Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation

If you an outdoor enthusiast, a hiker, biker, and lover of great scenery, you will love what JCDF does and offers to the residents and visitors of Jo Davies’s County. Staffed mostly by volunteers, they fill the void or lack of a local «Park District» by securing land, preserving, and maintain it for public use. You can visit the following places to enjoy birding, hiking, dog-​walking, effigy mounds, and picnicking: Buehler Preserve, Casper Bluff, and Keough Effigy Mounds in Galena, Schurmeier Teaching Forest in Elizabeth, and Wapelle Land and Water Reserve. Another restoration is in process at Gateway Park in Galena which boasts beautiful views or downtown Galena. Also, if you’re visiting Galena, make sure to visit and hike Horseshoe Mound, which has commanding views of Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. JDCF also has a monthly narrated tour of Horseshoe, and a number of other educational programs for anyone who wants to attend. Great family events, too like picnics and nature tours for kids. You can learn a lot about the whole Driftless Area from their programs and publications, too. They are funded completely by memberships and grants. One incredible asset to Galena and other communities in this northwest corner of Illinois.