All-Persons Trail To Be Unveiled July 9 At Four Rivers For All Event

If someone in your family has sensory or physical challenges, Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon is hosting an event designed to make them feel welcome in nature.

The Four Rivers for All Abilities event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9.
The free event is open to all ages and registration is not required; however, those who want to join a guided sensory hike and take part in a craft must register for one of three sessions to keep attendance down to no more than 50 per hour. The sessions are scheduled for 10-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-1:30 p.m. Call 815-722-9470 to register.

Sensory hike

The sensory hike will be 25 minutes long and take place along the Forest Preserve District of Will County's new All-Persons Trail. The trail features five interactive, multisensory display panels, and visitors who are visually or cognitively impaired can use handheld audio units that will provide trail narration. Participants will stop for an activity at each interpretive panel.

"For example, at the station highlighting bullfrog and northern cardinal calls, we will do a listening activity," said Jessica McQuown, a Forest Preserve interpretive naturalist.
The All-Persons Trail includes tactile paving, which lets visually impaired visitors know when to stop for an interpretive panel, and tactile signs for guests who learn best by touch, McQuown added.

"And while we incorporated those features for people with impairments, they will benefit any guest who visits the trail," she said. "All of that sets this trail apart in its level of accessibility."

Craft and social stories

The craft activity will involve trays of modeling clay.

"Participants will be able to create something from nature they are excited about," McQuown said. "We have made some cool examples, including spiders, a flower, and a dragonfly."

Registered families will be provided with a social story prior to the program.

"The social stories are a picture guide for participants who would like to see each step of the day in ordered pictures to feel more comfortable joining us," McQuown explained. "This will include a picture of the preserve, the building, the staff, the interior of the building, the craft room, the guided hike, etc. There will be a sentence or two under each picture saying what they will do in that place or with those people. They will only be personalized to a degree based on whether they are hiking first or doing the craft first."

Buddy bags with sensory gadgets (poppers, fidgets and spinners) and a limited supply of noise-canceling headphones will be available for visitor use on a first-come, first-served basis.

Visitors to the Four Rivers for All event can get more information about community assistance at a resource area. Agencies scheduled to be on site are: Easterseals Joliet, Special Recreation of Joliet & Channahon, RejuveNate – Plants & Wellness, Joliet Junior College Disability Services, Westside Children’s Therapy, Dynamic Lynks and the Disability Resource Center.

Four Rivers transformation

The Four Rivers for All Abilities event is another step in the transformation of Four Rivers from a site that was once open only for special events and programs to a fully functioning public visitor center with a unique focus. Named as a Certified Autism Center in 2020, Four Rivers is continuing down an inclusivity path by incorporating the All-Persons Trail into its renovations.

"Our goal at Four Rivers has been to expand the communities we can reach," McQuown said. "We want our visitors to be able to fully participate in what the center has to offer. The staff as a whole maintains that if something we can do helps one group, it will likely help everyone else to enjoy our facility."

The All-Persons Trail and events, such as the one being held on July 9, are more examples of how the Forest Preserve District believes the preserves are for everyone.

The focus on inclusivity is the basis of a summer campaign, The Preserves are For You, which is designed to showcase how everyone is welcome to enjoy nature in the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

The All-Persons Trail was partially funded by a contribution from The Nature Foundation of Will County.