Up-coming Programs
Volo Bog State
Natural Area
Explore Nature with us!
A full line-up of programs close to home and FREE*! (What could be
better?!)
*Donations are happily accepted by the sites’ associated Friends groups.
LNCI! Encouraging families
to--- Leave No Child Inside!
Reservations are requested for most programs -
REPLY or Phone 815-344-1294
Limited drop-ins welcome but... program may be
cancelled if minimum registration is not met 24 hours prior. The
following list is provided in chronological order, based on the next activity
time. Some programs repeat monthly while others are one-time
activities. Locations and other information is available at the end of
the list.
Guided Tours of Volo Bog LNCI!
Most
Saturdays & Sundays 11:00 am & 1:00 pm
Volo Bog
State Natural Area features Illinois' only remaining open-water quaking bog. A
relic of the last ice age and a National Natural Landmark, this unique
ecosystem is home to carnivorous pitcher plants (easier to observe when most
other plants have lost their leaves), deciduous conifers and a
host of other botanical delights enjoyable even in Winter! Discover
these plus a variety of wetland wildlife including muskrats and occasional
"north-country" owls. Tours are about one hour. All ages welcome
(minimum age 5 recommended). No reservations are required. Groups of 10 or
more, please phone 815-344-1294 for special arrangements.
Tamarack Shop loaded with Great Holiday Gift Ideas! LNCI!
Hours:
Fridays 12 noon - 2:30 pm; Saturdays & Sundays 10 am - 3 pm plus by
luck & happenstance.
The Friends
of Volo Bog's Tamarack Shop has lots of new items for the nature lovers in the
family! From "Advice" T-shirts, new caps, puppets, books
& audio learning aids to items from local artisans who celebrate
nature, shoppers will find something for most folks on
their lists and lots of stuff for one's self as well! Also new this
Winter: Hot Cocoa & Cider Mixes! To keep costs low the Tamarack Shop
accepts cash and checks only, no plastic. Members of the Friends of Volo
Bog receive discount on most items.
Bird Walks at Volo Bog State Natural
Area Saturdays & Sundays
June 13, 27; July 3, 24; August 14,
29; September 12,
25 LNCI!
8:00 a.m.
Enjoy resident nesting birds from a
variety of habitats at Volo Bog SNA. A sandhill crane is nesting within easy
view of Volo Bog’s floating boardwalk with the baby, called a colt, due to
hatch in early June! Other nesters include barnswallows, bluebirds and tree
swallows. Dress for the weather; bring binoculars and field guides or borrow
from Volo Bog. Walk length and time varies from 1 - 3+ hours with weather &
luck in birding! Walks co-sponsored & led by McHenry County Audubon. Geared
to adults & attentive kids 7 years old and older. Reservations are
requested at 815-344-1294 or dnr.volobog@illinois.gov .
Limited walk-ins welcome but program may be cancelled if registration minimum
is not met 24 hours prior.
Artist’s Reception at Volo Bog State Natural
Area
Sunday, June 13 1:00
- 2:30 p.m.
Meet twelve-year-old artist Nandu
Dubey. Nandu has been displaying over 80 of his bird sketches at Volo Bog this
spring into summer. Reception features cake and refreshments. Enter to win
prizes including Dubey Prints, Binoculars, and a Peterson Field Guide to Birds
- Drawing is at 2:00 p.m. No reservations required, just stop on in! Contact
815-344-1294.
Of Bogs & Books - Book Discussion Group
Book Discussion at Volo Bog State Natural Area
Of Bogs & Books
Second Saturday each month
June 12, July 10, August
14
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Adults share morning coffee &
snacks over a discussion of nature, science & environmental readings.
June 12: Pretty Shield - Medicine Woman of the Crows by
Frank B. Linderman
July 10: Summer World: A Season of Bounty by
Bernd Heinrich
July's participants will choose autumn's reading selections.
August 14 : Insect Lives - Stories of Mystery and Romance from
a Hidden World by Erich Hoyt
Reservations are requested at 815-344-1294 or dnr.volobog@illinois.gov . Limited walk-ins welcome but program may be cancelled if registration minimum is not met 24 hours prior.
