THIS FIELD TRIP IS NOW FULL
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, a 3,000-acre mosaic of lakes, marshes, seeps, savannas, and prairies. Identified as an Audubon Important Bird Area, more than 270 bird species have been observed nesting, foraging, or resting there. See Bird Checklist.
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
Cost of trip includes lunch, snacks and water
Maximum Field Trip Capacity: 12
Cost: $35
Yellow-headed blackbird photo courtesy of Gary Sullivan, The Wetlands Initiative