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Jim Flax serves on board of The Nature Foundation of Will County. (Photo by Tara Neff) Though you might not guess it from his quiet demeanor, Jim Flax has a lot to say —especially when the conversation turns to his wife, Kayla, their “six-plus children” and one grandson. His face lights up as he talks about their many interests and accomplishments, and he seems especially proud when he considers how their childhood values continue to guide their lives. As outdoor enthusiasts, the couple took their children fishing, hiking, sledding and painting in local preserves. Their lives were shaped by curiosity, exploration and love for the outdoors. Flax believes that nature provides formative experiences — offering lessons no classroom can provide — and brings peace from living life simply and intentionally. Flax met Kayla in college, where he studied English and art. The pair were what he called “punk rockers.” His love of art, nature and history may not seem like the most straightforward path to a career in the financial world, but he found his first job out of school at Chicago Mercantile Exchange to be pivotal. “Numbers didn’t really make sense until my first job at the Exchange,” he recalled. “It finally made sense. Everything must come out equal.” After a tenure at Goldman Sachs, Flax made the move to TradeStation in 2017. Since then, he has moved into a more creative role in the compliance section, where he regularly works with the marketing team and creates training curriculum. Flax says he never tried to blend his profession with his passions. The separation, he believes, is a good thing. His work provides financial stability for his family and his passions feed his soul. Serving on the board of The Nature Foundation brings those threads together — an opportunity to give back, steward what matters and ensure future generations can foster the same connections that sustain him. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s conservation, education and recreation priorities — three pillars that echo his lifelong values. He sees the results of these investments everywhere: the trails and waterways that provide hiking and fishing opportunities, school programs that shape young minds and the historical preservation that ties past to present. He volunteers with the Crete Park District and is a member of the Crete Historical Society, and he strongly believes that if more people understood how these organizations make Crete a great place to live, they would feel inspired to become involved themselves. Flax says, “We have a wealth of resources, and that make this a better place not only now but for the future. This is how you raise healthy families.” Conservation protects the places families explore. Education invests in the next generation. Recreation strengthens both the body and spirit. These aren’t luxuries — Flax sees them as essential for strengthening communities. He knows that bringing attention to these benefits helps people understand what is available and how they can get involved. Flax hopes to inspire others to cherish the simple things — to get outside, continue learning and contribute generously. In a world that often feels rushed and complicated, he believes that when families make time for nature and invest in their community, they grow strong, happy and whole.

(Photo by Chad Merda) As the 501(c)3 charitable partner of the Forest Preserve District of Will County, The Nature Foundation of Will County supports its priorities that protect nature, inspire discovery and bring people and nature together. When you give to The Nature Foundation, your investment helps carry out the Forest Preserve District’s mission to protect and enhance Will County’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations, said Tara Neff, the Foundation’s executive director. “Our partners’ support is really an investment in the Forest Preserve District,” she said. The Nature Foundation prides itself on facilitating a positive experience for donors. Whether you're an individual, philanthropic organization, corporation, or community – when you partner with the Foundation you strengthen the places and programs that protect the environment and connect people to nature. “Our community of donors sustains the Foundation and ensures we can support the work of the Forest Preserve District in its entirety,” Neff said. Individuals who want to support the programs and activities of the Forest Preserve District can make tax-deductible gifts to the Foundation all year through recurring gifts or during the annual year-end campaign. The Foundation can also receive distributions from Donor Advised Funds or minimum distributions from retirement accounts. Other ways to support what you love about the Forest Preserve District is to include the Foundation in estate plans, name the Foundation as a beneficiary for retirement accounts, insurance policies and annuities, and include the Foundation in your will.  