The forest preserve districts of DuPage, Kane and Will counties, McHenry County Conservation District and the Fox Valley and Naperville park districts are teaming up to promote responsible trail use.
The initiative is taking place in May, which is National Bike Month, a news release from the DuPage County Forest Preserve District said.
Trail safety, rider etiquette and understanding electric bicycle classifications and regulations are among the topics being addressed in the campaign. Participating agencies will distribute pocket-sized handouts with trail safety guidelines and e-bike regulations, the news release said.
The campaign will also include social media posts and trail-side signs. Participating agencies are working to align their ordinances to improve consistency, the release said.
Under current forest preserve and park district regulations, only Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed on trails. Class 3 bikes, which have a motor that can travel up to 28 mph, are not permitted.
All e-bikes must have a label that indicates the bike’s class and top assisted speed, the release said.
Kentucky Derby-themed concert planned
Singer-songwriter Rick Pickren will perform a free Kentucky Derby-themed concert at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, at the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave. in St. Charles.
Pickren has performed his music and history programs at hundreds of museums, libraries, historical societies, colleges and churches, library officials said.
To register for the concert, call 630-584-0076 or go to scpld.org.
Kane Forest District offers free wood chips
The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is offering free wood chips to the public on Sunday, May 4.
Wood chips will be available for pick-up from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 4 at Burnidge Forest Preserve in Elgin and Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock.
Forest Preserve District staff will be on hand to help load chips with a tractor at both sites, according to a press release from the district. Non-district machinery to load is not permitted.
Residents should bring their own shovels and containers, officials said. The public is welcome to take as many wood chips as they can haul away, while supplies last, according to the release.
The chips are from hardwood trees removed throughout Kane County because of storm damage or clearing efforts, district officials said.
Burnidge Forest Preserve is at 14N035 Coombs Road in Elgin. Big Rock Forest Preserve is at 46W072 Jericho Road in Big Rock. Signs within both preserves will direct people to the wood chip pile location, according to the release.
For more information, call the Forest Preserve District of Kane County at 630-232-5980, go to www.kaneforest.com or find the district on social media by searching @forestpreserve.
Naper Settlement opens new ‘Farm Forward’ exhibit
Naper Settlement’s newest exhibit, “Farm Forward,” explores the Illinois agriculture industry through the lens of local photographer Jeffrey Ross.
Ross serves on the board of the Chicago chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association and travels all over the country for various farm and agriculture marketing assignments.
The exhibit is located inside the Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center on the settlement’s campus, 523 S. Webster St. in Naperville, and is included in the museum’s general admission.
Illinois had 72,000 farms that span 27 million acres or about three-quarters of the state as of 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service. About 89% of the state’s cropland is considered prime farmland, according to exhibit information on the settlement’s website.
The exhibit captures some of the industry’s innovative practices and includes rarely seen images to the everyday consumer, the website said.
