[Music] [Music] this site has a little something for everybody and we're just minutes from our studio I'm Wei's Lacy Spence and I'll share why you should take a hike to foxbridge State [Applause] Park take a hike on weiu is supported by R king America's Farm and Home Store camping supplies kayaks fishing and pet supplies and more find your store and more information regarding Roll King at rolling.com hi I'm Wei's Lacy Spence I've lived in Central Illinois my whole life and if there's one thing I've learned you don't have to go too far to find the beauty of the Great Outdoors come along with me as I visit a variety of parks and natural areas across Illinois and share why you should take a hike to each episode's location adventure and fun await in take a hike the miniseries thank you for joining us for this episode of take a hike I'm your host Lacy Spence I'm excited to be back for season three and we are in Wei's backyard again we are at Fox Ridge State Park today you wouldn't know it this day started out with a little bit of drizzle but it's cleared out to be a beautiful day so joining us for this interview is Dwayne snow we've got the site superintendent here for Fox fridge welcome to take a hike thank you of course now I like to let our viewers get to know who we're talking to and so before we started recording you told me that you have a little bit of history with working for the state and being outoors can you tell us a little bit about yourself so I I've worked with DNR for almost 30 years um started out at Lincoln Trail State Park yeah um I went from there to Stephen A Forbes was a site tech there for for many years and got promoted to uh samale Lake um down by Fairfield was an assistant superintendent there and then I went from there to Goose leg Prairie up at Morris Illinois and was up there for a few years and then got a chance to come back back down here and a beautiful Fox Ridge wonderful so I definitely have a wealth of knowledge about um natural resources being outside and things and so how long have you been at Fox Bridge I've been here seven years seven years wonderful well we like to highlight uh why people should take a hike or make the drive to each location and so can you start off off with maybe what are some um highlights of recreation opportunities for people so one of our main uh recreational opportunities here is the hiking trails um these Trails were actually put in by the conservation the Civilian Conservation Corps uh back in the 30s um so I I think that's really kind of neat um we have the Amber all river that we' like to canoe and kayak on we have we have two accesses U to that um we have the ball diamond that people like to come out and you know play uh we have a youth area uh Camp Campground and but like I say our trails are quite extensive here and uh quite quite healing so be prepared sure and so um we have a trail that we're going to sa for a little bit later in the program but other than that can you kind of walk us through um maybe what the trails are called and their you know General uh length and how hard they are okay so we have Acorn Avenue which would be our longest trail it goes from like the campground all the way down to the South canoe access um we have a lot of trails that feed into the acorn Avenue Trail um Eagle's Nest is one of my favorite here in a few weeks when the leaves start turning it'll be really beautiful um we have trail of tiries um that I really enjoy in the fall too it it leaves from the campground and makes a circle uh in the fall whenever the leaves are turning uh the trail kind of goes right down a ridge so you have you can look in the valleys on both sides and see the see the beautiful trees it is quite lovely and I tell you what um folks who maybe aren't as familiar with this part of Illinois think Illinois is pretty darn flat but once you start getting into this region that's when you start to get some of the The Ridges terrain which is just like you said it's really beautiful to look at that's that's part of why Fox Ridge is here is the The Ridges uh due to the glaciation um these ridges were were formed here uh and it's kind of a unique feature for this part of the of Illinois and that's part of why the local community back uh promoted to build a park here was the unique features yeah and since you mentioned that um are you able to talk a little bit about the history or at least how Fox Ridge was started so Fox Ridge was originally planned uh in cooperation with the Park Service uh with the Civilian Conservation Corps yeah um that Lincoln Log Cabin over here was where the the encampment was and the the men that worked uh at the camp and built the trails and built the structure that's behind us here um they built several structures here um back that was all back in done in the 30s I think the park was dedicated in 1938 so it's one of the older parks in the state of Illinois wonderful I know that I have fond memories of both going to Lincoln Log as a child and then also coming out here um my old school district they would come out here for like a year-end picnic and so it was just always a beautiful venue and backdrop for that so earlier you were talking about uh there's a ball field is there just one or is there multiple or there's two there's two of them what what kind of sports are we talking uh so baseball okay and one of them is named after one of the old superintendent here is Kyle Field yeah um I understand that he was here many years mhm so I I don't know a lot about that history sure but the other field is also baseball or yes and it's just ball diamond and then there is um a playground behind us is this the only one or is there other no we have three of what I would call the the more modern like we have behind it and then we have three of the older structures that would have been put in probably 40 years ago um swings and that sort of stuff but you can tell the difference in them so other than uh the hiking opportunities you also mentioned camping mhm so let's talk a little bit about camp.. what kind of sites do you have around here so we have class A sites we have 43 Class A sites that's a site with electricity we have a shower building uh we have two cabins that you can rant they're Rusty cabins so you have to bring your own gear bedding whenever you come uh but those are quite popular um they have lights and electricity but um there's no Plumbing or anything that's the the rusting part of them and then we have one tent only site gotcha got AA um if I'm somebody who is wanting to uh snag a spot do I contact the park office is it something I do online how so you would do that online at camp.

