Discover Your Place in Nature

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    Field Notes Blog

    Are The Stars Getting Darker?

    By Emma Zimmerman • July 30, 2026
    The Peseids, Light Pollution, and How Viewing May be Affected.

    Why is There Wildfire Smoke in the Midwest?

    By Emma Zimmerman • July 23, 2026
    Over the last week, much of the Midwest experienced the worst air quality it has seen all year, and in some states, in recorded history. Smoke from wildfires far north in Canada and Northern Minnesota blanketed the great lake states, leaving the air thick, dangerous, and smelling like a campfire. Air Quality Index’s (AQI’s) soared over 900 in parts of Minnesota . At times, health experts estimated that breathing the smoky air was comparable to smoking half a pack of cigarettes over the course of a day. How can a fire so far away affect the air we breathe here in Rockford?

    July Climate News: Corn Sweat

    By Emma Zimmerman • July 17, 2026
    Corn does what?

    Land Acknowledgement Statement

    Severson Dells Forest Preserve is located on the traditional lands of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Meskwaki, Winnebago (Nebraska) and Potawatomi.  We recognize these people, among others, for their stewardship of this land.


    To learn more about territory acknowledgments and to find out more about the land you are on, visit:     Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land. Please contact us if you have additional information or suggestions.