Through the Foundation’s Legacy Society, Jan Heideman generously donated part of her estate to fund ecological restoration work at a place she loved – Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township. No matter a donor’s priority or interest, the Foundation can match them with a Forest Preserve District opportunity that achieves their goals. While the stars don’t always align, the Dollinger family made a gift to honor their family’s legacy at the time when the Forest Preserve District was planning major improvements at Lake Chaminwood Preserve near Channahon. The Foundation facilitated conversations that matched the Dollinger’s gift to a project they wanted to support . With their gift, the entire project was completed in two years. Being nimble is particularly helpful when working with the Foundation’s corporate and business partners, which often have community investment goals based on their environmental, social and governance policy or corporate social responsibility ideals. “It all starts with a conversation,“ Neff said. “We want to help you achieve the positive social and or environmental impact you want to make.” Some corporations want to support sustainability and conservation initiatives that dovetail with their own policies and practices. Others are committed to investing in the communities where they do business or want to sponsor educational or recreational opportunities. The Foundation has also helped facilitate partnerships that include employee engagement oppor tunities. Another way to impact more than one giving priority is to engage in a multiple-year funding commitment. Pembina Pipeline Corporation provided funds over a three-year period to make wildlife habitat improvements at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, fund a scholarship program for schools with high poverty rates , and provide STEM/STEAM supplies for public education programs and field trips to the Forest Preserve District’s visitor centers. Neff said she enjoys learning about partners’ ideals and values, shared goals, and showing the positive impact they can make.  Communities that want to highlight the beneficial impact of District’s amenities can form meaningful partnerships with the Foundation as well. Our relationship with the Village of Romeoville started several years ago when the Village sponsored the Foundation’s native plant sales at visitor center at Isle a la Cache Preserve and Museum in Romeoville, and it has grown over time, Neff said. “Village officials value and support the educational and recreational opportunities offered at the visitor center; and they also understand how the District’s other holdings help foster a thriving, sustainable community for generations to come,” Neff said. The Village prioritizes sustainability in many ways. Its Conservation and Sustainability Committee promotes conservation, environmental stewardship, and sustainability for the benefit of current and future generations. In turn, the Foundation helps support their goals by facilitating collaboration and assisting with the Village’s native plant sales. “We would like to have this level of engagement with other municipal partners because we want to amplify how the Forest Preserve District enriches a community’s quality of life for residents,” she said. No matter who chooses to invest in the Foundation, partners will see the impact of their gift in the preserves and trails. “The Nature Foundation is a great partner. Our mission is to support the Forest Preserve District of Will County and we’re here to make it easy for you invest in nature.”

A group of women who joined the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s 2025 Woods Walk hiking challenge decided to amp up the experience and complete all 10 hiking trails in one day. Woods Walk is one of many Forest Preserve programs and initiatives supported by The Nature Foundation of Will County. Since 2020, The Nature Foundation has given $13,000 in support of Woods Walk, including $3,000 for this year’s challenge. Woods Walk participants have up to three months, from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, to walk seven of 10 trails to earn the 2025 commemorative medallion, which features a fox. But that pace was too poky for the 5 a.m. Project, an informal group of women who train together as part of the Prairie State Road Runners organization. They completed all 10 trails on Labor Day.  “Due to the holiday weekend, we had an extra day to play,” said Diana Sorich, a member of the 5 a.m. Project. “All of us are in training for half-marathons, full marathons or a 50-miler, and we have all done 50K races. And we love the trails.” The Shorewood woman said she asked fellow 5 a.m. Project member Sharron Simons of Channahon if she wanted to complete all 10 trails in one day. “If we could run a 50K, we could certainly walk 19 miles with breaks in between, right?” Sorich said in an email. “The reason I love these women was her response wasn’t, ‘No, that is dumb.’ It was, ‘What time would we start?’ I ChatGPT’d our course and posed it to the rest of the group, and three other ladies jumped on board!” The other group members who completed the Woods Walk challenge in one day were Susan Bolatto of Braidwood, Gaby Martinez of Minooka (who serves on the Minooka Village Board) and Vickie Walker of Joliet. Playing in the woods Sorich said the women thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. “Well, we laughed a lot, and we were really happy to be enjoying the outdoors,” she said. “We felt like kids playing in the woods. When we were done with our final trail, Hammel (Woods), we had our customary celebratory margarita for a job well done. I also gave each lady her choice of sticker that I purchased from the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center as a keepsake.” The best part was discovering how each trail had its own unique style, and that Will County is a lot bigger than they realized, she added. “We started in the cool morning with the mist over Rock Run Rookery and were greeted by a baby deer and her older brothers and sisters,” Sorich said. “We saw plants and wildlife, a snake, birds and so many butterflies. It made us thankful for the preserves.” The only thing the group would do differently is hike at Kankakee Sands Preserve during a cooler part of the day. “We walked Kankakee Sands in the mid-afternoon with full sun and there was no shade there — we should have done that one first,” she said. Sorich said 5 a.m. Project members are now even bigger fans of the preserves after their labor of love on Labor Day. “Thank you so much for doing these challenges,” she said. “We have done your challenges before, the 5K runs as well as the Triple Crown, where we ran all three of the longest trails. We ran 13 miles of the I&M Canal Trail in one day, took two days to run 22 miles of the Wauponsee (Glacial Trail) and ran 14 miles of the Old Plank Road Trail on the final day. We enjoy the outdoors, and we are grateful to have a Forest Preserve District that takes good care of our trails and nature spaces.” The Nature Foundation’s support for Woods Walk and other recreation programs aligns with its three pillars: protecting nature, inspiring discovery and bringing people and nature together. Foundation executive director Tara Neff said she appreciates that programs like Woods Walk encourage people to visit new preserves and explore new trails. She hopes these experiences that incentivize spending time outdoors inspire participants to develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world. “We want people to care about nature and we want people to enjoy the benefits of nature,” Neff said. “We also want people to understand these natural areas provide us with essential services like clean air and clean water.” Join the 2025 Woods Walk While the 5 a.m. Project tackled Woods Walk in one day, most take their time walking the trails over weeks and months. And there is still plenty of time to join the challenge. You can pick up a trail log booklet at a visitor center and mark off each path as you complete it,  download a travel log  to fill out or use the free Goosechase app to record completed trails. Check out  the Woods Walk program page  for details.  The deadline to submit a completed travel log to receive a commemorative medallion is Sunday, Dec. 7.

Thomas Yancy of Minooka (Photo by Amy McNeil) Each year, the Forest Preserve District of Will County relies on thousands of volunteers to help achieve its mission. Projects in forest preserves and visitor centers are offered to help youth volunteers meet certain service requirements that benefit their community.  These projects don’t just benefit the public — they also provide young people with a unique leadership opportunity to plan, develop, fund, and execute a project from start to finish.   To help support these youth volunteers, The Nature Foundation of Will County established the Serve Will County small grant program in 2020, with a one-time gift from Buckeye Partners.  The grant reimburses up to 75% of the total cost of supplies, materials and equipment rentals necessary to complete the project (up to $500).   These service projects are coordinated through volunteer services supervisor Emily Kenny, who maintains a list of approved projects. While other proposals will be considered, many will not be accepted because projects must fit the District’s identified needs and must consider ongoing maintenance.  After a project is approved by the Forest Preserve District, an application can be submitted to the Foundation.   Scout Thomas Yancey of Minooka is the latest recipient of a  Serve Will County grant.   After he decided he wanted his Eagle Scout project to benefit the Forest Preserve District he met with Emily Kenny to identify a project and talked with staff at Isle a la Cache Museum to make sure he understood their needs.   From there, he was encouraged to apply for a Serve Will County grant.  