Do you know where the Kishwaukee River begins or where the highest point is in DeKalb County? DeKalb County residents who participate in the upcoming Know Your Watershed Bus Tour. on June 17, will discover these sites and more.

“The DeKalb County Community Foundation is pleased to organize and sponsor the county’s third watershed bus tour, said Anita Zurbrugg, Program Director of the Community Foundation. “Past participants of the watershed bus tours have been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic about all they learned.”

The tour bus will depart at 8:00 a.m. from Huntley Middle School in DeKalb and return by 1:00 p.m. There is no cost to attend the tour and lunch will be provided.

RSVP is required. Contact Anita Zurbrugg, anita@dekalbccf.org or 815-748-5383 to reserve a seat on the bus.

Tour stops include the headwaters of the South Branch of the Kishwaukee River, wetland, prairie, conservation and farmland best management practices, the Kishwaukee River Water Reclamation District wastewater treatment facility in DeKalb, the CHS Elburn plant in Sycamore, and examples of urban stormwater management projects. Mike Konen, NIU Department of Geography and Dean Johnson DeKalb County Watershed Coordinator, and Resource Conservationist with the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District will host the tour.

A watershed is an area of land that captures rainfall and other precipitation. Drop by drop, water is channeled into soils, groundwater, creeks and streams, making its way to larger bodies of water. “Learning how a watershed functions in DeKalb County is useful to residents of any age. With this knowledge you can improve upon and protect the natural resources that support us—the soil, water, air, plants and animals”, offered Dean Johnson.

Funding for the tour is provided by the DeKalb County Community Foundation. Other partners include the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District, Northern Illinois University Department of Geography and the DeKalb County Watershed Steering Committee.

Pictured: Attendees from the 2014 bus tour of the East Branch of the Kishwaukee River watershed gather for a brief discussion at one of the many stops.