preserve District budgets to fully fund a project, but additional funding can help pay for additional amenities. “They help fund things that can make the spaces more enjoyable.”
She said she appreciates the partnership between the Forest Preserve and The Nature Foundation because it gives the Will County community a better experience in the preserves.
“Their support furthers our mission,” she said. “The goals set by The Nature Foundation are supported by the public, and that support enables us to offer more.”
Neff said the goal is to provide everyone with access to recreational opportunities they enjoy or would like to try.
“Our investments make it easier for people to spend time at visitor centers, out in the preserves and on the trails,” she said.
Nature education
This year, the Foundation has already allocated $29,000 for programs and supplies that enhance nature education and create additional educational opportunities for the public. This includes funding for STEAM/STEAM programs, housing and health care for the District’s animal ambassadors that live at Forest Preserve visitor centers as well as a bus scholarship program for field trips and the Willy’s Wilderness website, which is aimed at students and educators.
For the Forest Preserve’s Visitor Services Department, this money covers a wide array of items, everything from materials like LEGO, Play-Doh and art supplies to things like binoculars, microscopes and furs and pelts that aid in interpretation and education, Pond said.
The Forest Preserve budgets for many of these items, but additional funding from The Nature Foundation makes more supplies available for field trips and programs. Those additional supplies mean, for example, that every child might get to use a dip net on a field trip rather than sharing, or everyone at a program gets their own binoculars to use rather than passing them back and forth.
These may seem like small things, but having these additional supplies allows more people to have meaningful experiences.
“The goal is to connect people with nature, and The Nature Foundation allows us more avenues to do that,” Pond said.
Arts and interpretation
The Nature Foundation has allocated $36,700 in funding to the Forest Preserve in 2025 to enhance arts and interpretation opportunities for the public. This includes funding for several visitor center exhibitions throughout the year as well as enhancements to bird-feeding stations at Isle a la Cache Museum and Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Funds will also be used to install interpretive signage in preserves.
These dollars allow Forest Preserve staff to connect with more people in more ways, Pond said.
“With funding from The Nature Foundation, we can create new environments or engage with people in a different way,” she said.
Each visitor center has its own identity under the umbrella of the Forest Preserve’s goals and mission, and exhibitions are a way to complement that identity and keep the facilities fresh, Pond said.
“Hosting exhibitions is a way to make things consistently different,” she said. “It changes the landscape. They make our visitor centers more dynamic.”
The same is true of the bird-feeding stations. They offer another reason for people to visit the visitor centers — and keep visiting. The bird-feeding stations are used for public programs, but they are also used daily by visitors who simply enjoy the peaceful pastime of birdwatching.
“The Forest Preserve staff is so talented,” Neff said. “Creating compelling reasons for people to visit a specific visitor center multiple times throughout the year has got to be challenging.”
These new and different opportunities to learn about Will County’s natural and cultural resources might be the spark that ignites a passion for nature in our next generation of environmental stewards.
Land stewardship
The Nature Foundation’s 2025 budget includes $36,300 for land stewardship activities in the forest preserves, including wildlife habitat improvements and a grant for the Forest Preserve’s volunteer site stewards through the Restore Will County program.
The Forest Preserve’s partnership with The Nature Foundation allows for more habitat management and improvement across the county, said Jessica Quinn, natural resource management coordinator, and Judith Wallace, land management coordinator, who have both worked on projects supported by Foundation funding.
“Funding from The Nature Foundation allows us to do more, and it all keeps snowballing,” Wallace said. “And the more we do, it allows us to engage more people.”
Financial support from the Foundation can accelerate the timelines for some habitat improvement projects or even put projects on the to-do list that otherwise might not get done, Quinn said.
While working on Foundation-funded projects, both Quinn and Wallace have had conversations with people who stop to ask questions about the work they are doing, creating another positive learning experience.
“When the public can see us doing these things, it helps them understand,” Quinn said.
Wallace said she finds that the public is always appreciative of their work to improve these natural spaces, often thanking them for what they are doing.
“It gives natural resources a voice with the public,” Wallace said. “When they see us out there, it makes a connection for people.”
“Responsible land management practices are essential for any landowner,” Neff said. “The Forest Preserve District owns and/or manages over 23,000 acres so there is no lack of work to be completed with our additional funds.
"We love seeing how quickly nature responds to wildlife habitat improvements. We may also remember that we benefit from the very same improvements that create a healthy habitat for wildlife: clean air, clean water, and healthy soils."