Words of the Woods

Some of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ 1,241 volunteers joke they work “eight days a week.” That dedication shows up in the numbers. In 2025, our volunteers donated 21,410 hours, valued at $734,149.

Opportunities are open to all, with training provided and no experience necessary. Volunteers are active in habitat restoration, education, seed processing, transcription, gardening, photography and other disciplines.

Their stories look different, but they’re built on the same bedrock. Showing up, again and again, for the Forest Preserves and each other. Let’s meet some of them.

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

• Bonner Heritage Farm (Lindenhurst)
• Community Garden Site (Waukegan)
• Duck Farm (Lake Villa)
• Dunn Museum (Libertyville)
• Greenbelt (North Chicago)
• Independence Grove Native Garden (Libertyville)
• Kestrel Ridge (Round Lake)
• Native Seed Nursery (Grayslake)
• Nippersink (Round Lake)
• Oriole Grove (Lake Bluff)
• Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods)

Selected Links and Sources:

• “2024 Slough Lake Summary Report,” Lake County Health Department
• Bess Bower Dunn, Dunn Museum
• Common buckthorn, Lake County Forest Preserves
• Dame’s rocket, Illinois Wildflowers
• Every Acre Strong
• Fall 2026 Horizons
• Flickr Group, Lake County Forest Preserves
• Forest Preserves calendar
• Horizons subscriptions
• “Hundreds of Young Invasive Carp Found Closer to Lake Michigan Than Ever Before, Just as Work Has Stopped on Billion-Dollar Barrier,” WTTW Chicago
• “Invasive Garlic Mustard,” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Lake Forest High School
• Northshore Garden of Memories, Memorial Planning
• Research and Collections, Dunn Museum
• “The Capture of Half Day,” Chicago Tribune
• Volunteer opportunities

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves.

Many thanks to Tim Elliott, Liz Rose Fisher, Leroy Howze, Barbara Johnson, R. Scott McNeill, Bill Oakes, Diane Phillips, Kay Ross, Judith Salstone, Mat Sullivan, Dave Szaflarski, Tom Wilson and every other volunteer for contributing to the Forest Preserves’ mission.

Additional reporting by Kim Mikus. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves. Your gift will help create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment.

Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected]. 

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

Wave hello to The Lake Plain Coastal Preserves—one of the rarest, most diverse ecosystems on Lake Michigan.

The Lake Plain covers 15 miles of shoreline and over 4,500 acres between Waukegan, Illinois and Kenosha, Wisconsin. Here, ancient beach ridges tell stories spanning 3,000 years of restless freshwater tides. Eastern prickly pear, a drought-tolerant cactus, thrives beside arctic bearberry, a cold-climate shrub. Endangered piping plovers continue their species’ comeback story each season they return to nest.

Visitors find what they didn’t know they were seeking. Environmental stewards discover their calling, families create memories across generations and others take solace in nature.

The Lake Plain Coalition, an alliance led by the Lake County Forest Preserves, other public agencies, private organizations and individuals, is proving collective care can preserve the irreplaceable.

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Forest Preserves Mentioned:

• Spring Bluff (Winthrop Harbor)

Selected Links and Sources:

• American beachgrass, Illinois Wildflowers
• Ancestral Lake Michigan, Illinois Natural History Survey
• Arctic bearberry, Illinois Wildflowers
• Blanding’s Turtle Recovery Program
• Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Creeping juniper, Illinois Wildflowers
• Crown vetch, Illinois Wildflowers
• Culver’s root, Illinois Wildflowers
• Dune willow, Illinois Native Plant Society
• Eastern prickly pear, Illinois Wildflowers
• “EPA Sites in the City of Waukegan,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Every Acre Strong
• Forest Preserves calendar
• Giant reed, Illinois Wildflowers
• Glossy buckthorn, Illinois Wildflowers
• Horizons subscriptions
• Illinois Beach State Park, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
• Indiana Dunes, Indiana Dunes Tourism
• Kalm’s St. John’s wort, Illinois Wildflowers
• Lake Plain Coalition, lakeplain.org/about
• Lake Plain Conservation Fund, Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves
• Piping plover, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• “Piping Plover Chicks Hatch at Montrose, While Waukegan Is on Second Nest Watch After Series of Dramatic Plot Twists,” WTTW Chicago
• Pitcher’s thistle, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)
• Prescribed burns
• "The Ramsar List,” Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance
• Reed canary grass, Illinois Wildflowers
• Rusty patched bumble bee, USFWS
• Sharing Our Shore–Waukegan, Lake County Audubon Society
• Summer 2026 Horizons
• The Lake Plain Coastal Preserves, lakeplain.org

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ fund for Lake Plain Conservation.

