ANNA, Ill. – Teachers, homeschool groups, youth leaders, and curious learners across southern Illinois now have access to a unique, hands-on way to explore the natural world thanks to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Through a special partnership, IDNR Resource Trunks can be borrowed from select host sites across the Johnson, Massac, and Union counties. These educational trunks are provided by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and contain engaging, standards-aligned materials that support teaching about wildlife, water, trees, and more. University of Illinois Extension is proud to serve as a host site for several of these trunks, making them more accessible to youth, families, and educators in our region. Currently, four themed trunks, Illinois Wild Mammals, Aquatic Illinois, Illinois Trees, and Illinois Birds are housed at the Union County Extension Office in Anna and are available for loan to anyone interested in teaching or learning more about Illinois’s ecosystems. Each trunk is packed with carefully curated resources, hands-on materials, and curriculum support that aligns with Illinois Learning Standards and sparks curiosity about the environment.
The Illinois Wild Mammals trunk is ideal for grades Kindergarten through middle school and includes fur samples, skulls, track and scat replicas, field guides, DVDs, posters, and interactive lessons.
The Aquatic Illinois trunk dives into the world of water covering biology, chemistry, and ecology with water sampling kits, posters, videos, and curriculum guides for grades 3 through high school.
The Illinois Trees trunk, designed for PreK through 10th grade, includes tools to explore forest ecosystems, forestry careers, and conservation practices.
The Illinois Birds trunk introduces students to native bird species, migration, habitats, and conservation through models, sound identifiers, guides, and curriculum support that is aimed towards grades 3 through 8.
These and other resource trunks are part of a statewide effort by IDNR to make environmental education more interactive, accessible, and fun. Trunks are available at other various locations in the region:
Johnson County
Cache River State Natural Area (Belknap): Aquatic Illinois, Field Trip Pack, Illinois Amphibians and Reptiles Field Pack, Illinois Birds, Illinois Insects and Spiders, Illinois Invasive Species, Illinois Pollinators, Illinois Prairies, Illinois State Symbols, Illinois Trees, Illinois Wild Mammals
Massac County
Fort Massac State Park (Metropolis): Aquatic Illinois, Field Trip Pack, Illinois Amphibians and Reptiles Field Pack, Illinois Birds, Illinois Fossils, Illinois Insect and Spiders, Illinois Invasive Species, Illinois Pollinators, Illinois Prairies , Illinois State Symbols, Illinois Trees, Illinois Wild Mammals
Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (Belknap): Aquatic Illinois, Field Trip Pack, Illinois Birds, Illinois Fossils, Illinois Insects and Spiders, Illinois Invasive Species, Illinois Prairies, Illinois State Symbols, Illinois Trees, Illinois Wild Mammals
Union County
University of Illinois Extension Office (Anna): Illinois Wild Mammals, Aquatic Illinois, Illinois Trees, Illinois Birds
Stinson Memorial Library (Anna): Field Trip Pack, Illinois Amphibians and Reptiles Field Pack
How to Check Out a Trunk
To reserve a trunk, visit the IDNR Trunks Program webpage and contact the facility in which you wish to reserve a trunk.
There, you can explore the different themes, check availability by location, and learn how to contact the facility you wish to borrow from. Trunks are loaned at no cost and are available to formal and non-formal educators, youth program leaders, homeschoolers, and others who wish to incorporate more environmental content into their programming. After checking out a trunk, make sure to fill out the trunk data entry form to help the Illinois Department of Natural Resources gain data and valuable information so they can help continue this program and many others in the future. Whether you're a teacher looking to enrich your science curriculum or a youth leader eager to spark environmental awareness, these IDNR trunks offer a creative and meaningful learning experience for students across Southern Illinois.
WRITER: Jordi Oliver, summer intern serving Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski, and Union counties, jordio@illinois.edu, 618-833-6363
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.