While not required, Yancey decided to accept an invitation to further develop his leadership skills by presenting his project plans and budget to the Foundation’s Board of Directors – where he received unanimous approval.   Yancey said scouts secure outside funding for their service projects, so they aren’t entirely self-funded. In addition to the Serve Will County grant, he received support from a local lumber company and The Home Depot. He said he appreciates the grant because it allowed him to spend more time working on the project instead of raising funds.   “The only thing I had to worry about was doing the work and getting it done on time,” he said.   The new storage racks allow Isle a la Cache staff to better manage, preserve and store interpretive panels and materials used for museum exhibits, said Amy McNeil, program coordinator at the museum.   “Though the storage racks aren’t something the public typically sees, they make a big difference behind the scenes,” she said.   If you spend time in the preserves or visitor centers, chances are you’ve already benefitted from other projects the Foundation supported like glove drying racks for volunteer services, a replica 1700s wheelbarrow and cart, giant yard games and wooden benches.    A number recreation and historical interpretation projects are currently approved and awaiting a volunteer match: a tree cookie/stump table at Plum Creek Nature Center; the design and construction of 20 youth-sized, historically accurate wooden canoe oars for Isle a la Cache Museum; and a balancing structure to replace a climbing element at Plum Creek Nature Center.  In addition, historically accurate chicken nesting boxes and wooden eggs for Riverview Farmstead are currently under construction.   We are thankful so many young volunteers choose to partner with the Forest Preserve District to achieve their service project goals.  Getting involved is easy! Start by contacting Emily Kenny, at 815-722-7364 or volunteerservices@fpdwc.org .  She can help match you with an approved project — or discuss a proposal that aligns with the Forest Preserve District’s needs.

(Photo by Anthony Schalk) Will County is home to some of the rarest habitats in the world, and one of those — dolomite prairie — is the focus of expanded restoration efforts thanks to CITGO Petroleum Corporation. The Nature Foundation of Will County received $35,000 from CITGO’s Caring for Our Coast grant program to fund additional restoration efforts at Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve , which includes the globally rare dolomite prairie. The grant will be used to control invasive plant species as well as native plant seeding, said Forest Preserve District ecology coordinator Nick Budde. The goal of the restoration work at Romeoville Prairie is to support the growth of native plant communities and improve habitat conditions for the animal species that rely on them. Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve is in the Des Plaines River Valley, and the location is home to dolomite prairie remnant along with groundwater-fed wetlands, Budde said. The unique habitat allows the land to support several rare, endangered and threatened plant and animal species. Among the endangered and threatened species at the preserve are the Blanding’s turtle, spotted turtle, Hine’s emerald dragonfly, lakeside daisy and leafy prairie clover. “Given the rarity of the species and assemblages that occur at Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve, it is one of our highest priorities when we are deciding where we will spend our limited time, energy and money,” he said. Budde said the $35,000 grant enables the Forest Preserve to expand the habitat restoration work planned at the Preserve this year by an additional 68.5 acres.  Restoration work is expected to begin this fall starting with invasive species control, primarily for reed canary grass, and then continue in the winter with native plant seedings to reintroduce native species that naturally occur in dolomite sedge meadow and wet prairie plant communities. Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation, expressed gratitude for the partnership. “We’re incredibly thankful to CITGO for their generous support. Together, we’re advancing shared goals of environmental protection, conservation, and restoration.” Since it began in 2014, CITGO has invested more than $8 million in its Caring for Our Coast initiative to protect vulnerable coastal and inland habitats. Through the program, more than 15,000 acres of land have been restored and nearly 1 million trees and grasses have been planted. Receiving the Caring for Our Coast grant is another step in The Nature Foundation’s growing relationship with CITGO. The corporation generously sponsored the Forest Preserve’s Pollinator Party event at Isle a la Cache Museum and plans to complete volunteer work in the area as well. CITGO’s most recent investment in the Forest Preserve’s conservation efforts demonstrates how this partnership can help make a healthier environment now and for future generations.

