Field Notes Blog
Welcome to our Field Notes Blog! Here you will find local environmental and natural science news for our northern Illinois region and beyond.
Field Notes Blog
While many of you may already know me, allow me to introduce myself! I’m Holly and I’m the new community engagement manager here at Wild Roots Nature Center . While I am new to this role, I am not new to Wild Roots. I got my start at Wild Roots way back in 2019 as an environmental education AmeriCorps Volunteer. During my time, I was able to help connect people to nature and foster stewardship of our lands at all age levels. Even when COVID-19 hit, that didn’t stop us from planning for the future and coming up with ideas for how to engage people in our natural world. From there, I completed two more terms of service with AmeriCorps, one in Florida and one back here at Wild Roots with 815 Outside. (You’ll start to notice a pattern here.) As I finished my undergraduate degree in environmental studies and my master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, I remained a volunteer with Wild Roots, joining in on the fun of Science Saturdays, signature events like Luminaria, and canoe convoys. I simply never left this community. My most recent role as assistant director of campus sustainability at Northern Illinois University has prepared me for my return to Wild Roots. I’ve learned so much over the years about connecting with people of all different backgrounds, bridging the gap between nature and community. I look forward to continuing these conversations as the community engagement manager at Wild Roots Nature Center! Other fun facts: When I’m not in nature, you can find me among a circle of friends, crafting and laughing, making stained glass art, and immersing myself in a good book or tv show. I’m always happy to be a listening ear and I am fiercely loyal. Plus, I’ll never say no to a new adventure!
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I genuinely love people, organized chaos and finding joy in the little things. So, when the opportunity came to join the team at Wild Roots, it felt like everything came together in the best way. Professionally, I’ve spent more years than I’d like to admit in finance, bookkeeping and office management. I actually enjoy spreadsheets, balancing budgets, and making sure all of the behind-the-scenes pieces fit together (yes…I’m one of those people!). But my energetic and bubbly personality doesn’t always fit the type for an accounting aficionado. Before building my career in finance, I earned a degree in Elementary Education. Looking back, it makes perfect sense because teaching and finance have one thing in common – you need patience, flexibility, quick on your feet, and a good sense of humor! I absolutely love the fact that Wild Roots is so committed to outdoor education, and it is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to root myself here as well. Perfect blend of both of my worlds. Outside of work, I’m a proud mom to three wonderful (and very energetic!) boys. They keep me on my toes, whether we’re at a ball field, exploring a new park, or simply enjoying time together. Being their mom has taught me that the best adventures don’t have to be big – they’re usually found in the simple moments, especially when you’re outside exploring together! That’s one of the reasons Wild Roots already feels like the perfect place. I believe nature has an incredible way of bringing people together, slowing us down, and reminding us to appreciate the world around us. Knowing that I get to support an organization that helps families, students and our community experience that every day is something I am truly excited about.  I’m incredibly grateful to be here and can’t wait to be part of everything that makes this place so special. Here’s to new beginnings, new connections, and plenty of time spent enjoying the beauty of nature together!
This article has been adapted from it's original publication in "Notes From the Dells" Vol 47 No. 1
There is no better way to spend your summer than outside! Whether you're hiking through the woods or simply enjoying a walk with friends, spending time outdoors has countless benefits. At Severson Dells, our hiking trails and Nature Playscape are always free and open to the public. But if you're looking for a new way to experience nature, why not turn your next outdoor adventure into a game? Gamification is the process of adding elements of games, such as challenges, competition, and rewards, to everyday activities. Gamifying the outdoors can make spending time outside more engaging, especially for families, kids, and between friends. Here are a few ways to gamify your next outdoor adventure.
The ocean, and all of the water in it, is constantly in motion. Though it may sometimes appear calm on the surface, enormous currents continuously move ocean water around the globe like a giant conveyor belt. These currents regulate weather, move nutrients across ecosystems, and shape the climates of entire continents. Currents on the surface of the ocean are controlled by the wind, but deeper in the ocean currents are controlled by water density in a process known as thermohaline circulation . Thermohaline refers to the temperature (thermo) and salinity, or saltiness, (haline) of the water. Circulation refers to how the water moves throughout the ocean from pole to pole. Though this is a complicated sounding word, the process is actually pretty simple. Here’s how it works: As ocean water travels toward the poles it becomes colder, and when it gets cold enough, it eventually begins to freeze and forms into sea ice. What is important about this process is that when seawater freezes, the salt is left behind in the surrounding water. As a result, the surrounding water becomes saltier, colder, and in turn becomes more dense than the water around it. Eventually, this water becomes dense enough to sink deep into the ocean, and warmer surface water moves in to replace it. This process of freezing, melting, and replacement continues on and on, resulting in a continuous cycle of moving water that forms deep ocean currents, often referred to as the “global ocean conveyor belt.”
