Events & Activities
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, events and programs are may be canceled in order to help protect public health. While we encourage you to continue enjoying the Cache, please make sure you Recreate Responsibly! Remember to socially distance yourself from others, wear a face covering when distancing isn't available, practice proper hygiene and stay home if you are sick. Please monitor for local public health advisories, orders and closures as they may occur.
University of Illinois Extension is partnering with Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Friends of the Cache River Watershed to host trash blasts in State Natural Areas, Parks, Trails, and Fish and Wildlife Areas. Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and members of the public are invited to assist with litter clean-up events. Members of the public will need to fill out an IDNR volunteer waiver on site. Kim Rohling will coordinate small teams of volunteers to collect litter from 9:00-11:00AM, in various locations in southern Illinois. Volunteers will be required to sanitize their hands, follow social distancing guidelines, and wear a face mask for the duration of the event. To be prepared, volunteers should wear sturdy shoes, bring their own work gloves, and a face mask. Trash buckets and trash grabbers will be assigned to volunteers to use for the morning. All equipment will be disinfected before and after the event. This event is limited to 10 volunteers in order to follow recommended COVID-19 guidelines from Extension and IDNR. Register to save your spot now https://go.illinois.edu/IDNRTrashBlast
Bring your own water to stay hydrated. We recommend you wear a wide-brimmed hat, lightweight pants, and a lightweight long-sleeved shirt to protect yourself from the sun, biting insects, or poison ivy/understory plants. Wear strudy footwear and bring your own work gloves.
Maps to the meeting location for each clean-up will be emailed to you the Monday before the event. I hope to see you there!