A hummingbird is released (left) after being measured and banded (right) as part of the Hummingbird Banding Experience. The Nature Foundation of Will County partnered with the Forest Preserve District of Will County and the Thorn Creek Audubon Society to offer an intimate hummingbird banding experience for donors, members, volunteers and partners on a very hot Saturday afternoon. Vernon Kleen, an Illinois licensed avian ecologist and bird expert from the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders, successfully banded 42 hummingbirds in a little less than three hours! Attendees were encouraged to adopt a hummingbird by making a $5 donation to the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders and received their official certificate on the spot. The Thorn Creek Audubon Society provided funding for the banding at Plum Creek Nature Center, and The Nature Foundation provided veggies, fruit and beverages for volunteers and participants to enjoy throughout the event. Special thanks to the fabulous staff at Plum Creek Nature Center — facility supervisor Heather Van Zyl, interpretive naturalist Kelly Huschart and facility office manager Marissa Jones — for supporting this special experience. Huschart delivered a presentation that included impressive hummingbird facts, the hows and whys of banding and a pitch for incorporating native plants in your yard. Outside, the group watched Kleen do his thing, carefully banding these tiny, mighty — and sometimes feisty — hummingbirds. The afternoon would not have been possible without all the Forest Preserve volunteers who worked out in the heat for hours — with smiles on their faces the entire time. Joel Craig, a Prairie People Volunteer, gently transferred the hummingbirds to participants so they could release them after they were banded. All the attendees had the opportunity to release a hummingbird, ensuring no one was left disappointed. Lisbet Temple, a longtime friend of the Forest Preserve District, said the event was the best banding experience she's attended over the years. It was such a peaceful afternoon without a lot of hustle and bustle, and because attendance was limited, all the participants got a closeup view of the banding process. This special experience was a new way for our volunteers, donors and partners to get up close to our mission!

(Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock) Will County students are headed back to class, and many of them are already looking forward to some of the most anticipated events of the school year — field trips. Thanks to our partnership with Pembina Pipeline Corporation , The Nature Foundation is supporting the Connecting Kids to Nature Scholarship program to help high poverty schools take advantage of the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s nature education programs . “We have a great partnership with Pembina,” said Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation.  “Over the past three-years, we’ve invested their $40,000 commitment to improve wildlife habitat at McKinley Woods, provide essential STEM and STEAM supplies for visitor centers, and fund the scholarship program.” Now in its third year, the scholarship program was updated to make it easier for schools to use. Instead of reimbursing schools, the scholarship will directly offset field trip transportation costs, said Jerome Gabriel, the facility supervisor at the Forest Preserve’s Four Rivers Environmental Education Center . In addition, the program can cover the cost of in-school education programs offered by Forest Preserve naturalists. “The biggest benefit for both students and teachers is being able to learn from naturalists whose expertise is in environmental education and at a location that specializes in it,” Gabriel said. “Because the Forest Preserve District invests in environmental education, we have access to the equipment, education and ongoing training to provide a much more in-depth learning experience for students beyond what a typical classroom can provide.” Teachers noted that without the scholarship program, their students would not have been able to participate in field trips.  They also expressed appreciation that the experience helped their students connect with nature in new ways, enhanced classroom learning and introduced students to a new destination in their community. The Forest Preserve offers dozens of fields trips and in-school programs for students in kindergarten through 12 th  grade at four of its visitor centers Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville, Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook and Plum Creek Nature Center near Beecher. All education programs are developed to align with Illinois Learning Standards to help teachers meet their students’ needs while leveraging the expertise of Forest Preserve staff, Gabriel said. In 2024, the Forest Preserve District reached 10,492 students through educational programs, including 429 field trips and 154 in-school programs, Gabriel said. The scholarship program helped fund more than 50 education programs serving more than 600 students from seven schools across Will County.   What an accomplishment!  Stay tuned - we expect to report record use of the program this school year.

