Do you receive too many emails? I remember being excited to get an email. Now I get too many. It takes time to sort through the junk and pertinent mail, especially when the workday is long. However, some emails also contain enjoyable tidbits.
I enjoy my emails from the Forest Preserve District of Will County. They have replaced their paper copies with the digital weekly newsletter, titled the Citizen. I always find at least one if not more topics in the Citizen newsletter interesting. I learned that I should not call animal feces poop; it is scat. I now know what a Boykin spaniel is. I have read about the former C.C.C camp that was at McKinley Woods… Well the list is too long to elaborate.
I was excited recently when I saw an announcement in the newsletter. The forest preserve has added a new section on their web page titled, “coexisting with wildlife.” I have had to learn a lot about wildlife out of necessity due to them taking residency in many of my fields. . Despite being in the fields and nature most of my life, I am not always educated about all the different animals that call Illinois their home. I am always eager to learn and expand my knowledge, and I encourage everyone else to do so as well.
A couple of years ago the forest preserve staff told me that they had the largest social media presence of any county in Illinois. I think many in Will County would benefit from frequently visiting their Facebook page and reading the newsletter. The website, reconnectwithnature.org has the link to sign up for the newsletter. On the website you can find the page for coexisting with wildlife under the tab for news and events.
I do believe that in most instances it is best to leave wildlife alone. They are wild after all, not domesticated. More than once I have advised people to leave a fawn alone if they find one. Years ago I read that human interaction is the number one cause of death for newborn deer. The forest preserve website confirms that the best action to take if you find a fawn is, no action whatsoever. Leave it alone and let the mother take care of it.
It is obvious to me from seeing many posts on social media and from everyday interactions that many of us do not know what is best to do when in a unique situation with wildlife. The website has useful information. Some of the animals I foresee as possible additions are: killdeer, beaver, geese and ducks; especially the latter when they take the family for strolls through neighborhoods and into streets.
As a beekeeper, I do know what to do if I see a swarm of bees. This is the time of year they occur a lot, and I would not be surprised to see a future newsletter highlight this occurrence again. I hope the forest preserves emails will continue to inform and educate me for many more years.
I also have a personal bucket list to ride my bicycle in every preserve in the county. In the spring I have to stop my planter and haybine to locate and go around many ground nests for birds when in the field. With all the work stoppages to save and usher wildlife out of the way in my fields I may never get enough time to go riding in the preserves until winter. Until then I guess I have to enjoy the wildlife in my fields until I can take my bike to the preserve.
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