Hidden Oaks Nature Center Now Open In Bolingbrook

BOLINGBROOK, IL —The nature center is open for business at Hidden Oaks Preserve in Bolingbrook, and several improvements are finished, including new benches and a new electrical panel for a well, according to a release from the forest preserve.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County acquired the 33-acre site in February from the Bolingbrook Park District and has been working to make improvements and repairs ever since, the preserve said. The site consists of Hidden Lakes Trout Farm and Hidden Oaks Nature Center.

The seven new benches at Hidden Lakes all meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, according to the preserve. They have new concrete pads and include an accessible clear space adjacent to the benches to allow for shoulder-to-shoulder seating for people with mobility devices. Two more benches will be installed under the overhang of the new and larger bait shop when it is built later this year.

Also, an electrical panel for a well that was vandalized and stopped working has been replaced and water is once again flowing into the Hidden Lakes ponds, the preserve said. The four ponds will fill successively.

The Hidden Oaks Nature Center reopened to the public on July 6 and it has been busy ever since, said Angie Trobaugh, the Forest Preserve’s facility supervisor.

“People are happy that our doors are finally open,” she said in a release. “We are excited to take advantage of the building’s classroom space with interactive exhibits in one room and nature activities/games in the other. And everyone falls in love with our resident animals who we bring out for numerous ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ following up with plenty of shell rubs for our turtles.”

So far, the site’s firefly hikes and moth mania programs have been incredibly popular, she added.

“The mission-based gift shop is successful with honey, jewelry, and nature stickers flying off the shelves,” Trobaugh said in a release.

And the nature center is bringing on additional staff, including David Piotrowski, who worked for the Bolingbrook Park District at Hidden Lakes. He was hired in May by the Forest Preserve as a concessions manager.

“While the planning continues for the construction of The Tackle Box bait shop, we are utilizing David's skills at Hidden Oaks, and he is gaining experience with the District,” Trobaugh said in a release. “Once the bait shop is built, he will once again manage the concessions at Hidden Lakes.”