Photo Club meets at Volo Bog State Natural
Area Third Wednesdays
June 16, July 21, Aug.
18 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
The ShutterBugs of Volo Bog meetings
include how-to workshops, guest speakers & member competitions. Non-members
are invited to attend but membership is required to compete. No reservations
required. Questions? 815-344-1294.
Astronomy Nights at Volo Bog State Natural
Area Third Fridays
June 18, July 16, Aug. members
only LNCI!
8:30 a.m. - open
The Lake County Astronomical Society
meets at Volo Bog State Natural Area on the 3rd Friday of each month except
December. A 7:30 p.m. business meeting is followed by an indoor presentation at
8:30 p.m. and viewing if skies are clear about 9:30 p.m. The public is always
welcome (except August but memberships are available). Visit www.lcas-astronomy.org for more info on the society.
Keying Out Nature at Volo Bog State Natural
Area
Wednesday, June
23 LNCI!
12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to
use a dichotomous key - one of those tricky looking scientific methods of
identifying plants, skulls or other things? Here's your chance. We'll start out
easy then delve into more complex topics. We’ll use keys from books as well as
from the internet. Dress for indoors & outside too. Geared to adults and
interested kids 11 years & older. Reservations are requested at
815-344-1294 or dnr.volobog@illinois.gov .
Limited walk-ins welcome but program may be cancelled if registration minimum
is not met 24 hours prior.
Habitat Restoration & Stewardship Team
Work-days at Volo Bog State Natural Area, McHenry Dam and Moraine Hills State
Park
Saturdays LNCI! 9:00
a.m - 11:30 a.m.
June 26, July 24, September 4
Become a Volo Bog or Moraine
Hills/McHenry Dam Volunteer & help to heal the land. The HRST works in a
variety of habitats once each month (mostly) throughout the year. Youth
are welcome (age 15 & younger, when accompanied by an adult).
Individuals interested in the Stewardship dimension may adopt a plot of land to
tend more frequently. Contact Natural Resources Coordinator Stacy Iwanicki at
815-344-1294 or dnr.volobog@illinois.gov for
further information on volunteering.
Trail of Twelve Trees - A Self-Paced,
Self-Guided Discovery Trail at Volo Bog State Natural Area
Saturday, June 26 & Sunday, June
27 LNCI!
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
LNCI! Free Stuff LNCI!
Learn to identify trees... Contemplate
how they function... Discover products and services they provide for humans and
other critters. Check in at the Volo Bog Visitor Center for a scavenger hunt
with instructions. Then go on a short hike to discover some of the common
species that grow at Volo Bog State Natural Area. All ages welcome! This
open-house style activity is great for groups too. Plan to spend an hour or so.
Questions? 815-344-1294.
Friends of Volo Bog & ShutterBugs Annual
Picnic & Meeting
Sunday, June
27 LNCI! 12
noon - 2:30 p.m.
The Friends of Volo Bog’s Annual
Members Picnic is worth the price of membership! New members are sought to help
bring this 501(c)(3) organization over 300 member! Picknickers are asked to
bring non-disposable eating utensils and some yard toys (optional), for an
afternoon of fun. The FOVB provides the food - please phone with reservations
no later than 3pm June 25. Open to members only. New Members Welcome - visit www.FriendsofVoloBog.org for membership and other
information.
Calling All
Artists...
Help Volo Bog State
Natural Area Celebrate Bogs!
Entry Deadline Wednesday,
June 30 LNCI! 3:00
p.m.
Artists of all media are invited to
submit one piece to Volo Bog's Third Annual
Summer Bog Art Show.
Open to adults and kids 11 years & older. One entry per artist.
Reply with request for invitation with guidelines, The Rule, and a registration
form. There's really only one rule - work must be
representative of and/or inspired by bogs. Not swamps, marshes,
prairies, woods, rivers, mountains or back yards. Just
bogs. It doesn't have to be Volo Bog. Bogs are a north-country
habitat. A Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont, Quebec or an Irish or
Swedish bog will do just as well. Learn more - Visit Volo Bog State
Natural Area for a guided tour of North America's southern-most open-water
quaking bog (the trees float). Tours are held most Saturdays &
Sundays at 11 am & 1 pm. Or stop by the local library and search the
www! Questions? Discuss an idea? Contact Stacy at
815-344-1294. Artists have the option of selling their work by silent
auction to help raise funds for the Friends of Volo Bog, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization. Check out www.FriendsofVoloBog.org The
Summer Bog Art Show Artists' Reception is held on International Bog Day, Sunday, July 25th from 12
noon - 1 p.m. followed by live entertainment (music and/or storytelling
TBA). The Summer Bog
Art Show runs from July 2 - August 7th.
