A Breath of Fresh Air to Start the Day
When was the last time you walked, biked, ran, or fished in one of our Lake County Forest Preserves? Ann Maine, our speaker this morning, inspired us to do one of those things as soon as our schedules permit. Ann, the president of the Lake County Forest Preserve Board, holds a PhD in biochemistry and is passionate and informative on the topic of nature in general and the Lake County forest preserves in specific.
Ann talked about how the geography of our area was formed by the retreat of the glaciers tens of thousands of years ago, leaving behind the lake, bluffs, and ravines that have helped to form to the identity and character of our communities. She compared the Midwest to the Serengeti, saying that when the first European explorers came here, they saw vast expanses of beautiful grasslands waving in the breeze and populated by bison, our own version of the large hoofed mammals of the African plains.
Ann presented an overview of the forest preserves in our area; within a few minutes' drive of Lake Forest, we can experience savannas, beaches, oak forests, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing, and much more.
Ann is a professor at Lake Forest College, and her presentation makes us envious of what her students have in store for them this semester!