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Wild Relatives: The tool-using sea otter
Sea otters are amazing ocean mammals related to river otters in North America. Learn how they float, use rocks as tools, stay warm with thick fur and how conservation helped bring them back from near extinction.


Craft your own handheld habitat at home
It's time to get crafty! Gather together your favorite craft supplies to create a tiny handheld habitat for your favorite creature.


Who needs winter? Nature does
What purpose does our cold winter season serve? Do we really need winter? What does winter do for nature? So many things.


Macrophotography focuses on small wonders
We often see so many amazing things outside that we want to capture them with a photo. But if you are only ever looking up and out, you are missing out on some amazing views. Try looking down, way, way down. Not at the big things, but at the tiny, tiny parts of nature.


Beware of the stink in skunk mating season
Love is always in the air, but at this time of the year the love in the air may smell a lot like skunk. That's because we are right in the midst of mating season for striped skunks. And with mating season comes increased activity as male skunks search for female mates.


Get to know the fast and fierce Cooper's hawk
Cooper's hawks are one of our many local hawk species. These fast, fierce birds are at home in our forests, where they are able to zip through the trees with ease.


Porcupines are a prickly animal neighbor
About 200 years ago, porcupines were common in Illinois. That's no longer the case, but you don't have to go far to find them in the wild. Learn all about these prickly creatures and why they no longer live in Illinois.


10 new things to try this year
Feeling cooped up? Here are a few new ideas to try and get you outside, get your body moving and your mind out of the winter slump.
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