An environmental education facility located along the DuPage River recently celebrated 10 years in Naperville.
Naperville community expressed desire for a nature center
Back in July of 2013, the Naperville Park District broke ground on the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Rd.
Community surveys at the time indicated Naperville residents wanted a nature center, and the park district determined the 215-acre Knoch Knolls Park in south Naperville was the perfect spot.
“There’s so much cultural and natural history here at this site… going all the way back to the early hunter (and) gatherers, Native Americans, and first European settlers,” said Angelique Harshman, Knoch Knolls Nature Center Manager. “This is one of the locations where they probably built some housing.”
After 14 months of work, the Knoch Knolls Nature Center was up and running on Oct. 2, 2014.
For the last 10 years, it has served as an environmental education institution for both children and adults in Naperville.
“I think that it’s a great spot for the nature center to be located. I think a lot of people just appreciated that something was here for them to enjoy with their families,” Harshman said.
“Celebrating water” at Knoch Knolls Nature Center
Covering over 5,000 square feet, Knoch Knolls Nature Center boasts a plethora of eco-friendly features.
Designed around the theme of “celebrating water,” the facility collects rainwater through its permeable parking lot and sloped roofs, which flow into a 1,500-gallon cistern.
The cistern feeds into the nature center’s tropical plant wall and…
“A huge, over 900-gallon freshwater tank with fish that you would find in the area,” said Harshman.
The nature center was also constructed with sustainable lumber and linoleum, and features solar panels on the roof. All of these factors led to the facility being awarded Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design’s (LEED) Platinum status, the organization’s highest honor, in 2015.
“(The center) has made leaps and bounds as far as the ways that we can conserve our resources,” Harshman said.
Programs for the whole family focused on area wildlife, plants
Area wildlife education and conservation is at the forefront of the nature center’s mission.
Its walls are covered with colorful depictions of land animals and plants you can find in Naperville. The center is also home to, “some live animals including a fox snake, box turtle, and salamander,” said Harshman.
Harshman said the first programs available at the nature center 10 years ago were the free Nature Discovery Days, which are still hosted today.
“They’re themed, so it might be about how animals survive in the winter,” Harshman said. “And they’ll be different stations in that classroom set up at tables. So it’s self-guided, but crafts to go along with that. People can touch pelts or check animal footprints.”
Through the center, kids can participate in Nature Playtime, attend a Nature Center Camp during the summer months, or dive into a take-home Nature Discovery Kit.
Throughout October, the nature center is celebrating Creepy Critters Month. Families can take part in an indoor scavenger hunt and self-guided activities about a variety of creatures, including bats, rats, and vultures.
The nature center also offers programs for adults, such as gardening and landscaping workshops, and hikes with a naturalist.
The park district recently unveiled a new, self-guided mobile tour for Knoch Knolls Park. The hour-long journey invites hikers to the confluence, where the east and west branches of the DuPage River meet.
Park district unveils Frank J. Rus Pavillion
While celebrating Knoch Knolls Nature Center’s 10th anniversary in September, the park district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Frank J. Rus Pavillion, located in the upper grove of Knoch Knolls Park.
“It’s beautiful, it’s very large, lots of space for people to do things, we’re going to incorporate it into our programming as well, as well as the general public being able to use it,” said Harshman. “And it looks a lot like the nature center, with the coloration, it kind of blends in with the surroundings too.”
Whether it’s the Frank J. Rus Pavilion, a Nature Discovery Day on a fresh topic, or a unique guided tour, there’s always something new sprouting up in and around the Knoch Knolls Nature Center.
“We get our regulars, but then we sometimes get new people that haven’t been here before,” said Harshman. “And they’re just like ‘Oh!’ because we are kind of tucked away in all the suburbs that are here… so it’s just great.”
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