Coronavirus: Forest Preserve Cancels, Postpones More Events

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County has canceled or postponed several events in April due to the coronavirus. The stay-at-home order has been extended through April 30, and the forest preserve has canceled the "Hugs for Hounds" event and postponed the "Found Objects Sculpture Trail" event.

The preserve said Shorewood HUGS, in partnership with the Forest Preserve District of Will County, had scheduled the 2020 “Hugs for Hounds” for April 11 at the Hammel Woods Dog Park in Shorewood.

"It is with heavy hearts that Shorewood HUGS has decided to take a 'pause' while we all deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus. This decision was difficult to come to but at the end of the day, we felt that this is the responsible thing to do to ensure the safety of our members as well as the safety of those in the community that we serve," a Facebook post from Shorewood HUGS read.

Shorewood HUGS is a local nonprofit that assists with worthy fundraising efforts. Proceeds from the event's registration fees have raised thousands of dollars for the care, handling and training of the Forest Preserve's police K-9s.

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The forest preserve said it is also delaying the opening of the "Found Objects Sculpture Trail," which had been set to debut on April 8 along Snapper Pond Trail at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township. The preserve plans to install the sculpture trail at a later time. Once the sculpture trails opens, possibly later this spring, seven sculptures created out of discarded items by artist Jennifer Meyer will be displayed.

Currently, all forest preserve parking lots, visitor centers, latrines and dog parks are closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the preserve said. Trails are open to those who can walk or bike in, and shoreline fishing is allowed where permitted, but boating is not at this time due to the parking lot closures.

“At this time, we ask that you explore nature close to home and limit your non-essential travel to protect yourself, your family, your friends and those who you may not know but may come into contact with in your forest preserves or on your regional trails,” said Ralph Schultz, the Forest Preserve District’s chief operating officer.

Read more:

Illinois Coronavirus Update March 31: Cases Top 5,000; 74 Deaths