Saturday: Family Nature Adventures at their Nygren Wetland Preserve

On Saturday, June 25, 2022 Natural Land Institute (NLI) will host Family Nature Adventures at their Nygren Wetland Preserve in Rockton.

Registration before the event is requested. For more information about the 13 learning stations and to register to attend Family Nature Adventures visit: www.naturalland.org/familynatureadventures. The NLI website is available in English and Spanish.

This free family event is open to anyone and tailored to families with children ages 2 – 14 where kids can earn a Junior Naturalist badge after visiting at least six of the 13 learning stations. Adults will receive a gift when they show their passport with six stamps at the registration table. The 13 Learning Station topics are: Art, Butterflies, Bluebirds, Fish, Groundwater, Mammals, Native Bees and Wasps, Native American History, Poetry/Writing, Prairies, Raptors, Wetlands, Woodlands.

The event time is 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Participants can start anytime after 9:00 a.m. and before 1:00 p.m. to explore the stations in any order and at their own pace. NLI recommends planning to spend about two hours at the preserve where wagon rides and guided prairie tours are also available during the event.

Family Nature Adventures is a bilingual event with material printed in English and Spanish. Spanish translators will be on hand to help out when needed.

Family Nature Adventures is available free to the community due to the generosity of sponsors, grantors and because of our organization partners and individual volunteers.

Organization Partners that are hosting Learning Stations:  City of Rockford Poet Laureate, Christine Swanberg, Macktown Living History, Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education, Northern Regional Groundwater Protection Planning Committee, Severson Dells Nature Center, Sinnissippi Audubon Society, and Welty Environmental Center.

Sponsors: Major Event ($1000) – Mark and Laurie Luthin; Event ($500): Northern Regional Groundwater Protection Planning Committee; Supporting ($250): a5 Branding & Digital, State Bank of Davis, Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries (Owned and Operated by RES).

Grantors: The Dr. Courtney J. and Margaret Hutchins Hamlin Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois ($6,800), Kiwanis Club of Rockford ($5,000), Rockford Area Arts Council ($500), and from general operating grants from the Brubaker Charitable Trust and Grand Victoria Foundation.

About the Natural Land Institute:

The Natural Land Institute, an accredited conservation land trust, is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization based in Rockford, Illinois, which has protected 18,000 acres of natural land in Illinois since 1958. The current service area covers twelve 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 visit NaturalLand.org