explor more.com is how you would make your reservation wonderful so we we assist if if you're having difficulty you can call the park and and get some guidance um and some of the older folks that have um technologically challenged we'll make a reservation for them if necessary but we try or most everybody to do it online well anymore I feel like I'm finding I have you know Tech issues just as much as the next person uh so those spots do they typically go fast for a season is there like a window of when I can camp here and when I can't so camping uh holiday weekends you can make reservation 6 months in advance okay and those will be filled up a lot of times within four to five months of the holiday U they'll be booked up um so don't delay don't delay uh but you can uh once in a while there'll be a cancellation and somebody will snag a reservation just a week or two ahead of time somebody will cancel so you never know and then we do have 12 sites that are first come first serve so those sites are quite popular for the folks that don't like to make a reservation simple enough so other than uh camping you would also mention being along the imal river and having the kayaking opportunity uh can you talk about that do I bring my own is there any place to rent them so there's not any local place to rent them okay idnr doesn't um doesn't rent them so you have to bring your own but it's quite popular uh I usually take my granddaughters every summer and and we really enjoy you know the the two access points that we have here and it's one of the highlights of my granddaughter summer how's I say I bet they have a fabulous time with grandpa Dwayne yes uh those two access sites where are they located within the park so we have North canoe access which in the fork on the road it'll say and it's at the very very end of the road it's the far north end of the park and then we have one at the South so it's just continue on down uh to the south end of the park and there's there's another one down there wonderful now sometimes um people need to get like a tag or a sticker before they can do that is that the case here no nothing is required wonderful so we'll scooch on to um other activities maybe if you're along the river is there fishing there is fishing okay it's um I'm not going to say that it's you know top notot fishing like some of your more sport fishing lakes it has a lot of rough fish in it um so but it is quite popular with fishing yes and for that I assume just the regular type of fishing license and yes okay yeah nothing nothing special from for from the park awesome and I'm sorry if it's a silly question um am I able to bring any bigger of a boat than a kayak or anything out uh no there's not any access to the rivers for motorboat boats so it's just for kayaks and canoes good to know I'd hate to haul it all the way here and be you know out of luck up a creek if you will so uh we started the day off in the visitor center and there was quite a slew of specimens inside can you tell the folks at home a little bit about what they can see if they want to pop by The Visitor Center so inside the visitor center we have a lot of animals that have been donated um they're all Native to the area um um there's bobcat in there and I've I have seen bobcat in the park there's river otter that you can see in the park there's deer there's several owls we have a nesting Bart owls that is right by the the front office you can hear them about every evening oh um my residence is inside the park and most evenings I would see those Bowls the pair of them land in the trees in my yard and get a watch them and it's was quite quite neat yeah now by chance last season we went and spoke with a warbler Ridge Conservation Area and they were talking about um how they are increasing their bat habitat and they've got bat houses out there did any of them ever scoot over here see any bats yes yes uh we have some endangered Indiana brown bats here on the park um I have a Heritage biologist that knows the location of those Den trees um and I I told her that I preferred her not to share that that way CU it's not something that you want everybody to know where in the dangered speci is sure um but we we do have quite a few bats here in the park and see them quite often uh actually see them here at the uh brick Pavilion well and in my opinion you really want them around cuz they're good mosquito eaters yes and uh they they for some reason think I'm especially delicious and I can't ever seem to get out of any of these shoots without getting eaten alive um and so as we're talking about Wildlife um I do have to ask are there ever any hunting opportunities in the park whether that is recreational or just management of certain species so so uh so it is a recreational opportunity but it is also a management tool that we use here you're allowed to archery deer hunt here on the park about half of the acreage is open to hunting uh we do have a shotgun season here uh we do wild turkey hunting here uh and we also um you can do Fair Bears uh raccoon and possum um actually the whole Park is open to Raccoon hunting um we opened that up a few years ago just due to the population of the coons um I like to tell people that they're our biggest litterbug and uh so we we are trying to manage the [#-_-_#] population just to keep them out of the trash and uh and they they can be um they're a wild animal and but they don't appear like it so the number one animal to uh cost people to seek medical attention is raccoons oh goodness and they carry bunch a bunch of diseases yes so uh they're cute and they're cuddly but uh but they do bite and scratch so definitely keep your distance if I am somebody who is looking to hunt is there any special Arrangements I need to make within the park or someone to contact so in order to