Burpee Museum of Natural History staff are shown examining quarry fossils. The photo was taken by April Bieschke.
Natural Land Institute (NLI) invites the public to attend a Public Opening Event at their William & Gayle Keefer Nature Reserve in Rockton, IL, on Thursday, September 26, 2024. The Open House will be 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Event parking and check-in will be at Woodlands Park, the corner of Falcon Point Place and Park View Court.
Visitors are welcome to take a guided hike or explore on their own. Registration for this free event is requested by noon on September 26, by calling 815-964-6666 or visiting the calendar at www.NaturalLand.org.
Attendees will learn about the natural history of this site, that includes three quarries, woodlands, and remnant prairie. Rockton Township Historical Society and Burpee Museum of Natural History will participate. They will share historical and geological information about Keefer Nature Reserve.
Fun Fact: Burpee Museum houses a crinoid fossil from this preserve, that is named after their first Director, Milt Mahlburg. It will be at the event to view. Burpee staff will be on site during the Open House, so visitors can explore for fossils in one of the quarries.
The William and Gayle Keefer Nature Reserve will be open to the public on a daily basis, sunrise to sunset, following this Public Opening Event. The public access address and parking lot are located at 12804 Old River Road, Rockton, IL, 61072. For more information about this Preserve visit https://www.naturalland.org/william-gayle-keefer-nature-reserve.
About the Natural Land Institute
The Natural Land Institute, an accredited conservation land trust, is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization based in Rockford, IL, which has protected 18,000 acres of natural land in Illinois since 1958. The current service area covers 12 Counties in northern Illinois. NLI’s mission is to create an enduring legacy of natural land in northern Illinois for people, plants, and animals. For more information and to donate, visit www.NaturalLand.org.