If you have kids in your life who love to ask, “Why?” be sure to add the Forest Preserve District’s newly revamped Willy’s Wilderness website to your list of resources. The website aims to inspire discovery about the natural world and was created for kids and the adults who spend time with them — parents, grandparents, teachers and more. The Nature Foundation of Will County has provided $1,000 each year to help support Willy’s Wilderness website since its inception in 2018 and this is the first major change to the site. “In this digital age, it’s so important to find ways to connect kids to nature.  We need to reach our next generation of scientists and conservationists, and the earlier the better,” said Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation. Staff from the Forest Preserve District’s Visitor Services and Marketing and Communications departments contribute articles and activities for the website which features Willy Woodchuck, the Forest Preserve District’s mascot, as the host. There’s even a page devoted to Willy himself, where kids can learn about the mascot and his woodchuck relatives. Heather Van Zyl, facility supervisor at the Forest Preserve's Plum Creek Nature Center, said the new website is a fun, one-stop spot for families and educators alike for their nature education and exploration needs. One of the priorities of the makeover was to provide more interactive features that encourage kids and families to spend time together outdoors. These features, which will be updated regularly, can be found on the website’s activity hub. There visitors will find scavenger hunts and a backyard safari, which can be completed close to home. Kids can also challenge themselves — and their siblings, friends and parents — with age-appropriate quizzes. They’ll also have access to the seasonal activity packs that include mazes, color by number, spot the difference and more. “We know kids are curious about just about everything, and we wanted to provide an age-appropriate outlet where they can learn about and make connections with their environment,” said digital marketing coordinator Meghan McMahon, who contributes articles and oversees the website. New content will be posted weekly. Articles include information about Will County creatures big and small, plant profiles, answers to some of nature’s curiosities, instructional activities and experiments, and inspiring new ways to spend time outdoors. The website relaunch also includes Willy’s Wild Files, a monthly newsletter that highlights new information and activities from the website to encourage families to explore and engage with nature. Sign up on the Forest Preserve’s website . McMahon says that kids question the world differently than adults, and believes Willy’s Wilderness is the perfect way to spark their curiosity and inspire a love of learning.  Naturally, we agree!

(Photos courtesy of Michele Olson) The Nature Foundation hosted its first-ever Trivia Night fundraiser last week, and despite some heavy rain, it was a resounding success! Very special thanks to our event sponsors: Cultivate Power, Earthrise Energy, Brent Hassert Consulting, AJ Dralle, Village of Romeoville Mayor John Noak, and the Village of Romeoville.  "The Winners, Obviously," took first place (Ralph and Trish Schultz, Jen DeBow, Rich and Tracy Chapman). “Risky Quizness” whisked away the second-place finish (James and Ann Dralle, Josh and Sarah Hassert, Ernie and Nikki Freeman).  "Blue Dashers" dashed off with a third-place finish (John and Jamie Viebach, Phil and Tammy Reiter, and Jennifer Ruhl). Our volunteer Trivia Host Aaron Heldt kept things lively and moving along – which was no small feat, given that over 90 people registered. Questions ranged from traditional trivia questions to nature-inspired questions to keep the competition fresh. The crowd reactions told you which teams got the answers right, and which weren’t as successful. Cindy Migliavacca, a Romeoville resident said, "The questions had just the right mix of topics and levels of difficulty to make each round challenging and fun." Our friends and volunteer board members alike donated their time, talent, and treasure for a super selection of raffle prizes: Dave Babich, Julie Berkowicz, Elnalyn Costa, Marcy DeMauro, Ann Dralle, Get Into Nature, Inara Blackwood, Laura and Jim McCarthy, Ralph Schultz, Margaret Tyson, Mistwood Golf Club and McWethy’s Tavern, Wild Birds Unlimited-Joliet, and Werk Force Brewing. Ann Wetstein said, "The event was a great way to support The Nature Foundation by showing up with my friends and family and having a great time." The Nature Foundation raises friends and funds to support everything you love about the Forest Preserve District of Will County. Our community of donors and supporters helps the District carry out more conservation, education and recreation activities that improve our quality of life throughout Will County. Become part of our community by donating today at willcountynature.org !

