Funeral, BioBlitz, low water, march of time: WWW Chicago outdoors

Change comes. Some of it bittersweet.

That will sharply be brought home this evening when I do visitation for Jack Vadas. BTW, Maureen O’Donnell, (best obit writer in Chicago) did her usual stellar job on his obit. Click here to read it. There is a bunch of wonderful memory-pulling photos.

Speaking of change and the march of time, our youngest starts his soccer season on Saturday. Seem way too early.

So that will make juggling schedules tough as I want to go to the BioBlitz at Dixon Waterfowl Saturday.

Otherwise, in general, it is wading rivers, about as low and clear as they have been all year, hitting local ponds or lakes and generally waiting for some of the warm water to blow out of southern Lake Michigan and a thermocline set up once again. Oh, and squirrel season is open in Illinois.

With that, to the Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

BIOBLITZ: Signup for the 2018 BioBlitz at Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is closed. But there is a public Biodiversity Festival from 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday. It is usually cool in itself.

My plans are to join Mark DuBois, an internal ant expert, on an “Ant and Insect Safari” early Saturday. That should allow me to make it back in time for my kid’s afternoon soccer game.

Click here for more details on the BioBlitz.

VADAS DETAILS:Visitation is 3 to 8 p.m. today at Smits Funeral Home in Dyer, Indiana. Visitation (11 a.m.) and funeral service (noon) are Saturday at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Schererville, Indiana.

FREE UPLAND GAME PERMITS: The coolest hunting program in Illinois is the free upland game permit program, where hunters can be king for a day. The application period runs through Aug. 31.

Click here for information.

BEARS TRAINING CAMP: Click here for my annual list of suggestions for side trips before or after Bears training camp.

RIVER FISHING:Rivers all over are pretty much low and clear as they have been all year. If you’re a wader, now is the time to get out.

BERRY PICKING:I haven’t heard much on berries, but blackberries in particular should still be going.

LAKEFRONT PERCH: If the warm water ever gets blown out of southern Lake Michigan, maybe perch fishing will rebound. Maybe some boaters in Indiana will get on this weekend.

THE DRUM ALTERNATIVE: All I need to say is that when the wind is from the north and Lake Michigan at its dammest, fishing for freshwater drum is at its best. Keep that in mind as an option. It might be the most exciting thing going on the lakefront.

NOTEBAERT NOTE: Just a reminder, for those looking to save and still see a cool place, Thursday is suggested donation day at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

FROG SEASON: Still haven’t gotten out with our son. That needs to change. Frog season, bullfrogs only, is open in Illinois. Daily bag is eight. A fishing license is required and legal means of taking them are “hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and arrow, hand, or landing net.”

MIDEWIN:To give an idea of what you might experience at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, click here for my column about a visit earlier this month.

The seasonal guided tours at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie run weekends through October. The Ranger Trailer is open weekends, weather permitting, at the Iron Bridge Trailhead. Trails are open daily 4 a.m.-10 p.m.

For a complete list of events and programming go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd535052.pdf.

JAZZIN’AT THE SHEDD:“Jazzin’ at the Shedd” runs Wednesday nights through Oct. 10. Click here for more info.