FIVE FIELD TRIPS ON NOVEMBER 5
Registration Opens August 3

Thanks to the Negaunee Foundation’s generous support of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance Congress 2026 Field Trips, these field-based learning experiences are available at NO COST TO PARTICIPANTS.

These excursions will highlight habitat protection and ecological restoration at the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Plain Coastal Preserves, sustainable and regenerative agriculture at sites across Lake County, and native seed banking and propagation at Rollins Savanna and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Most trips are on a bus; meeting locations have ample parking.

Learn more about Congress 2026, coming Friday, November 6 at the College of Lake County. 

Field Trip registration opens Monday, August 3, on a first-come basis.

1. Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture (all day), 40 participants

Join us for a full day learning about innovative agricultural practices in Lake County, Illinois.

• 8am CST: Meet at the College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus to board the bus
• Stops include Golden Oaks Farm, Farm Foundation (lunch included), Liberty Prairie, and Prairie Crossing Conservation Farm.
• 4pm CST: Return to College of Lake County
  

2. Seeds Galore! (all day), 40 participants

Join us for a full day learning about seed banking and propagation efforts in the region.

• 8am CST: Meet at the College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus to board the bus
• Stops include Rollins Savanna, Wild Bed & Wetland Nursery, Head House and Nursery Beds, Chicago Botanic Garden Seed Bank and Plant Production tours
• 4pm CST: Return to the College of Lake County
  

3. Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge (all day), 42 participants

Join us for a full day to learn about the refuge that was established in 2012 with the donation of a 12-acre conservation easement. Hackmatack National  Wildlife Refuge helps connect the dots of conserved land in southeast Wisconsin and northeast Illinois. The refuge will ultimately improve or restore more than 11,000 acres of drained wetland basins, historic prairie and forest habitats.

• 9:30 am CST: Meet at the Lost Valley Visitor Center to board the bus
• Stops include Nippersink Creek at Glacial Park, Tamarack West, Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
• 2:30 Return to Lost Valley Visitor Center
  

4. Lake Plains Coastal Preserves Field Trip (half-day, morning), 20 participants

Led by Belynda Alberte, Lake Plain Coalition Coordinator/Natural Resource Specialist

• 8:30 am CST: Meet at parking lot southeast of North Point Marina
• No bus for this trip - participants drive themselves to the tour stops.
• Stops at Illinois Beach State Park (North Unit), Spring Bluff Forest Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area (Unit 1)
  
• 12:30pm CST: Return to North Point Marina
• Lunch provided

5. Lake Plains Coastal Preserves Field Trip (half-day, afternoon), 20 participants

Led by Belynda Alberte, Lake Plain Coalition Coordinator/Natural Resource Specialist

• 12:30pm CST: Meet for lunch at parking lot southeast of North Point Marina
• No bus for this trip - participants drive themselves to the tour stops.
• Stops at Illinois Beach State Park (North Unit), Spring Bluff Forest Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area (Unit 1)
  
• 4:10pm CST: Return to North Point Marina

Optional Post Field Trip Dinner (5-8pm)

Come to an informal post-field trip gathering at Bill's Pizza Pub, Third Lake, IL. We've reserved a room to socialize and eat. Bring a colleague and get to know your fellow Congress 2026 participants.

ADA Accessibility

Please contact Cherie Fisher, Alliance Program Manager, with accessibility questions. People with mobility issues are welcome to drive themselves directly to the field trip locations. Several trips will have headsets with adjustable volumes.

Become a Sponsor to Support Regional Conservation

 
Your support ensures that conservation professionals can come together, share solutions, and grow forward—together—at a moment when leadership and collaboration matter more than ever.

Click on the sponsor level links below to join the list of supporters.

• $25,000 Sponsor: Patron

  Includes 12 complimentary Congress tickets, 4 field trip tickets, speaking opportunity, premiere tabling opportunity at Congress, plus special recognition at the 30th Anniversary Party
  

• $10,000 Sponsor

  Includes 10 complimentary Congress tickets, 2 field trip tickets,  premiere tabling opportunity at Congress, plus special recognition at the 30th Anniversary Party
  

• $5,000 Sponsor

  Includes 8 complimentary Congress tickets, 1 field trip ticket, and tabling opportunity at Congress

• $2,500 Sponsor

  Includes 6 complimentary Congress tickets and tabling opportunity at Congress
  

• $1,000 Sponsor

  Includes 4 complimentary Congress tickets and tabling opportunity at Congress
  

• $500 Sponsor

  Includes 2 complimentary Congress tickets
  

• $250 Sponsor

  Includes 1 complimentary Congress ticket
  

• $100 Donate a Congress Scholarship

  Help those who cannot afford registration attend Congress 2026 free of charge

Thanks to Our Growing List of Congress 2026 Sponsors

Negaunee Foundation
Field Trip Sponsor

Questions about sponsorship? Contact Laura Reilly, Alliance Managing Director.