FIELD NOTES BLOG

Meet Bryce

Bryce Messer
January 30, 2024

Salutations Everybody! My name is Bryce Messer and I am happy to be serving Severson Dells, for the first time, as an AmeriCorps Environmental Educator. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia but moved to Illinois a little over 1 year ago, so I am excited to learn everything I can about the natural wonders of the area.


I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Biology with minors in Geology and History of Science. Then I received my master’s degree from Southern Illinois University majoring in Zoology. As a requirement for graduation, I developed a habitat management plan for the American Pronghorn across a 140,000-acre ranch in New Mexico.


Before my time at Severson Dells, I worked in wildlife rehabilitation with WildCare Oklahoma to nurture sick, injured, and orphaned animals back to health. Following leaving Oklahoma I served as a natural resource technician at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico then traveled to Trinidad & Tobago to study the evolutionary histories of guppies.




I have had a lifelong love for wildlife and the outdoors which means I spend most of my time outside hiking, fishing, birding, and hunting. When not outside I enjoy playing video games, live-action role-playing, and watching movies & anime.

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Resting up from the NFL playoffs and getting ready for the Super Bowl? Looking for a unique event this weekend? Join us at Fore the Prairie , a family-friendly event focusing on the restoration of the former Elliot Golf Course with a golf twist. In 2024, Severson Dells Education Foundation purchased 168 acres of the shuttered Elliot Golf Course for the purpose of transforming it into a natural preserve that will serve the community with nature education for all ages. Since then, turf grass and non-native trees have been removed and now it’s time to plant a prairie. We will be bombing 50 acres of tilled soil with golfball size prairie seed balls. The balls can be hit with a golf club or shot from a three person sling shot. The seed balls will lay dormant and, as the soil warms up, they will come to life and be the first seedlings on the new prairie. This is only one of the events happening at Fore the Prairie . You can play in a golf simulator, participate in tabletop miniature golf, learn about our restoration of the golf course, and enjoy some hot cocoa and roast some s’mores. You’ll also be able to participate in a ticketed silent auction and see the plans for our Buy an Acre project which will allow you to purchase part of or an entire acre to support the rewilding project. Free and open to the public, activities will be ticketed at an affordable price with all proceeds going toward the restoration of the former Elliot Golf Course. For more information on how to support Severson Dells go to SeversonDells.org/ForeThePrairie
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It is easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of negative news. Our society's focus on what is wrong in the world clouds over the bits that are good in the world. To us, there is good happening in the world everyday. These moments deserve to be recognized and celebrated. We've compiled a collection of Positive Nature News from 2025 in hopes of inspiring our community to join us in our mission to strive for more environmental protection, restoration, and discovery in 2026. Local News Local to Illinois and neighboring states Bison Return to Kane County Prairies