see something different every time ,” Danzl said .
She said some people are turned off by the outdoors , with it being dirty and having spiders and bugs .
But kids love getting outdoors and getting dirty and seeing wildlife , she said .
She said there ’ s more than 6,000 acres with all the conservation district properties . Just turning over a log and finding what ’ s under it , or even looking underneath leaves and looking at the colors and patterns , there ’ s so much people can look at .
There are lots of studies talking about the physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors , too . If someone can ’ t get to a park , go in your yard or neighborhood and look at the leaves and trees .
Maps for the parks and trails can be found at vccd . org , the ranger station kiosk at Forest Glen and Kennekuk Visitor Center .
The parks are open year-round , with hours changing seasonally .
New signs also are being installed at the county parks for consistency and identification .
The first new sign was installed at Kennekuk . Additional new signs are ordered for Forest Glen , Heron Park and Lake Vermilion Park .
Danzl said they want people to understand the county parks are separate from Kickapoo State Park which is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources .
The VCCD has been looking at traffic coming into the parks too .
“ The traffic counters give us a good understanding of how many people are using the parks . The counters tell us what days and what time of day is the most used . They
came in very useful during the Christmas light display . The information is great when applying for grants as well . It will be great to get a couple years of data to see how the trends are ,” Pasquale added .
Above , a past fall view along Look Out Point Trail at Kennekuk County Park .
Below , a past Bismarck Outdoor School outing . Photos by Jennifer Bailey
ILLIANA MAGAZINE — FALL 2022 15