Your gift directly supports habitat restoration, species monitoring, education programs and operational expenses for the Lake Plain Coalition. Learn more and give at lakeplain.org.

Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Belynda Alberte, Gary Glowacki and Carolyn Lueck.

We used the following recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library with permission:

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Other sound effects and music from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art © Becca Heuer Photography.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

At first light, a wetland at Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve in Grayslake stirs to life.

Red-winged blackbirds trumpet conk-la-REE-look-at-ME songs from swaying cattails. Wood ducks tip forward to eat plants below the water’s surface, rear ends bobbing in the air.

A great blue heron stands motionless onshore, amber-yellow eyes searching the shallows for tasty fish. The fresh smells of spring drift on a casual breeze as the landscape comes alive.

Birdwatching gives you front-row seats to these compelling scenes, especially in Lake County.

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

• Des Plaines River Trail
• Fort Sheridan (Lake Forest)
• Fox River Marina (Port Barrington)
• General Offices (Libertyville)
• Greenbelt Cultural Center (North Chicago)
• Independence Grove (Libertyville)
• Visitors Center
• Rollins Savanna (Grayslake)
• Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods)
• Ryerson Welcome Center
• Van Patten Woods (Wadsworth)

Selected Links and Sources:

• “2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation,” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Barred owl, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Birdwatching Checklist
• Birdwatching Guide
• Birdwatching resources
• Blue jay, Cornell
• Dark-eyed junco, Cornell
• Ebird
• Every Acre Strong
• Forest Preserves calendar
• Global Big Day, Cornell
• Great blue heron, Cornell
• Great egret, Cornell
• Great horned owl, Cornell
• Green-winged teal, Cornell
• Horizons subscriptions
• iNaturalist
• Macaulay Library, Cornell
• Mexican violetear, Cornell
• Mississippi Flyway, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Northern cardinal, Cornell
• Purple martin, Cornell
• Red-winged blackbird, Cornell
• Rose-breasted grosbeak, Cornell
• Short-eared owl, Cornell
• Spring 2026 Horizons
• Tree swallow, Cornell
• Virginia rail, Cornell
• Wood duck, Cornell
• Yellow warbler, Cornell

If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves. Your gift will help create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment.

Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jen Berlinghof, Nan Buckardt, Eileen Davis, Samantha Gallagher, Gary Glowacki, Mark Hurley, Matt Ueltzen and Pati Vitt.

We used the following recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library with permission:

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Other sound effects and music from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Cover art illustration © Samantha Gallagher.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake CountyForest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

Winter is a sleepy time in your Lake County Forest Preserves.

Many songbirds have flown south. Snow drifts sand the edges off the landscape. But now is when Lake County’s three resident owl species warm up their voices for breeding season.

“As the mercury drops, owl courtship heats up,” said Education Site Specialist Jen Berlinghof.

Four more owl species are winter visitors. Let’s learn the hoots of all seven owls.

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

• Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (LakeForest)
• Lyons Woods Forest Preserve(Waukegan)
• Old School Forest Preserve (Mettawa)
• Pine Dunes Forest Preserve (Antioch)
• Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve(Grayslake)
• Winter Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve (Wauconda)

Selected Links and Sources:

• “As Snowy Owls Hang Out Near Montrose Bird Sanctuary, City Limits Access to Area,” Madison Savedra, Block Club Chicago
• Barred owl, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• “Chicago Park District Limits Access to Snowy Owls, Citing Safety Concerns. Here’s What to Know About the Arctic Visitors,” Patty Wetli, WTTW News
• Eastern screech owl, Cornell
• Every Acre Strong
• Forest Preserves calendar
• Great horned owl, Cornell
• Horizons subscriptions
• Long-eared owl, Cornell
• Macaulay Library, Cornell
• Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Chicago Park District
• Northern saw-whet owl, Cornell
• “Please Give a Hoot,” Chicago Park District
• Short-eared owl, Cornell
• Snowy owl, Cornell
• Solar-lit trails
• “‘Utterly unlike other birds’: The inscrutable brilliance of owls,” Shannon Henry Kleiber, To the Best of our Knowledge
• “What a Hoot: Listening for Owls,” Winter 2025 Horizons
• “What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds,” Jennifer Ackerman
• “What is an irruption?”, Project SNOWstorm

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves.

