Hikers, hello! I’m Connie Kuntz. I am the newest 815 Outside AmeriCorps member and I am so excited to be here. Like you, I love exploring the outdoors in the region’s forest preserves, green spaces and parks. I can’t wait to meet you in person and go hiking with you!...
[Image description: a horseshoe shaped bend in the creek that runs through Barrick Oaks Homestead Preserve. Along the bank is ice and small amounts of snow. Tall grasses line the banks on either side. In the distance, trees line the horizon. On the right of the image,...
[Image description: a view of the Sugar River with trees lining the shoreline. In the center is a slightly transparent brown box with the words “Know Your Preserves: Colored Sands” in the center.] Colored Sands Forest Preserve is 306 acres of land along...
[Image Description: the rocky shoreline of the Kishwaukee River with trees lining the riverbanks. The trees display an array of fall colors.] Kishwaukee Gorge Forest Preserve (North) is located on 127.6 acres of land, nestled in the southern end of the county, along...
Nature At The Confluence is a unique urban environmental center situated on 72 acres of greenspace in South Beloit, IL, just across the street from Beloit, WI. Since opening in 2017, staff and volunteers have worked to restore the land back to nature after decades of...
Hello everyone! I’m Holly Hansen and I am the new AmeriCorps Member for 815 Outside! I am super excited to be in the position. I know there are so many great outdoor opportunities for the residents of Winnebago County to enjoy, and I’m excited to share them with the...
Sugar River Alder Forest Preserve is located on 537.8 acres in the north-western part of Winnebago County. This preserve sits right across the street from Colored Sands Forest Preserve, and the combination of these two beautiful preserves has created a safe-haven for...
Rockford Rotary Forest Preserve was donated to the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County in the fall of 1978. This unique property was previously owned by the Rockford Rotary Club and was home to Camp Rotary. Camp Rotary hosted camps for the Rockford Boy’s Club, Boy...
R. Robert Funderburg Forest Preserve is the newest addition to the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County. This preserve is only a few minutes from downtown Rockford and has 8 miles of trails that bring you through many different ecosystems. This property is...
Rockford was named one of Illinois’s first three “Bird Cities” in late December 2021 by the Audubon Council of Illinois. The city earned this designation because it met the six qualifications of: Habitat creation, protection, and monitoring Limiting or removing...
