Join the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge to Find Your Wild!
There are three ways you can participate this year:
-Join Friends leaders for a Sept. 20 Blazing A Trail walk on new refuge lands
-Participate in a seed harvesting workday on Oct. 25.
-Support our Fund Your Wild fundraiser Sept. 1 through Oct. 31.
Event Details:
Event #1 – Blazing a Trail
Date –September 20th, 2025
Time – 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Location – 9201 Rte 12, Richmond, IL 60071
Find Your Wild by Blazing a Trail on new refuge lands! Join Friends leaders on an exploration that will take us to an overlook of a large, beautiful marsh, home to rare birds like the Black Tern. This is not a groomed trail, so be prepared for uneven surfaces. Parking and meet-up location is the red barn at 9201 Rte 12 in Richmond, IL. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants. Bring your water bottle. Snacks will be provided.
Event #2– Seed Your Wild
Date – October 18th, 2025 – Postponed to October 25th, 2025
Time – 2 pm – 4 pm
Location – 6500 E Tryon Grove Rd , Richmond, IL 60071
Seed Your Wild with Friends of Hackmatack NWR stewardship volunteers! Growing a new refuge like Hackmatack NWR (est. 2012) requires a lot of restoration work and native plantings. And native prairie seed is expensive! One way we grow our refuge most economically is by collecting seed from more-established parts of the refuge and spreading it on newer sites. Join us as we collect seed at a re-established prairie at lands protected by our conservation partner, Openlands. Wear long pants, long sleeves, and bring gloves and your water bottle. Seed collection supplies and refreshments will be provided.