Your gift will help create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment.

Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jen Berlinghof and Jennifer Ackerman.

We used the following recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library:

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Other sound effects and music from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art photo © Justine Neslund.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

When you settle into bed for the evening, another world awakens. Flying squirrels launch between trees, bats emerge from roosts and owls begin their silent hunts.

Your Lake County Forest Preserves provide the food, water, shelter and darkness these animals need during their night shifts. Despite their abundance and proximity, our nocturnal neighbors can seem mysterious. The dark obscures their unique activities.

Let’s peek behind the curtain.

Selected Links and Sources:

• “Bat Gardens & Houses,” Bat Conservation International
• Bats, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
• “Bats 101,” Bat Conservation International
• “Behind the bandit mask,” Lake County Nature Blog
• Blue-spotted salamander, IDNR
• “Chiroptera,” Animal Diversity Web
• Coyote, IDNR
• “DarkSky’s Home Outdoor Lighting Assessment,” DarkSky International
• Eastern tiger salamander, IDNR
• “Echolocation,” National Park Service
• Every Acre Strong
• Horizons subscriptions
• Illinois moths, IDNR
• “Night Shift: Lake County’s Nocturnal Animals,” Fall 2025 Horizons
• “Skunk stories,” Lake County Nature Blog
• Southern flying squirrel, IDNR
• “The influence of human disturbance on wildlife nocturnality,” Science
• Virginia opossum, IDNR
• White-nose Syndrome Response Team
• White-tailed deer, IDNR
• “Why do animals’ eyes glow in the dark?”, NPR

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please considerdonating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves. Your gift will help create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment.

Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jim Grego and Dan Sandacz. Scriptediting by Jeanna Martinucci, Kim Mikus and Rebekah Snyder. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art © Joe McDonald / McDonald Wildlife Photography.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

Imagine stepping into the woods, leaving behind the noise and stress of daily life. 

As you pause and breathe, a sense of calm takes over. There’s no rush or destination, only the soothing quiet of the woodland. Welcome to forest bathing, a practice that invites you to reconnect with yourself and nature.

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

• Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve (Long Grove)
• Ethel’s Woods Forest Preserve (Antioch)
• Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (Lake Forest)
• Fox River Forest Preserve (Port Barrington)
• Grant Woods Forest Preserve (Ingleside)
• Lakewood Forest Preserve (Wauconda)
• Spring Bluff Forest Preserve (Winthrop Harbor)

Selected Links and Sources:

Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs

Every Acre Strong

Horizons subscriptions

Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

“Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review,” Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

“Shinrin-Yoku: A Deep Dive into Forest Bathing,” Treehugger

“Step into Serenity with Forest Bathing,” Summer 2025 Horizons

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves. Your gift willhelp create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring writing from Kim Mikus. Expertise from Retta Hennessy and Susmitha Kilaru. Script editing by Jeanna Martinucci, Kim Mikus and Rebekah Snyder. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

If you live in Lake County, Chicagoland, the Midwest or the eastern U.S. and Canada, tick bites are a low-level but persistent consideration when spending time outdoors.

You don’t have to hike among dense vegetation to find them. Or for them to find you. Checking yourself, your family and pets for ticks regularly is important, especially from spring to fall.

Let’s do what we can to dampen the risks by talking ticks.

Guests:

Kathryn McCabe, wildlife ecologist, Lake County Forest Preserves

Selected Links and Sources:

“About Permethrin-Treated Clothing and Gear,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

“Common Ticks: Prevention & Control,” Illinois Department of Public Health

Every Acre Strong

“Guide to different tick species and the diseases they carry,” Mayo Clinic

“Lyme Disease,” CDC

“Lyme disease in dogs,” American Veterinary Medical Association

Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves

“Preventing Ticks on Pets,” CDC

“Tick Bite: What to Do,” CDC

Tick Info

“Tick Lifecycles,” CDC

“Tick Talk (Tick Awareness Month),” Mildmay Veterinary Clinic

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Kathryn McCabe. Script editing by Gary Glowacki, Jeanna Martinucci, Kathryn McCabe, Kim Mikus, Rebekah Snyder, Matt Ueltzen and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art © KPixMining.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

If you struggle with climate anxiety, volunteering for the Lake County Forest Preserves is a practical thing you can do to help address the future as well as feelings of worry and fear.

