Take your love of nature to the next level

Will County volunteers recognized at 50th Anniversary Master Gardener Conference
JOLIET, Ill. — Local volunteers leading impactful local projects did not go unnoticed at the 2025 University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener Conference, held Sept. 4-5 in Springfield. "Local Master Gardener volunteers are helping others learn to grow and are making a...

Master Naturalists continue work restoring historic Sibley Burr Oak Grove
Sibley, Ill -- The East Central Illinois Master Naturalists invite community members and families to participate and volunteer in the Sibley Burr Oak Grove Workday on Saturday, October 11, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Sibley Burr Oak Grove Nature Preserve.This...

2025 Master Gardener Conference celebrates 50 years of growth, connection  
URBANA, Ill. — Some moments of legacy are written down, others branch off the page beneath the canopy of a shady tree, in the scent of fresh herbs rubbed between fingertips, through butterfly-sculpted glass...

Drought is intensifying across Illinois
An extremely dry end to summer and start to fall has intensified the ongoing drought in central and southern Illinois and increased the fire and blowing dust risk as we approach harvest, according to Illinois State Climatologist...

Clues about vanishing whip-poor-wills uncovered at birds’ wintering grounds
URBANA, Ill. — Often heard and rarely seen, the Eastern Whip-poor-will and its namesake nighttime call is an iconic Midwestern woodland bird. But like many other insect-eating birds, its numbers are declining....