Words of the Woods – Details, episodes & analysis

On the banks of the Fox River in the southwestern corner of Lake County, Illinois, you can almost see back through time. Not so long ago, at least on the 4.5-billion-year arc of Earth’s history, a wall of ice between 700–2,000 feet tall covered everything in view today.

Today, 691 acres near the Fox River’s eastern shore make up Grassy Lake Forest Preserve in the town of Lake Barrington. 

Subtle glimpses of the area’s glacial history are visible in the landscape there and elsewhere in the county. They’re remnants from the most recent Ice Age, which ended 10,000–12,000 years ago. 

Average temperatures were only 7–13 degrees colder then compared to today. Already, Illinois’ average daily temperature has risen 1–2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 120 years. Depending on current and future levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, “by the end of the 21st century, unprecedented warming of 4–9 degrees or 8–14 degrees is likely in Illinois.”

We’re on the precipice of another major shift in climate, both globally and locally in Lake County.

Guests:

• Jim Anderson, retired director of natural resources, Lake County Forest Preserves
• Dr. Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist
• April Vaos, Public Program Specialist, Lake County Forest Preserves

Forest Preserves Mentioned:

• Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (Lake Forest)
• Grassy Lake Forest Preserve (Lake Barrington)
• Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve (Wadsworth)

Links and Sources Mentioned:

• 100-Year Vision for Lake County
• Climate Change: Impacts and Costs to Illinois Factsheet
• Emily K. Coleman (Lake County News-Sun)
• Great Lakes Commission
• July 2017 Flooding Recap
• Lake County PASSAGE
• Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves
• Road Map to 2025
• Tony Briscoe (Chicago Tribune)
• Yadira Sanchez Olson (Lake County News-Sun)

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If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ endowment campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate.

Have questions or comments? Send them to WordsOfTheWoods@LCFPD.org.

This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, Environmental Communications Specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jim Anderson, Dr. Trent Ford and April Vaos. Script editing by Alyssa Firkus, Dr. Trent Ford, Ty Kovach, Jeanna Martinucci, Kim Mikus, Rebekah Snyder, Matt Ueltzen, April Vaos and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

The alarm clock is ready to ring for the periodical cicadas of Lake County. The previous mass emergence of these true bugs in 2007 set the alarm for 2024. During spring and summer 17 years ago, millions of cicadas tunneled out of the soil, crawled up trees, sang, mated and completed their life cycle. This will be a magical year for their offspring.

In this special-edition episode, host Brett Peto discusses the 2024 emergence of periodical cicadas in Illinois.

Links mentioned:

• Horizons magazine
• Cicada resources
• Cicada programs and events
• Celebrating Cicadas special exhibition
• Connect with us

Sign up for Horizons, the Forest Preserves' award-winning quarterly magazine. Print subscriptions are free, and issues are always available online.

This episode was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto. Featuring research and expertise from Mark Hurley, April Vaos, Samantha Gallagher and Dr. Gene Kritsky at Mount St. Joseph University. Script editing by Rebekah Snyder, Jeanna Martinucci and Kim Mikus. Music from Soundstripe. Cicada audio copyright Dr. Gene Kritsky and SongsOfInsects.com. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

Have questions or comments? Send them to ⁠WordsOfTheWoods@LCFPD.org⁠.

Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.

Episode cover art © Samantha Gallagher

There's magic in a snowflake. But if someone asked you how snowflakes form, could you explain it to them? Jen Berlinghof, Environmental Educator, can help. She's here with an adaptation of one of her posts ("Snowflake anatomy") from our Lake County Nature blog. Read more: https://bit.ly/38IsCFX

The holiday season is hectic. North Mill Creek at Ethel's Woods in Antioch isn't. Take a moment of zen with the soothing sounds of flowing water. And look for another fragment in January 2020. Learn more: www.LCFPD.org/ethels-woods

Exactly 204 miles of trails thread through nearly 31,000 acres in the Lake County Forest Preserves. Many are gravel, some are paved, some are mowed grass, and some are woodchip trails. Making connections between communities is key. Helping visitors map their adventures is important, too. Michael Haug, Landscape Architect, and Nick Spittlemeister, GIS Analyst, discuss how these trail systems allow thousands of people to access nature on a daily basis. Season 2 premieres in 2020. Learn more: www.LCFPD.org/trails

Thousands of native plant species call Lake County’s nearly 31,000 acres of forest preserves home. All of these plants are unique and interesting in their own ways. Pati Vitt, Manager of Ecological Restoration, and Ken Klick, Restoration Ecologist, each have decades of botanical experience, studying and appreciating plant communities in Lake County and elsewhere. They discuss big trends, big patterns, and big ideas. In short, they ponder plants and why they matter. Learn more: www.LCFPD.org/conservation/plant-monitoring/

The 2020 U.S. Census is approaching. But scientists at the Lake County Forest Preserves take a different kind of census year-round—an animal census. Gary Glowacki and Andrew Rutter, both Wildlife Ecologists, and John Vanek, a doctoral candidate at Northern Illinois University, highlight how they collect data about local animals and what insights they’ve drawn so far. Learn more: https://www.lcfpd.org/conservation/wildlife-monitoring/

Among the collections of the Dunn Museum in Libertyville are 1,000 linear feet of archival materials, securely housed in an environmentally controlled care and storage facility. Many have never been on display before. What tales do these letters, postcards, and journals tell? Diana Dretske and Heather Johnson, both Curators at the Dunn Museum, discuss their top three most memorable materials and why these in particular stick out in their minds. Learn more: www.LCFPD.org/museum/collections/

Fall is a great time to think about removing the invasive shrub buckthorn from your yard. But how do you get rid of it and make sure it stays out for good? Matt Ueltzen, Restoration Ecologist II, and Allison Frederick, Assistant Public Affairs Manager, offer their advice on how to say goodbye to buckthorn. Learn more: LCFPD.org/Buckthorn

What are the woods telling us? Have you ever stopped for a moment to listen?

Headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, the Lake County Forest Preserves protects nearly 31,000 acres of land. There are just about as many stories from both humans and nature. This series dives into the diverse projects we undertake to improve quality of life for all Lake County residents and visitors.