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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie - with Sierra Club Chicago

  • Midewin Welcome Center 30239 S. Route 53 Wilmington, IL United States (map)

Leader: Chris Williamson

Journey west to Will County for a tour of the birding hot spots of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. We will make frequent roadside stops to look for birds, bugs, bison and other wildlife in the high-quality prairies, meadows, hedgerows and old munitions works of the former Joliet Arsenal. We also will walk part of Midewin’s trail system. Because of Midewin's high quality streams, it also is a good place to spot various dragonflies and the abundance of field and prairie flowers yields an equal abundance of butterflies.
 

Special instructions:

Midewin is remote so you must bring water (essential) and snacks with you. Use bug spray to deter ticks which may be present on the grassy trails. Because we will be traveling by car to numerous stops within Midewin, please consider carpooling from the meeting spot.

Meeting place: Midewin Welcome Center/Supervisor's Office at 30239 S. Route 53, two miles north of the town of Wilmington.

Driving directions:

From I-55: Take exit 241 for Wilmington. At the top of the ramp (both northbound and southbound), turn left/east. Travel 3.5 miles on New River Road to the intersection with State Route 53 and turn left/ north. Follow Route 53 for 1.0 mile to the Welcome Center/Midewin Supervisor's Office on the right/ east side of the highway.

More information about Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is available here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/midewin/home

Earlier Event: June 13
North Pond Bird Walk