Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District

04/07/2026

Great news! Our Aroma Land and Water Reserve site has reopened after much cleanup from the recent storms. As always, we want to remind everyone to help us keep all properties clean for the wildlife and for all to enjoy.

04/03/2026

Stop by Saturday 10am-3pm.

03/31/2026

Hello,
My name is Albertine Scray, but I go by Mumzy.

We are organizing a relief effort for families who lost everything in the recent tornado in Kankakee. We are preparing 150 baskets filled with essential items to help children and their families as they rebuild.

Each basket will include basic necessities such as hygiene items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, wipes, diapers), clothing (socks, underwear, T-shirts, pajamas), bedding (blankets, towels, pillows), food (canned goods, rice, pasta, snacks), household supplies (detergent, paper goods, sanitizer), and emergency items (flashlights, batteries, first aid kits), along with small comfort items for the children.

We would be truly grateful for any support you can provide toward this effort. Even helping us cover part of the baskets would make a meaningful difference for these families.

You can learn more about our work here:
Website: https://mumzycrf.org/

Donation options:
Zelle: [email protected]
Cash App: $MumzyCRF
Venmo:
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/MumzysEarth

The event will take place on Saturday, April 4, 2026, from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Forest Preserve Center of Aroma Park. 3301 Waldron Rd

I’ve attached the flyer with full details and donation needs. Any support you can provide would truly make a difference.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Warm regards,
Albertine F. Scray (Mumzy)

Founder & CEO
Mumzy’s Children Relief Foundation
IL 501(c)(3) #82-3385647
Tel: +1 (773) 459-0171
+1 (309) 660-5222
https://mumzycrf.org/

03/20/2026

Our Hieland Lakes site is open for fishing for the season. As always, please help us keep our sites clean for everyone's enjoyment. Anything you bring in, either place in the trash cans or take it home with you.

03/17/2026

We are happy to have Operation BBQ Relief using our building as a warm place to serve workers and victims of last week's tornado that hit our area so hard.

Operation BBQ Relief has been out helping those impacted by last week's EF-3 tornado.

03/14/2026

Many trees down at Aroma Preserve please stay out till paths can be cleared. It may be a while, so be patient.

03/14/2026

Update on our properties.
Gar Creek Preserve is now open.
Due to accessibility and damage, our Waldron Arboretum and Aroma Land and Water Reserve properties remain closed until further notice.

03/14/2026

14 species are building nests within a few hundred feet of your front door right now. No two of them build the same way.

The robin carries hundreds of loads of mud in her bill and cements a cup together like mortar and brick. The oriole weaves a hanging pouch from plant fibers and string, suspended from a branch tip, deep enough to sway in the wind. The chickadee hammers a hole into rotting wood with a bill designed for seeds, not drilling, and carries each grain of debris away from the site so nothing advertises the location.

The mourning dove builds the worst platform in North America — a flat collection of sticks so thin you can see the eggs through it from below. No cup. No lining. No apparent structural integrity. The species has been using this design for millions of years. It works despite looking like it shouldn't.

The killdeer doesn't build at all. She presses her body into gravel and rotates until there's a shallow depression. Four eggs laid directly on the ground in a parking lot, a driveway, a rooftop. The eggs match the surface so precisely they're invisible from a few feet away.

The cottontail scratches a shallow bowl into your lawn, lines it with fur pulled from her own chest, and covers it with a grass plug that's invisible from two feet away. No walls. No roof. The most exposed nursery in the neighborhood.

Same street. Same week. Mud architects, weavers, excavators, platform builders, and species that build nothing at all — every method running simultaneously within walking distance of your front door.

🐦 What to watch for this week:

- A bird carrying material in its bill is actively building — follow the flight path for five trips and you've mapped the route to the nest
- Mud nests can only be built during the narrow window when soil is consistently wet. A puddle in your driveway right now is a building supply depot
- Any dead tree with holes in it is an apartment building — woodpeckers excavated, and dozens of other species moved in afterward
- A bird sitting motionless on flat gravel may be a killdeer on a nest — check before driving or mowing over open ground
- If you see a rabbit sitting still on your lawn, look directly below her for a fur-covered depression. That's a nest

14 species. 9 methods. All within walking distance. The construction season is open 🌿

03/11/2026

We sincerely hope everyone is safe from yesterday's storms. At this time our Gar Creek, Waldron Arboretum and Aroma Land and Water Reserves sites are closed. We need time to assess the sites for damage aswe can get them. We will post here on our page as the sites are able to be safely reopened.

02/21/2026

Waldron Arboretum will be closed on February 24th and 25th for property improvements. We apologize for any inconvenience.