hunt on the park you have to have a windshield card uh it's managed you know through Springfield um there's there's a website just go on the hunting link and and select what you want to hunt uh in the park you want to hunt and print off your windshield card um we don't limit the amount of archery hunters or [#-_-_#] hunters or anything we don't have enough pressure that we have to do that at this time you know could change in the future sure sure and so if I was looking for updated info can I just give you all a call you you can call yes okay we can give you a brief overview now we can't do the windshield card you have to okay so as we are um heading toward the end of this portion of the interview is there anything I haven't asked you about that maybe um is definitely worth sharing with viewers why they should come check out Fox Ridge um so I I mean I I definitely think people should come to Fox Ridge to enjoy the trails to enjoy our shelters uh the the history um I I'm very proud of the fact that like to say the structure behind us was actually um the Civilian Conservation Cor built it with oversight from the National Park Service and my grandfather actually worked for the CCC camps not not here at Fox Ridge um but it kind of gives me a sense of connection to you know the men that built this structure so I I think that is really incredible no and we love when we when we have a family tie to something then you know you appreciate it a little more absolutely uh speaking of the structure behind us there are other Pavilions around in the park um how do I go about if I would like to do I have to reserve those or so most of our um shelters are reservable you would go on the same website that you need a camping reservation for camp.

explor more iio and um make your reservations it's $50 fee um but it's the same process same website um so yes and if you if you're having difficulty with the system uh call and I'll help you out and you all have things out events out here I mean from birthdays family reunions to weddings oh yes this our brick Pavan is very popular with weddings um yeah we we had an event here just a couple weeks ago U the labor Council was here with about 400 people um quite a large event and then we have another local event KC Summers has a has an event here every year and it it brings in roughly a thousand people so it's it's a it's a huge event for the park anything for people to get involved in youth or so we do have a youth area and we do have a foundation uh I know my Foxridge Foundation they're they're on Facebook you can find them uh they're always you know appreciate donations uh and they also would appreciate uh more members um it's a very active group um I do have to give them credit for our youth area if it hadn't been for our foundation you know and and wanting to see our youth area opened up and was willing to put in the money to to get that uh structure up and running our youth area would still be closed so I I'm very appreciative of that and that's the kind of things that they do for fundraisers um just for the park just to see things took care of uh we have a lot of Eagle projects that are taking place here and I know they've helped fund some of those so the kids area I'm so sorry if I'm misunderstanding is that one of the playgrounds or is that something different that is so the youth area is something different let's talk about that okay so it's a a group camp area MH uh we have a 28x 50 pole barn structure U it's lit um has electrical outlets and it's an area for uh youth groups to come and camp and utilize the the structure if they're here yeah so um since you brought up the foundation are there other ways for people to give back are there any cleanup days or anything that take place annually or so annually we will do Earth Day events with with the local school kids um and the foundation has helped with that um the cabat corporation has donated money towards plants for that in the past um but that's something that we annually do too and if I'm looking to get involved with the foundation is the best way to do so just social media or is there someone I can uh so social media would probably be the easiest route and then they have meetings quarterly U and they're always looking for new members wonderful so we've covered from camping to Trails kind of everything in between and so now we're going to take a quick break and we are going to talk about an upcoming Trail so as we're taping this uh we are taping in September of 2023 this will Air in 2024 so hopefully we'll have uh some new developments so don't go anywhere take a hike we'll be right back [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and we are back and the venue is a little bit Shader over here which I appreciate so Dwayne can you tell us where we are at now in Fox Park so right now we're in the middle of the ambrell river land and water Reserve okay uh it's a special designation to kind of protect this land from any further development and we are right now standing in the middle of a new project that we're doing here we're we're trying to revive an old roadway that was in the land and water reserve and convert it into a hiking and biking trail Wonder so we're the contractors are working as we speak wonderful so we told the folks at home we're taping in in September so hopefully when they're checking this episode out in early 2024 everything should be all squared away with this space let's take a little little walk if you will uh so this area you were telling us there are several hundred acres that are being preserved yes like 980 acres here in the land and water Reserve that's fantastic now this is on the back side of the park we had to take kind of a a little you know loop-de-loop loving drive back here we passed some other things too um we've got