Six people will share in top honors now that the Summer Soiree edition of the Take It Outside Challenge has concluded.

They completed all 206 missions to earn 4,135 points for first place. Two other participants also completed all missions, but one was ineligible for the prize because he won in a previous seasonal challenge and one was ineligible because she is a Forest Preserve volunteer. 

The challenge began June 30 and ended Sept. 21. Participants were given nature-themed missions including snapping photos of critters, plants or preserve locations, checking in at specific preserve GPS spots in the preserves, taking selfies while on the hunt for points and answering trivia questions.

The six winners were: 

• Marisa Dion of Crest Hill
• Kelly Kastner of Woodridge
• Randy Markz of Frankfort
• Rita Mueller of Naperville
• Aisha Ray of Romeoville
• Lynn Rowley of Bolingbrook

Ray said the best part about the challenge was that it was a family-friendly activity.

"The Take it Outside Challenge Summer Soiree provided an opportunity to explore so many more preserves beyond the handful of preserves that I visit normally," she said. " ... The children, who were reluctant initially, found themselves actually enjoying some of the missions. That was the greatest reward for me. I joined the challenge on a whim for the exercise and finished with so much more."

Dion said she loved spending time out in nature with family and friends.

"My friends and I even created a group so that we could meet up and explore the preserves together while working on the missions," she said. "I appreciated the missions that encouraged me to try new things, like attending a Fun & Food Trucks event or going kayaking."

The first-place winners will each receive a $150 share of the $900 prize pool in the form of Amazon gift cards. Other winners were chosen at random. Overall, there were more than 30 winners from the Summer Soiree. 

Additional prizes awarded for the Summer Soiree were:

• Five Wild Birds Unlimited bird feeding prize packs, provided by Wild Birds Unlimited in Joliet. 
• Six Crumbl Cookies gift cards, provided by Crumbl Cookies in Mokena.
• The Nature Foundation of Will County provided four $25 Dunkin’ gift cards, four $25 Dairy Queen gift cards, two $25 Outsider Threads gift cards and two $50 Forest Preserve gift cards. 
• Three Monee Reservoir family pack certificates that included kayak rentals, meal deals and can koozies.
• Three kayak rental certificates for Monee Reservoir. 
• Ten Take It Outside prize packs that included a hat, shirt, mug and bandana, which were awarded to participants at random. 

The Take It Outside Challenge debuted in 2023 in a yearlong format and was wildly successful. Participants said they learned a lot about nature, were healthier and more adventurous and made new friends while competing. 

The 2024 competition was split into four seasonal challenges. The final challenge for the year, Fall Frolic, begins Sunday, Oct. 6, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 14. So, it’s not too late to join the fun or continue the adventure if you’ve already competed. 

Download the free Goosechase app to your smartphone and search for the challenge or use join code ED7MGP. 

The Take It Outside Challenge is sponsored by The Nature Foundation of Will County.