'Buzz' nature show features busy beavers and a new farm

The June episode of “The Buzz,” the Forest Preserve District’s monthly nature show, will feature a farm at the center of the largest private land donation in the District’s history, beavers making themselves right at home in the preserves while also creating homes for other wildlife and some swarming bees helping the show live up to its name.

Season 2, Episode 6 of the show will air at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, on the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

SET A REMINDER TO WATCH ON FACEBOOK

The show begins at the 160-acre Tempest Farm in Washington Township, east of Beecher. The farm is being donated to the Forest Preserve District by Lisbet “Beth” Temple in honor of her late husband, Dr. Arvid Temple, who owned the land for many years. The Temples never lived at the farm but spent a lot of time through the years tending to the gardens and animals there.

The land donation will take place over several years, but the first 40-acre parcel, which includes the farmstead, was transferred to the District late last year.

“Meeting with Beth at Tempest Farm was an amazing opportunity. She is so knowledgeable and passionate,” said Suzy Lyttle, the program host and an interpretive naturalist for the Forest Preserve District. “It makes me feel so good to know her land will always be protected for the future. It is a side of the Forest Preserve we don’t get to see very often or put a face to.”
The second segment in this month’s episode brings us to Monee Reservoir on a hot and steamy day in search of some beavers and their lodges and dens.

“The beaver activity at Monee Reservoir is so interesting to observe,” Lyttle said. “At first glance it blends in, but once you stop and pay attention you can see the impact that these structures have on the ecosystem. This part of the episode was a blast to film. We were in waders to get a closer view of the dam. You can visually see the water level difference.”

The segment also explores the beaver’s importance through history, including its significance in the fur trade between Native people and the French in Illinois Country centuries ago.

The Buzz Bit for this month will be about bee swarms. These scenes often seem chaotic because of the sheer number of bees — many thousands of them, oftentimes — but the bees themselves are really just going about their business in an orderly way.

“I think the term 'swarm' brings hectic imagery, but in reality it is a very calm process,” Lyttle said. “The bees are looking for a new home and are just trying to keep the queen safe until their ‘agents’ find their dream home.”

After Wednesday’s broadcast, a recording of the show will be available for viewing on the District's Facebook, YouTube and Instagram pages. “The Buzz” also airs on cable stations in Joliet, Naperville, New Lenox, Romeoville and Tinley Park.