Field Trip to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie with the Friends of Volo Bog & Friends
of Moraine Hills State Park
Saturday, July
17 LNCI!
6 AM Departure from VBSNA
Members of the Friends of Volo Bog
& Friends of Moraine Hills State Park will explore the first National
Tallgrass Prairie in the country! Part of the former Joliet Army Ammunition
Plant, this area is now managed by federal and state agencies for the
restoration of Illinois' largest lost ecosystem. The day will begin with
wildlife watching then go on a guided driving/caravan loop tour "War
Plants to Prairie Plants: Midewin Past, Present & Future" from 10 am -
12:30 pm. The group will then share a "Dutch Treat" lunch at a local
restaurant (TBA). Registration is required through Volo Bog at 815-344-1294.
Group size is limited. New Members Welcome - visit www.FriendsofVoloBog.org and www.FriendsofMoraineHillsStatePark.org for
membership and other information.
International Bog Day Celebrated at Volo Bog
State Natural Area
Sunday, July 25 Open
House LNCI! Noon - 4 p.m.
International Bog Day is celebrated in
Europe and Canada...Volo Bog State Natural Area was the first (in ‘08) to bring
IBD to the United States!
12 Noon - 1 pm Summer Bog Art Show
Artists' Reception & Silent Auction celebrating Bogs Around the World
through Art... Meet the Artists!
1- 4 pm Music & Stories in the
classroom
1- 4 pm Bog Crafts for Kids Upstairs
&/or Picnic Shelter (location determined by weather)
Guided Bog Tours
11 am 11:45 am 1 pm 1:45 pm 2:45 pm
12:30 - 2 p.m. Meet live "Bog
Dogs" in the Picnic Area
Norwegian Elkhound remains have been
preserved for over 5,000yrs in European Bogs!
Bats in Your Belfry? An Adventure at Volo Bog
State Natural Area
Friday, July
30 One Day Only
LNCI! 7:00
- 9:00 p.m.
Advanced Reservations REQUIRED at
815-344-1294
Come get to know these fascinating
mammals! Program begins with an indoor slide show and discussion, then moves to
visit Illinois' largest known nursery colony of little brown bats. The second
half of the program is outside - lawn chairs or blankets, binoculars &
insect repellent (please don't pre-apply repellent!) are needed. LNCI! Open to
adults and kids age 7 and older. Reservations required - phone
815-344-1294 - sorry, no walk-ins.
Insect & Spider Safari at Volo Bog State
Natural Area
Sunday, August
22 LNCI! 1:30
- 3:00 p.m.
Sweep prairie and old fields in search
of the most fascinating little neighbors. Some have six legs, some eight. All
are a delight to discover! Program will help alleviate fears and apprehension,
ending with a sharing circle. Geared to a wide range of ages, 5 years and up.
Reservations are requested at 815-344-1294. Limited walk-ins welcome but
program may be cancelled if registration minimum is not met 24 hours prior.
Late Summer Wetland Botany at Volo Bog State
Natural Area
Saturday, September
18 LNCI!
9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The plant diversity in Volo Bog is
impressive! Discover wool grass, rice cut grass, buttercups, tickseed sunflowers
and willow herbs. The ever-present carnivorous pitcher plants, poison sumac,
and tamarack trees all add interest to this workshop with both a classroom and
field session. Specimens will be left available through Sunday, September 19
for the really ambitious learners! Geared to adults, but interested youth 10
and older are encouraged to attend. Reservations are requested at 815-344-1294.
Limited walk-ins welcome but program may be cancelled if registration minimum
is not met 24 hours prior.
For more information, also visit
www.FriendsofMoraineHillsStatePark.org