Join Doug Stotz, Senior Conservation Ecologist with the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center and Illinois Audubon Board Member, for a tour of the Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in Putnam County. The Refuge is a 3,000-acre mosaic of lakes, marshes, seeps, savannas and prairies. Identified as an Important Audubon Bird Area, more than 270 bird species have been observed nesting, foraging or resting there.
Our adventure will include a combination of the following:
- Climbing the 30-foot Arthur A. Nolan Jr. Observation Tower for a panoramic view of migrating waterfowl
- Marquis Oak Ridge Trail: a 2.7-mile crushed-gravel trail through diverse prairies and wetlands to the Oak Ridge marsh and savanna complex in the site’s interior
- Prairie–Wetland Boardwalk: ½ mile
- Seep Trail: 1-mile trail through rich woodland and a rare wetland seep habitat
Doug will also share the amazing history of the site and the Wetland Initiatives goal to restore levels of biodiversity approaching what was once typical of the Illinois landscape prior to European settlement.
Trip Leader: Doug Stotz, The Field Museum and Illinois Audubon Society Board of Directors and Brian “Fox” Ellis
Cost of trip includes lunch, snacks and water
Maximum Field Trip Capacity: 12
Cost: $40