Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
Oct
13
9:00 AM09:00

Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

  • Dixon Waterfowl Refuge - Bunkhouse (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Celebrate fall by helping to collect native seed in the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s restored prairie and wetland ecosystems. This is the second of two seed harvests that TWI is holding at the Refuge this fall - join us for one or both! No experience is needed for this fun and easy volunteer activity.

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Gary on the Little Calumet River
Oct
4
9:30 AM09:30

Gary on the Little Calumet River

Join TWI in partnership with the Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative and the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association (NWIPA) for a day in the outdoors at Lake Etta in Gary, Indiana! Participants can choose between paddling the Little Calumet River in kayaks or taking a guided bird walk near the lake. All will have the chance to learn about upcoming river restoration efforts happening at the nearby Chase Street Complex.

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Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge (Sandy Hollow)
Sep
27
9:00 AM09:00

Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge (Sandy Hollow)

  • Dixon Waterfowl Refuge - Sandy Hollow (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Celebrate fall by helping to collect native seed in the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s beautiful Sandy Hollow. This is the first of two seed harvests that TWI is holding at the Refuge this fall - join us for one or both! No experience is needed for this fun and easy volunteer activity.

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Earth Day Volunteer Brush Cutting at Square Marsh
Apr
26
10:00 AM10:00

Earth Day Volunteer Brush Cutting at Square Marsh

Join the Wetlands Initiative for a volunteer brush cutting event at Square Marsh, where TWI is working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Chicago Park District, and the Illinois International Port District, in celebration of Earth Day! We’ll meet at the Big Marsh North Parking Lot and then car-pool walk across S Stony Island Ave to Square Marsh to help remove invasive buckthorn trees.

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Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
Oct
5
9:00 AM09:00

Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

  • Dixon Waterfowl Refuge - Bunkhouse (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Celebrate fall by helping to collect native seed in the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s restored prairie and wetland ecosystems. This is the second of two seed harvests that TWI is holding at the Refuge this fall - join us for one or both! No experience is needed for this fun and easy volunteer activity.

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Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge (Sandy Hollow)
Sep
20
9:00 AM09:00

Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge (Sandy Hollow)

  • Dixon Waterfowl Refuge - Sandy Hollow (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Celebrate fall by helping to collect native seed in the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s beautiful Sandy Hollow. This is the first of two seed harvests that TWI is holding at the Refuge this fall - join us for one or both! No experience is needed for this fun and easy volunteer activity.

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Dixon Refuge Spring Plug Planting Day
May
4
9:00 AM09:00

Dixon Refuge Spring Plug Planting Day

Help restore native habitats at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s Sandy Hollow tract! Volunteers will plant plugs (seedlings) in prairie habitats at Sandy Hollow. Because the restoration of this upland sandy area is coming along so nicely, we’ll be planting some rarer native plants this year to boost the biodiversity!

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Reception for Our Once & Future Wetlands: Art, Ecology & Engineering at the Oak Park Public Library
Nov
9
6:00 PM18:00

Reception for Our Once & Future Wetlands: Art, Ecology & Engineering at the Oak Park Public Library

Join the Wetlands Initiative for a reception, artist talk, and panel discussion surrounding Our Once & Future Wetlands: Art, Ecology & Engineering at the Oak Park Public Library. This exhibit explores wetland restoration through textile works by Lindsay Olson, TWI’s first ever artist-in-residence, and photographs by Gary Sullivan, TWI’s Senior Ecologist.

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Biodiversity Festival at Big Marsh
Sep
23
10:00 AM10:00

Biodiversity Festival at Big Marsh

  • Ford Calumet Environmental Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Wetlands Initiative, the Geographic Society of Chicago, Chicago Park District, and many other community science organizations for a day of fun and nature exploration at Big Marsh Park, one of Chicago’s largest outdoor spaces! Big Marsh Park features walking, running and biking trails that attract outdoor recreation enthusiasts of all skill levels. It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife including amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals, and birds.

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Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
Oct
8
9:00 AM09:00

Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

Celebrate fall by helping to collect native seed in the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s beautiful restored prairies and wetlands. No experience is needed for this fun and easy volunteer activity. The seed harvested by volunteers will later be cleaned, sorted, and planted over the winter in other areas of the Refuge that are being restored.

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Midewin "Time Travel" Prairie Hike
Nov
2
10:00 AM10:00

Midewin "Time Travel" Prairie Hike

As part of National Bison Day festivities, come see what Illinois’ tallgrass prairie looked like when bison roamed it! Join the Wetlands Initiative in exploring an area at Midewin called South Patrol Road Prairie, which we previously restored in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. A family-friendly guided hike with TWI’s Trevor Edmonson will include stops to harvest native seed for planting in other areas of Midewin currently under restoration.

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Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
Oct
5
9:00 AM09:00

Native Seed Harvest at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

Celebrate fall by helping to collect native seed in the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge’s beautiful restored prairies and wetlands. No experience is needed for this fun and easy volunteer activity!

The seed harvested by volunteers will later be cleaned, sorted, and planted over the winter in other areas of the Refuge that are being restored. This is an important way you can participate in restoration of this internationally recognized site and its diverse native habitats.

Bring your own water bottle and we'll provide snacks, tools, and gloves. Please wear appropriate clothing for fieldwork (e.g., long pants, closed-toe shoes). Children 16 years old or younger must be accompanied by a parent or other chaperone.

Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the parking lot by the observation tower. Click here for a map and driving directions.

Please email us if you plan to attend.

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Sep
7
6:00 PM18:00

Moonlit Mini-Blitz at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge

Photo by Lindsay Appel

Photo by Lindsay Appel

At our 2018 BioBlitz, participants came out in droves to help experts survey for owls, bats, snakes, frogs, and nocturnal insects at our Dixon Waterfowl Refuge—and they couldn’t get enough! For this special-edition Mini-Blitz, we’re scheduling only twilight and nighttime species surveys to give people another chance to experience the Refuge after dark.

No experience is needed to participate, and hot dogs and s’mores around the campfire will be provided.

Attendance for this event is very limited. To be notified when registration will open, enter your email here.

You can view the results of the 2018 BioBlitz here.

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