Ridge Lake which I don't think we talked a whole lot about in the first first half of thing so Phil Us in what is Ridge Lake so Ridge Lake was built in the 40s uh it's a research Lake uh the Illinois Natural History survey manages it uh it's kind of a lease with idnr um and Ridge Lake is actually the longest running research has the longest running research in the US so it's kind of that's its claim to fame and it's right in our own backyard yes which is super neat um and then one other thing that we had passed on our drive back here uh we saw a sign for Horse Trail so for part of the park you can have horses out here mhm we have uh 3.7 miles of horse trails um no we have no equestrian camping it's it's just open to horseback riding but yes um so you're welcome to come out and ride your horse and I assume all the trails are pretty clearly marked as to whether it's foot traffic and correct those type of things our our equestrian Trail is totally separate it's it's not for hiking or biking as this Trail and this Trail will not be open to the equestrian it'll just be open for bik and hiking and if folks are curious uh why might this Trail not be considered like a true biking trail um so a true biking trail uh can only have so much grade uh and if the slopes off enough it would have to have guard rails and we are absent those kind of things there wasn't money in the the project for those kind of things so it's a hiking first with bikes allowed well sure and of course coming out here safety is Paramount yeah and that's part of why we wanted to kind of revive this is just to access because this was a pretty remote area yeah before and if if there's an injury it's nice to be able to get access you know if there's an injured hunter or whatever so it's kind of an access as well and of course you know laying the safety ground rules just making sure that you are always letting people know when you're heading out when you're expected to be back what area you'll be so then if that cell phone doesn't work or anything they know where to find you or at least know where to look yes and so before we wrap up and let you go uh you told me that you have a forestry degree and we don't want to let that go to waste uh because there's a lot of beautiful foliage out here T me here yeah well there's a lot of beautiful Foliage for people to check out um you know spring summer or fall and I have to ask you know what kind of trees can people see if they're coming out to Fox Ridge so we have the typical Oak Hickory Forest here um there's a lot of Maple in our understory um but uh we have sweet gum uh it's it's a very beautiful mix unfortunately uh due to the emerald ashb we're losing a lot of our ash trees I don't know if you noticed when you drove through the park but there's a lot of dead trees and it's due to the emerald ashb that was brought in gotcha and so with that will you all continue to come in and chop those down or uh so we we do allow people to come in and collect firewood uh but we don't allow them to cut uh cut trees down uh we have a stockpile where we cut the trees down and stockpile them and then they can get a permit and cut firewood now I know you're telling me that you're a little bit uh partial to the area of course being site superintendent here so if I'm somebody who's never been to Fox Ridge before where is like the first place or the best place that you would say you have to see that before you leave so one of my favorite areas is Eagle's Nest it's the 144 steps up to the platform um like I say here in a few weeks when the leaves are turning it's very beautiful uh you get an overview of the amberol river uh and then I really like canoeing here I'm a little partial to that too yeah so before I wrap up is there anything else about Fox Ridge or maybe this side of the park that we didn't talk about that's worth mentioning um it's just it's a very neat area to come to uh we like I say we do have the endangered Indiana Brown bats that Roost here very proud of that I know Grand Prairie friends are promoting uh bat habitat up on their area and their ground actually joins ours um and there's hope in the future that this trail that we're on right now will someday connect all the way to the City of Charleston so that that is the The Hope and this would be like the final leg we connect from the Township Road um down into the park so if if we can get access from Charleston into those Township ship roads they'll be able to ride their bike all the way to here or hike definitely crossing our fingers for that I know that Charleston is you know kind of trying to come a bit of a become a bicycle Recreation Area I guess um especially with like the tour to Charleston and you know a race that kind of thing and they've really done a lot of work on the trails out of Lake Charleston and also through warbler Ridge and hopefully we'll get to bring that full circle cuz season one we started at Lake Charleston they mentioned this project then season two we got to talk to warer Ridge they mentioned this project so now here we are in season 3 you know slowly making those connections slow everything moves slow but it's but it is moving forward so we'll shake our crystal ball we don't know what the the future of take a hike holds but I'm hoping that we get a finale for that and uh I want to thank you so much Dwayne you've been a wealth of knowledge and uh thanks for showing us around Fox Ridge today thank you of course and we want to thank our viewers for joining us for this episode of take a hike and we hope to see you next time [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] take a hike on weiu is supported by R king America's Farm and Home Store camping supplies kayaks fishing and pet supplies and more find your store and more information regarding r King at rolling.com