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Words of the Woods

Words of the Woods

By: Lake County Forest Preserves
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 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 effects—along with opportunities to help mitigate and prevent them—are 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.Lake County Forest Preserves Biological Sciences Science
Episodes
  • Special Edition: Step into Serenity

    Special Edition: Step into Serenity
    Jul 16 2025

    Imagine stepping into the woods, leaving behind the noise and stress of daily life.


    As you pause and breathe, a sense of calm takes over. There’s no rush or destination, only the soothing quiet of the woodland. Welcome to forest bathing, a practice that invites you to reconnect with yourself and nature.

    Forest Preserves Mentioned:

    • Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve (Long Grove)
    • Ethel’s Woods Forest Preserve (Antioch)
    • Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (Lake Forest)
    • Fox River Forest Preserve (Port Barrington)
    • Grant Woods Forest Preserve (Ingleside)
    • Lakewood Forest Preserve (Wauconda)
    • Spring Bluff Forest Preserve (Winthrop Harbor)

    Selected Links and Sources:

    Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs

    Every Acre Strong

    Horizons subscriptions

    Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

    “Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review,” Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

    “Shinrin-Yoku: A Deep Dive into Forest Bathing,” Treehugger

    “Step into Serenity with Forest Bathing,” Summer 2025 Horizons

    ***

    If 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 willhelp 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.

    Have questions or comments? Send them to WordsOfTheWoods@LCFPD.org.

    This episode of Words of the Woods was hosted and produced by Brett Peto, environmental communications specialist at the Lake County Forest Preserves. Featuring writing from Kim Mikus. Expertise from Retta Hennessy and Susmitha Kilaru. Script editing by Jeanna Martinucci, Kim Mikus and Rebekah Snyder. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto.

    Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.
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    17 mins
  • Special Edition: Tick Talk

    Special Edition: Tick Talk
    Apr 16 2025
    If you live in Lake County, Chicagoland, the Midwest or the eastern U.S. and Canada, tick bites are a low-level but persistent consideration when spending time outdoors. You don’t have to hike among dense vegetation to find them. Or for them to find you. Checking yourself, your family and pets for ticks regularly is important, especially from spring to fall. Let’s do what we can to dampen the risks by talking ticks. Guests:Kathryn McCabe, wildlife ecologist, Lake County Forest Preserves Selected Links and Sources:“About Permethrin-Treated Clothing and Gear,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)“Common Ticks: Prevention & Control,” Illinois Department of Public HealthEvery Acre Strong“Guide to different tick species and the diseases they carry,” Mayo Clinic“Lyme Disease,” CDC“Lyme disease in dogs,” American Veterinary Medical AssociationPreservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves“Preventing Ticks on Pets,” CDC“Tick Bite: What to Do,” CDCTick Info“Tick Lifecycles,” CDC“Tick Talk (Tick Awareness Month),” Mildmay Veterinary Clinic *** If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation’s Every Acre Strong campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate. 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 Kathryn McCabe. Script editing by Gary Glowacki, Jeanna Martinucci, Kathryn McCabe, Kim Mikus, Rebekah Snyder, Matt Ueltzen and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art © KPixMining. Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.
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    17 mins
  • Resilience | Season 3, Episode 9

    Resilience | Season 3, Episode 9
    Feb 5 2025
    If you struggle with climate anxiety, volunteering for the Lake County Forest Preserves is a practical thing you can do to help address the future as well as feelings of worry and fear. Individuals, couples, families and friend groups can all volunteer. So can corporate groups, civic groups, scout troops, religious institutions, book clubs and just about any other organization. Opportunities include removing invasive species, planting trees and collecting native seed. Another way to contribute is by making a gift to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves, the charitable partner of the agency. The most significant effort in the Foundation’s history is in progress: a five-year fundraising campaign to create a $20 million endowment for the Forest Preserves. Returns from investing that principal are expected to be $800,000 annually, which will exclusively support ongoing habitat restoration. When it comes down to it, the ultimate source of resilience is all of us. Guests: Kelly Burdick, native seed nursery program manager, Lake County Forest PreservesNels Leutwiler, former president of the Preservation FoundationJohn Nelson, chief operations officer, Lake County Forest PreservesKelly Schultz, stewardship ecologist, Lake County Forest PreservesRebekah Snyder, director of community engagement and partnerships, Lake County Forest Preserves Forest Preserves Mentioned: Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve (Mettawa)Des Plaines River TrailDunn Museum (Libertyville)Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (Lake Forest)Grassy Lake Forest Preserve (Lake Barrington)Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve (Lake Forest)Native Seed Nursery (Grayslake)Old School Forest Preserve (Mettawa)Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve (Grayslake)Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods)Ryerson Education Center (Riverwoods) Selected Links and Sources: 2024 Lake County Forest Preserves referendum “The average adult spends more than seven hours online – here’s how you can manage your screen time,” Allconnect “Become a community scientist,” Jen Berlinghof, Lake County Nature Blog Blanding’s Turtle Recovery Program “The butterfly effect: how tiny actions unleash global consequences,” Farnam Street Commemorative gifts Community science monitoring Group Volunteer Projects Horizons subscriptions Horizons (Summer 2024) “If climate change keeps you up at night, here’s how to cope,” Harvard Medical School Lake County Seed Collection Guide “Majority of US adults believe climate change is most important issue today,” American Psychological Association Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves Restoration Workday Calendar Restoration Workday Sites “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World,” General Stanley McChrystal Volunteer Interest Form Volunteer With Us *** If you like what the forest preserves do for you, please consider donating to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves’ endowment campaign. Your gift will help provide a perpetual, dependable funding source and ensure every acre of habitat we restore remains ecologically healthy. Learn more and give at LCFPD.org/donate. 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, Kelly Burdick, Nels Leutwiler, John Nelson, Kelly Schultz and Rebekah Snyder. Script editing by Jen Berlinghof, Kelly Burdick, Alyssa Firkus, Kevin Kleinjan, Ty Kovach, Jeanna Martinucci, Kim Mikus, Matt Mulligan, John Nelson, Kelly Schultz, Rebekah Snyder, Erika Stergos, Matt Ueltzen and Pati Vitt. Music and sound effects from Storyblocks. Audio editing and mixing by Brett Peto. Episode cover art © Liz Rose Fisher. Words of the Woods is a production of the Lake County Forest Preserves in Libertyville, Illinois.
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    50 mins
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