Kind. Unassuming. Encouraging. Caring. Involved. Giving. Positive. Joy-filled. Fun. By themselves, these words would describe characteristics we appreciate in our family members, friends and coworkers. Mix all of these hallmarks together into one person and we’d have the recipe for local parks and recreation leadership. Sprinkle in some relationship capital, Read more…
War. In 1940, war was at our door. So we built a place intended to erase our fears. It was arm or be harmed. Joliet was selected by the elected to grow ammunition for the opposition. WWII, Korea, Vietnam and on and on. Want. Then as suddenly as it began Read more…
Ladies & Gentlemen! Welcome to the very first ParkNois guest blog post for Campfire Concepts. Find out more about Cody and the creative ways he can enhance your life at: https://www.facebook.com/vivifyfashion/ Before you even get off the ferry to step onto the resort of Stout’s Island Lodge you are encompassed the beauty Read more…
Would you take a boat tour to a tiny, cold, and rocky island that is mostly void of vegetation? In the infamous words of Wayne and Garth, sha, right! But I did leave out one tiny detail. Birds. Atlantic Puffins to be exact. And for this very reason, many people Read more…
95% of the land in Illinois is owned by private landowners. 90% of Illinois’ forests is also owned by its citizens. Morale of the story: a very small percentage of our state’s property and natural resources are publicly managed. The implications are huge! I was reminded of this challenge and Read more…
Helping people co-exist with wildlife in an urban setting is a difficult task for practitioners. Many residents react with mixed emotions toward the growth in the population of large wild animals and birds. We’ve all seen the stories showing coyotes or eagles/hawks harming pets. On the other hand, many patrons Read more…
You may have heard the term pocket park? Wikipedia says they also go by the name parkette, mini-park, vest-pocket park and my personal favorite, vesty park. They are defined by their smallness and creative use of urban space. They pop up in places like vacant lots and even parking spaces. Read more…
Your average citizen believes the first stage of “Saving the environment” means either picking up litter or recycling. Second stage of conservation = first stage + any additional conservation practices. Stage two comes with swag, like the label “hippy” and some serious long-term money saving benefits. Most local parks and Read more…
World famous parks often have lesser known neighbor parks that possess greater beauty and adventure. Maybe these neighbor parks feel a little bit prettier because less people are blocking your views? Either way, crown jewel neighbor parks exist everywhere: Yellowstone’s impressive little neighbor park to the south isn’t called the Read more…
Finding great outdoor recreation spaces in Illinois often involves a sort of mission… quest… thing. At times you stumble upon great opportunities and other times you just need to take some good advice. A few years ago, I took some good advice about visiting the Shawnee National Forest. The story Read more…