Fairbury, Ill. – Fugate Woods Nature Preserve in Livingston County served as the host site for numerous educational events throughout 2024 and concluded the season on November 2 with Night Owl Prowl. This was the seventh event of the year led by University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalists in partnership with the Prairie Lands Foundation. Night Owl Prowl, hosted alongside local science educator Scott Saffer, had a booming attendance of 101. Attendees gathered from Pontiac, Fairbury, Cornell, and other nearby towns. This family-friendly evening included a reading of Owl Moon, night-time walks listening for owls, and concluded with hot chocolate and owl pellets to take home.
Extension Program Coordinator for Master Naturalist Volunteers Alison Meanor states, “We had an amazing night! Families were enthusiastic to be out in the woods, and when dusk came everyone became still, listening and watching for owls. We were rewarded with two screech owls flying into the grove and perching in the tree above us.”
Throughout the year, events at Fugate brought people together to experience nature in new ways. The Master Naturalists look forward to planning similar outdoor events in 2025 and to continue educating communities about natural spaces. Until then, check out the Fugate Challenge, where you can develop new skills, experience exciting adventures, and earn neat prizes. Information about the Fugate Challenge can be found at Fugate Woods.org. Future Fugate Woods events will be posted on the University of Illinois Extension events page at extension.illinois.edu/lmw/events.
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.