Jennifer Gabrenya is in her second year as chairwoman of The Nature Foundation board. (Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock) Jennifer Gabrenya likes to say the forest preserves saved her during a difficult period in her life. During the COVID pandemic, the preserves were a “lifeline” for her. She would visit Lake Renwick Preserve , near her home in Romeoville, to run as an outlet from the stress in her life. And then one day while there she remembers clearly thinking, “Why isn’t this what I’m investing in?” “This is so clearly what's making me happy and what I feel like is keeping me going and where I need to go to when I'm not feeling OK,” she said of realizing how the time she was spending in the preserves was so meaningful to her health and well-being. The very day she had that realization she became a financial supporter of The Nature Foundation of Will County, but that was only the start of her commitment and involvement. From there, she became involved in the Foundation’s native plant sales. Then when she saw a notice in The Nature Foundation’s newsletter seeking board members, she decided to inquire and was later named to the Board of Directors. Now she is in her second year as the chairwoman of the board. Gabrenya is no stranger to the non-profit world, having spent most of her professional career working for non-profit organizations serving victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Today she is the chief executive officer of Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse in Homewood. She views the duality of the two roles — leading in the non-profit sector both as a professional and in a volunteer capacity — as a positive. “With The Nature Foundation, I can pull from the experience of running an organization and working with the board and be able to provide some of that insight and then being on (The Nature Foundation) board, I feel like it really helps me when I interact with my own board, because I can speak from experience as a board member.” Since joining the board and then becoming chairwoman, Gabrenya has helped oversee the transition from the original executive director, Cindy Harn, who founded The Nature Foundation, to new Executive Director Tara Neff, who took over in 2023 when Harn retired. “That's always a tricky time for a nonprofit, when you have that changeover, so that's been really rewarding to be able to be part of that happening successfully and then to just see Tara come into her own,” she said. Looking forward, Gabrenya is eager to see how The Nature Foundation can continue to evolve its relationship with the Forest Preserve District . “Our mission is very squarely to support the programs of the Forest Preserve District, so I’m always looking forward to how we can do that in new and bigger and better ways.” Because spending time outdoors has been so therapeutic for her, she is particularly passionate about supporting programs and initiatives that help people make connections with the natural world. “Once you build a connection with nature, that's when people then think about the conservation side of it,” she said. “You have to kind of lead people along that continuum. That's my vision.” Her own personal journey along that continuum has led her to where she is today, but the road hasn’t always been a straight one. Her interest in nature and the arts began as a child, but she got away from it as a teenager and young adult. It was those runs at Lake Renwick Preserve that first renewed those passions, she said. As she started to spend more time outside in nature, she found herself curious about the world around her, and that led her to more pursuits, both as a volunteer and in her leisure time. Gabrenya is an avid native gardener and enjoys nature photography. She earned her Natural Areas Conservation certificate through The Morton Arboretum where she is also a volunteer steward leader and contracted certified forest therapy guide. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Village of Romeoville’s Conservation and Sustainability Committee. “It's really funny because I used to be absolutely convinced that I didn't have any time to volunteer,” she said. Although she never set out to live a life of service, Gabrenya reflected on lessons learned from her time studying at DePaul University where steward leadership is highly valued. Now that she has fully embraced the role of volunteer she stated, “Once you start doing something and it feels like a good fit, why would you change that?”