Individuals, couples, families and friend groups can all volunteer. So can corporate groups, civic groups, scout troops, religious institutions, book clubs and just about any other organization. Opportunities include removing invasive species, planting trees and collecting native seed.

Another way to contribute is by making a gift to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves, the charitable partner of the agency. The most significant effort in the Foundation’s history is in progress: a five-year fundraising campaign to create a $20 million endowment for the Forest Preserves. Returns from investing that principal are expected to be $800,000 annually, which will exclusively support ongoing habitat restoration.

When it comes down to it, the ultimate source of resilience is all of us.

Guests:

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

Selected Links and Sources:

2024 Lake County Forest Preserves referendum

“The average adult spends more than seven hours online – here’s how you can manage your screen time,” Allconnect

“Become a community scientist,” Jen Berlinghof, Lake

Blanding’s Turtle Recovery Program

“The butterfly effect: how tiny actions unleash global consequences,” Farnam Street

Commemorative gifts

Community science monitoring

Group Volunteer Projects

Horizons subscriptions

Horizons (Summer 2024)

“If climate change keeps you up at night, here’s how to cope,” Harvard Medical School

Lake County Seed Collection Guide

“Majority of US adults believe climate change is most important issue today,” American Psychological Association

Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves

Restoration Workday Calendar

Restoration Workday Sites

“Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World,” General Stanley McChrystal

Volunteer Interest Form

Volunteer With Us

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ endowment campaign. Your gift will help

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, Environmental Communications Specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jen Berlinghof, Kelly Burdick, Nels Leutwiler, John Nelson, Kelly Schultz and Rebekah Snyder. Script editing by Jen Berlinghof, Kelly Burdick, Alyssa Firkus, Kevin Kleinjan, Ty Kovach, Jeanna Martinucci, Kim Mikus, Matt Mulligan, John Nelson, Kelly Schultz, Rebekah Snyder, Erika Stergos, Matt Ueltzen and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art © Liz Rose Fisher.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

The building looks as if it’s always been there. As though the floodplain forests of Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods, Illinois summoned the smoky green walls, floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek roof. But the new Ryerson Education Center (REC), opened spring 2024, is the culmination of three years of planning and an ambitious goal.

Create a net-zero energy building that produces as much power as it consumes each year. It’s not alone. The Forest Preserves now has three buildings designed to achieve net-zero, and it’s purchasing more energy-efficient vehicles and battery-powered equipment.

Look inside the ongoing transition to an electric future.

Guests:

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

Selected Links and Sources:

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ endowment campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, Environmental Communications Specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Eileen Davis, Alyssa Firkus, April Vaos and Becky Mathis. Script editing by Eileen Davis, Alyssa Firkus, Kevin Kleinjan, Ty Kovach, Jeanna Martinucci, Becky Mathis, Kim Mikus, Matt Mulligan, Rebekah Snyder, Matt Ueltzen, April Vaos and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

In the U.S., more than 40 million acres of land are covered by lawn. To be sure, turfgrass produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide just like other plants. It prevents soil erosion by wind and water. It creates curb appeal—a neutral, nearly universal surface.

But lawns crowd out the many gorgeous, hardy, unique native plants that call Illinois and other parts of the country home. Most grasses used in lawns were imported. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) isn’t from the American South; it hails from Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Native animals don’t use it for food and shelter. The lawn may as well be an ecological

There’s a solution: landscaping with native plants. Here’s your guide to getting started.

Guests:

Forest Preserves Mentioned

Selected Links and Sources:

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ endowment campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate.

Have questions or comments? Send them to [email protected].

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, Environmental Communications Specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Eileen Davis, Alyssa Firkus, April Vaos and Becky Mathis. Script editing by Eileen Davis, Alyssa Firkus, Kevin Kleinjan, Ty Kovach, Jeanna Martinucci, Becky Mathis, Kim Mikus, Matt Mulligan, Rebekah Snyder, Matt Ueltzen, April Vaos and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.