Please be aware that hiking on muddy trails causes permanent damage to sensitive habitats. If you come upon a muddy trail, go back – don’t go around.
Find Nature's Treasures
Here's a fun way to engage youngsters with nature when you take them to the Conservancy nature preserves. We've created an easy discovery challenge for our 16 most popular trails. You can get a complete list by registering for our Trail Trek Challenge hike/walk program – every hike in that program has a Find Nature's Treasures challenge. You can also find them by looking through the individual web pages about each of the nature preserves where we also have downloadable trail maps with driving directions.
Become a trail steward
We’d love to have more eyes and ears on the trails throughout the year so we can inform people about trail conditions, both good and bad. Send us photos and reports of trail conditions you observe when visiting the nature preserves. Be sure to include location. Send to [email protected]
Become a clean-up champion
Take a trash bag and sanitary gloves to collect litter when you visit the nature preserves. Send a picture of you by a nature preserve or park sign with the litter you’ve collected on a single day before June 1, and we’ll give a copy of our “Mysteries of the Driftless” DVD to the person or family with the biggest haul. Send to [email protected]
Submit bird sightings
eBird transforms your bird sightings into science and conservation. Plan trips, find birds, track your lists, explore range maps and bird migration—all free. Details at https://ebird.org/home
Forage for mushrooms
Learn about the role of mushrooms in ecology and how to identify the many varieties. You can find many different kinds of mushrooms in the nature preserves at different times of year. Some are edible and some are deadly poisonous, so it's essential to have a reliable reference and even an expert guide before you choose a mushroom to consume. At a recent virtual mushroom foraging event, one of our local experts share this introduction to mushroom foraging.