From left: The Nature Foundation board members Marcy DeMauro, Elnalyn Costa, and Ellen Gorski-Green; The Nature Foundation board member and Forest Preserve Executive Director Tracy Chapman; The Nature Foundation board member Laura McCarthy; Cheryl Toohey, Earthrise Energy communications and events manager; The Nature Foundation board member Donna Theimer; Talya Tavor, Earthrise Energy director of community engagement; The Nature Foundation board members Jim Flax, Margaret Tyson, Julie Berkowicz, and Ralph Schultz; The Nature Foundation Executive Director Tara Neff; and The Nature Foundation board member Jennifer Gabrenya. Visitors to Monee Reservoir will soon have it made in the shade thanks to a $50,000 gift to The Nature Foundation of Will County from Earthrise Energy. The funding received through Earthrise Energy’s RISE Grant program will be used to add a large shade structure to the patio outside Monee Reservoir’s visitor center providing respite from the sun in a spot where people often gather to eat, socialize and participate in Forest Preserve programs and activities. The $50,000 donation is the largest one-time gift for Will County in the grant program’s history, said Talya Tavor, the director of community engagement for Earthrise Energy, an independent power producer that has plants in Crete and Manhattan.  Earthrise Energy, a public benefit corporation, developed th e RISE Grant program as a way to invest and partner with local non-profit organizations that serve the populations where the company has operations, Tavor said. “After visiting the beautiful reservoir during the blazing summer, we realized all too well how helpful a shade structure would be — to both make the reservoir more accessible and offer an added safety feature,” Tavor said. “We were thrilled to support this idea.”   The financial support from Earthrise Energy allowed us to be a bit more creative in developing a project that achieves multiple objectives, said Amy Roberts, a project manager for the Forest Preserve who is overseeing the project. The custom shade structure was designed to maintain the water views.   The patio is a natural gathering spot for visitors and also a place where Forest Preserve staff meet participants for public programs, youth group activities and more, said Heather Van Zyl, the Forest Preserve facility supervisor overseeing Monee Reservoir.                                                                   The $50,000 grant for the shade structure is the continuation of growing relationship between The Nature Foundation of Will County and Earthrise Energy. “We are thankful for their sponsorship of Hummingbird Fest at Plum Creek Nature Center last year and their support for our first ever Trivia Night fundraiser this year,” said Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation. Van Zyl is thankful for the continued partnership, too. She expressed that when the project is complete, it will make a better experience for visitors of all ages, of all abilities, and of all needs to have a more comfortable space that still offers beautiful views of the lake.

Blazing your own trail through the Will County preserves was made easier thanks to an investment by The Nature Foundation of Will County. Thanks to our generous donors, the Foundation provided $13,500 for the Be a Trailblazer experience to pay for a Goosechase app subscription, participant prizes and campaign marketing. “Our goal with Be a Trailblazer is to reach as many people as possible and either introduce them to a preserve for the first time or get them to become more regular users of the preserves,” said Chad Merda, head of digital marketing strategy/engagement for the Forest Preserve. Be a Trailblazer is a digital scavenger hunt that sends participants to the forest preserves and beyond to complete missions using the Goosechase app. The experience is divided into four seasonal sessions, each with dozens of missions for participants to complete at their own pace. After two successful years with the Take It Outside challenge, the digital experience was rebranded as Be a Trailblazer with the hope of appealing to a wider range of people, encouraging a choose-your-own-adventure rather than conquer-all approach. The format change makes it easier for people to start and is no longer a competition against others. The program was promoted with large signs at select preserves featuring QR codes. “We know there are people who routinely visit a preserve by their house and may not follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletters or check out our website, so this is a very effective way to meet people where they are and spread the word,” Merda said. Trailblazer Jay Dorn and his wife have been regular preserve visitors for years, enjoying dog walks and bike rides. After scanning a QR code sign and joining Be a Trailblazer earlier this year, they’ve visited more preserves than they knew existed. “It definitely got us out more and to new places,” he said. “That’s the draw for us.” Likewise, Trailblazer Sarah Goodin, who participates with her husband and 10-year-old son, said her family has found new outdoor gems thanks to the experience. “We've discovered a lot of new places that we wouldn't have visited otherwise and have since returned to those places on our own,” she said, adding that they enjoy that Be a Trailblazer allows them to spend time outdoors while simply enjoying being together. Staff from the Forest Preserve’s Marketing and Communications Department plan the experience, spending time in the preserves scouting missions including photo challenges, GPS check-ins and trivia questions. “For each seasonal drop, we’re mindful of having missions in all parts of the county as well as general missions that people can do anywhere,” Merda said. “We put an emphasis on having missions in preserves, but just being outside and experiencing nature anywhere is a positive, so we mix in many of those.” Since it began, Forest Preserve staff have heard from dozens of participants that the experience helped them find new places to enjoy the great outdoors. Mission accomplished!