Grant supports free family fun at Family Nature Day

Kids take a closer look for birds that call the Wetlands home.

Grant supports free family fun at Family Nature Day
Natural Land Institute (NLI) is proud to announce that it has received a $2,407.49 grant for the 2019 Family Nature Day from the Dr. Louis & Violet Rubin Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Community Grants Program.
Family Nature Day is a free family themed event that features 12 learning stations scattered throughout Nygren Wetland Preserve in Rockton, Ill. The event will be held on Saturday, June 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Children will receive a Nygren Wetland Junior Naturalist badge and certificate after visiting the learning stations and adults will receive a gift for their adventurous efforts.
Family Nature Day is an event that Natural Land Institute hosts to provide free family fun with positive experiences that will engage all ages in learning about the natural world.
NLI’s Director of Marketing & Membership, Kim Johnsen said, “Our hope is that their experiences at Family Nature Day will lead to a better understanding about nature so they’ll fall in love with it and want to protect it. Kids and adults enjoy visiting the learning stations, taking a wagon ride, and walking through the prairie with a guide who tells them about the wildflowers they see along the trail.”
The learning stations include birds, mammals, fish, wetlands, forests, pollinators, archaeology, water protection, soil ecology, seeds, butterflies, and raptors. “Honestly,” said Johnsen. “We get a lot of positive feedback from parents who attend. They love it as much, if not more, than the kids. It’s such a great way to spend time with your kids or grandkids and it doesn’t cost
anything to attend.”
Kids will also receive a passport booklet with facts and activities to get stamped at each station.
Registration is requested for this free event and can be made by visiting the NLI website calendar at www.naturalland.org. Nygren Wetland Preserve is located at 3190 W. Rockton Road, Rockton, Ill., 61072.
For more information call 815-964-6666 or email: [email protected].
About the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois:
The mission of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is to serve as a catalyst for giving in order to attract, preserve, and grow an endowment for the current and future needs of Northern Illinois. Since its founding in 1953, CFNIL has granted more than $71 million for charitable purposes in the region. Learn more about CFNIL’s grantmaking and commitment to endowment at www.cfnil.org.
About Nygren Wetland Preserve:
The Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve is the largest wildlife sanctuary, at 721 acres, that is owned by the Natural Land Institute. There are upland sand prairies, lowland prairies, wetlands, bottomland forest, oxbow lakes and ponds in the preserve.
Raccoon Creek runs through the preserve and the Rock and Pecatonica Rivers flow along its borders. The Dianne Nora Nature Trail is a free 2.5 mile hiking trail around the wetland and is part of the Prairie State Hike app (99¢ in the Apple or Android Store).
About the Natural Land Institute
The Natural Land Institute, an accredited land trust, is a 501(c)3, non-profit conservation organization based in Rockford, Ill., which has protected more than 17,300 acres of natural land in Illinois since 1958.
The current service area covers 12 counties in northern Illinois. NLI’s mission is to create an enduring legacy of natural land in northern Illinois for people, plants and animals. For more information and to donate:
www.NaturalLand.org.