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Words of the WoodsAuthor: Lake County Forest Preserves
Words of the Woods is a show about nature and history. Written and hosted by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves, it tells local stories about big topics. Season 3 focuses on climate change. While it's a global issue, many of its effectsalong with opportunities to help mitigate and prevent themare local. This season, Brett explores how climate change affects your forest preserves. How wildlife and plants may be adapting. And what the Forest Preserves is doing to make Lake County more climate-resilient. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Special Edition: Take Flight
Episode 14
Wednesday, 22 April, 2026
At first light, a wetland at Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve in Grayslake stirs to life.Red-winged blackbirds trumpet conk-la-REE-look-at-ME songs from swaying cattails. Wood ducks tip forward to eat plants below the water’s surface, rear ends bobbing in the air.A great blue heron stands motionless onshore, amber-yellow eyes searching the shallows for tasty fish. The fresh smells of spring drift on a casual breeze as the landscape comes alive.Birdwatching gives you front-row seats to these compelling scenes, especially in Lake County.Forest Preserves Mentioned:Des Plaines River TrailFort Sheridan (Lake Forest)Fox River Marina (Port Barrington)General Offices (Libertyville)Greenbelt Cultural Center (North Chicago)Independence Grove (Libertyville)Visitors CenterRollins Savanna (Grayslake)Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods)Ryerson Welcome CenterVan Patten Woods (Wadsworth) Selected Links and Sources:“2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation,” U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceBarred owl, Cornell Lab of OrnithologyBirdwatching ChecklistBirdwatching GuideBirdwatching resourcesBlue jay, CornellDark-eyed junco, CornellEbirdEvery Acre StrongForest Preserves calendarGlobal Big Day, CornellGreat blue heron, CornellGreat egret, CornellGreat horned owl, CornellGreen-winged teal, CornellHorizons subscriptionsiNaturalistMacaulay Library, CornellMexican violetear, CornellMississippi Flyway, U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceNorthern cardinal, CornellPurple martin, CornellRed-winged blackbird, CornellRose-breasted grosbeak, CornellShort-eared owl, CornellSpring 2026 HorizonsTree swallow, CornellVirginia rail, CornellWood duck, CornellYellow warbler, CornellIf you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign for the Forest Preserves. Your gift will help create a $20 million endowment to protect the forest preserves you love, ensuring every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Forever. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/endowment.Subscribe to Horizons at LCFPD.org/horizons.Have questions or comments? Send them to WordsOfTheWoods@LCFPD.org.This episode of Words of the Woods was written, hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring research and expertise from Jen Berlinghof, Nan Buckardt, Eileen Davis, Samantha Gallagher, Gary Glowacki, Mark Hurley, Matt Ueltzen and Pati Vitt.We used the following recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library with permission:ML22874ML22997ML26295ML86626ML100740ML100838ML107435ML125364ML134193ML136434ML229102ML43973911ML57524601ML93737501ML95908491ML96661961ML96855351ML159180221ML211060291ML241076151ML261929461Other sound effects and music from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Cover art illustration © Samantha Gallagher.Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake CountyForest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.
