Livingston County is home to small towns with strong community ties, as well as hidden treasures owned by the Prairie Lands Foundation. The University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalists, in partnership with the Prairie Lands Foundation, strives to help the community experience the beauty of these preserves and engage in outdoor educational programs. Many locals have noted they were unaware of the preserves or that they could explore the woods. The community highly values the outdoor environmental educational initiatives offered at Prairie Lands Foundation sites, and these efforts have continued to grow from 2024 into 2025.
In November 2024, the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program and the Prairie Lands Foundation hosted an Owl Prowl event. Participants embarked on an evening hike at Fugate Woods Nature Preserve in search of owls. With over 100 in attendance, seeing two screech owls swoop down and call out was a great treasure, showcasing their impressive wings and incredible speed through the night sky.
Following this community event, various homeschool groups requested to learn more about owls, including their different species, anatomy, and natural habitats. Master Naturalist volunteers have answered the call, providing hands-on education about how owls see, where they nest, and what they eat.
On March 5, 18 youth attended a program at Dominy Memorial Library, and on March 19, attendance grew to 59 participants. The young attendees eagerly practiced skills during a simulated night hike, using red-light flashlights to navigate around stones, logs, and low-hanging branches. They also utilized binoculars to locate images of owls in various nests displayed around the room, examining the materials found in each nest.
Finally, the participants enjoyed dissecting owl pellets, uncovering bones and fur remains, and hypothesizing which bones belonged to which prey species.
The community's enthusiasm for hands-on education through play and outdoor activities has been incredible. Ongoing support and appreciation for these events highlight the significant impact that our local volunteers and educators have on youth and their families.
The University of Illinois Extension has more events planned for 2025 in partnership with the Prairie Lands Foundation. We eagerly anticipate welcoming families to learn about our local environment in new and engaging ways.
Visit extension.illinois.edu/lmw/events to find out what is coming up next!
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.