Tune In To The Forest Preserve's 'Buzz' Nature Show On Aug. 31

August’s episode of “The Buzz,” the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s monthly nature show, takes viewers on a turtle hunt as Forest Preserve staff collect data on a threatened species and also to a bike recycling center to see its inner workings.

The program debuts at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, on the Forest Preserve’s Facebook and YouTube pages and at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, on WJYS TV, courtesy of funding from The Nature Foundation of Will County. Local cable stations in Joliet, Naperville, New Lenox, Romeoville and Tinley Park also carry the show.

Turtle time

The turtle segment follows Becky Blankenship, the Forest Preserve’s wildlife ecologist, as she tracks state-threatened ornate box turtles to gather data. Following Blankenship as she searched for turtles outfitted with transmitters was an “awesome experience,” said “Buzz” program host Suzy Lyttle.

The turtles are also hard to detect because they are normally buried in the ground, Lyttle added. Some turtles only had a bit of shell showing, others darted away.

In the segment, Blankenship talks about her study and why it is so important to learn more about this threatened species.

“The prairie was full of thorns and poison ivy, but the work is worth it because it provides the scientific community with valuable data to help ornate box turtle populations,” Lyttle said.

Where do the bikes go?

If you have donated bikes to the Forest Preserve’s Recycle Your Bicycle program through the years, you might have wondered what happened to them.

All the donated bikes are taken to Working Bikes, which Lyttle visited recently to see the inner workings of the agency.

“Seeing the Working Bikes facility and meeting the hard-working staff and huge force of volunteers is sure to give you inspiration,” Lyttle said of her trip. “Bikes collected by the Forest Preserve could be donated to local communities in Chicago or shipped to their partners in Africa or Central America. Their goal is to provide everyone with reliable and sustainable forms of transportation.”

After being held only at Monee Reservoir for more than a decade, the fall Recycle Your Bicycle collection event will be held at two locations this year from Saturday, Sept. 17, to Sunday, Oct. 2:

• Recycle Your Bicycle at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook: Bikes can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to sunset.
• Recycle Your Bicycle at Monee Reservoir in Monee Township: Bikes can be dropped off from 6 a.m. to sunset.