Experts are warning that 2026 may bring a record wildfire season to the United States, so severe that many researchers and fire agencies are no longer calling it a “fire season” at all. We are off to such a start that experts are now referring to it as a fire year. Traditionally, the wildfire season in the United States peaks between May and October, but we have seen many fires throughout the southern and western United States already this spring. Most major fires occur in western states. However, impacts from wildfires can be felt across the entire country, including here in northern Illinois. Wildfire smoke can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles, affecting our air quality here in Rockford. Maybe you recall the hazy skies and dangerous air quality alerts from the last few summers caused by fires burning far away in Canada. Unfortunately, these days are not going away, and if anything, we should expect more of them in the future. So why is this year a “fire year”, and why are experts concerned? Let’s dig into it.
Nature and Architecture in Northeastern Illinois
Science literacy may not be a term you hear every day, but it is something that shapes your life and the community around you in more ways than you might realize. Science literacy is the ability to understand, evaluate, and apply scientific concepts to make informed decisions regarding the world around us. Science is intertwined in nearly every part of our lives, but it can still feel intimidating and inaccessible at times, and that is largely because our society has a science literacy gap . Science can be complicated and challenging to understand, and this feeling is more common than we often admit. By making science more accessible through environmental education, we work to break down these barriers and build a more scientifically literate society. A scientifically literate society is a resilient society that is better prepared to solve climate problems, advocate for change, and build a more sustainable future.
If March felt unusually warm where you live this year, you weren’t imagining it. March 2026 wasn’t just the warmest March on record in the United States; it was the most abnormally warm month ever recorded in the lower 48 states, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data . That means no other month in our recorded history has ever been this far above average. On average, temperatures across the country reached approximately 50.85°F, which is 9.35°F above what’s considered normal for March based on 20th-century data. What is even more concerning is that the entire year leading up to it, from April 2025 through March 2026, was the warmest 12-month period ever recorded in the continental United States. This news should be sounding alarms everywhere.
As the weather warms and we spend more time outdoors, so do our other far from welcome companions: ticks! Over the past few decades, tick populations and their geographic range have expanded in northern Illinois. We’re now encountering more ticks than before, and a greater number of them carry diseases. This isn’t a reason to avoid going outside, but it is something we should all be aware of and prepared for as we inevitably encounter them this summer. Consider this your guide to staying safe during tick season.
As our organization’s Director of Development, I have the pleasure of presenting opportunities to people to invest their time, treasure, and talent in the work we do. I ask people to invest their financial gifts to keep our operations going and I’ll soon be asking people to help fund the renovation of the former clubhouse at Prairie’s Edge into Wild Roots Nature Center. I ask people for their talent when I consult members of our board of directors on investment matters, legal questions, and networking opportunities. But the best ask is when my colleagues and I ask people to give up their time to help Severson Dells (soon to be Wild Roots Nature Center ) provide hands-on, science-based nature education. We simply cannot operate without our volunteers ! Imagine a school field trip without the smiling adult faces who help kids howl like coyotes, touch a toad, or smell wildflowers for the first time. Our Science Saturday Hosts bring science to life at our activity stations and engage intergenerational visitors with fun and intriguing STEM education. Our Conservation Crew volunteers get their hands dirty when they pull up and destroy invasive species, collect prairie seeds, and install native plant gardens in the community. It’s my pleasure to wrap up the month of April with a big thank you to all the people who volunteer for Severson Dells Nature Center. You are special people and deserve to be recognized. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask anyone reading this to consider volunteering here with us . I promise we will welcome you with open arms and you will feel connected to other like-minded people and a very special place. You’ll make a difference in your life and in the lives of others. And that’s my lowdown.
City Nature Challenge is Friday, April 24th- Monday, April 27th As spring becomes in full bloom, every naturalist's favorite time of the year returns: City Nature Challenge! City Nature Challenge is an annual, global, 4-day bioblitz at the end of April, where cities compete and collaborate to document plants and wildlife in and around cities throughout the world and help fight biodiversity loss! Every observation you make of WILD nature is a data point that helps scientists and researchers understand and protect nature for all of us. This event first began in 2016 as a friendly competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with the goal of engaging residents and visitors in documenting nature to better understand urban biodiversity. Since then, it has turned into a worldwide competition that over 100,000 people participate in! The goals of this now global event is to engage the public in the collection of biodiversity data, with three awards each year for the cities that make the most observations, find the most species, and engage the most people. Participating in the City Nature Challenge is easy, and it’s accessible to people of all ages and education levels in the sciences! All you have to do is download the free mobile app iNaturalist , take photos of wild flora, fauna, or fungi, and share the photos to iNaturalist to document your observations. If your plant ID isn’t too sharp, don’t worry! iNaturalists automated species identification feature can often help you identify what you're spotting, as well as the community of users on iNaturalist that includes professional scientists and expert naturalists. The observation period is followed by several days of identification and the final announcement of results. In Rockford, we are part of the Rock River Valley City Nature Challenge Team. The Rock River Valley Team is coordinated by Severson Dells Nature Center and includes multiple partner organizations. Any post made in Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, DeKalb, and Stephenson counties counts toward the Rock River Valley Team's total. This means anyone who makes posts in this region is part of our team! Partner organizations include Rockford Park District, Nature at the Confluence, Byron Forest Preserve District, Northern Illinois University, Boone County Conservation District, Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, Natural Land Institute, DeKalb County Forest Preserve District, and Atwood Nature Center.
