_{From left to right are Foundation Executive Director Tara Neff, Forest Preserve Board President Destinee Ortiz, Forest Preserve Executive Director Ralph Schultz, and Forest Preserve and Foundation board members Julie Berkowicz and Elnalyn Costa. (Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock)}

The Nature Foundation of Will County presented a quarterly donation check to the Forest Preserve District's Board at its Feb. 13 meeting.

The check totaled $48,800.  

Tara Neff, executive director of the Foundation, said the donation came from corporations, foundations and individuals who support the Foundation’s work and the Forest Preserve’s goals. 

“Our mission is to create a legacy of giving that supports and celebrates the preservation, conservation, education and recreation priorities of the Forest Preserve District in perpetuity,” Neff said. 

Foundation donors provided $5,000, which was matched by $5,000 from Pembina Pipeline for the District’s Connecting Kids with Nature Bus Scholarship Program available to schools with Schoolwide Title 1 designations.

Another $2,000 from the Foundation was used to fund housing and health services for the Forest Preserve’s animal ambassadors. 

And $5,000 went to the District's Conservation Department as part of the Foundation's Restore Will County small grant program. 

“The District’s Conservation Department works year-round, sometimes in terrible weather, implementing strategies to improve the health of our communities by restoring protected natural areas, some of which are home to Illinois’ rarest species,” Neff said. 

For the past 10 years, the Conservation Department has had access to $25,000 a year for restoration activities at the 891-acre Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township. 

This funding comes from Jan Heideman, who included the District’s Goodenow Grove in her estate plan. 

“Jan Heideman is a founding member of the Nature Foundation Legacy Society, which was created in 2020 as a way to accept and recognize individuals who include the Nature Foundation in their will or trust, through charitable designations or in their estate plans,” Neff said.

The Foundation’s quarterly contribution also included $1,800 for promotional and programming materials for the “Smokey Bear: The Rudy Wendelin Collection” traveling exhibit on display at Forest Preserve visitor centers through March 2.

The exhibit is timely because of the recent wildfires out west, Neff explained. 

“Recent events serve as reminders of the importance of responsible land management practices like prescribed burns,” she said. “The U.S. Forest Service changed its Smokey Bear tagline in 2001 from, ‘Only you can prevent forest fires,’ to ‘Only you can prevent wildfires.’”

The Nature Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and all gifts are fully tax-deductible.