The scenic overlook at Greene Valley Forest Preserve in Naperville opens on weekends starting May 6. See a soaring hawk, launch a model glider and see the Chicago skyline from 190 feet above the ground.

The overlook will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 29, weather permitting, although Environmental Protection Agency activities may cause it to close without notice. The access drive is off Greene Road south of 79th Street. Visitors can park at the summit, where District staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide binoculars and a spotting scope for views of far-off vistas and migrating birds.

Visitors with valid District permits can launch nonpowered crafts from the top; permits are available online or through Visitor Services at 630-933-7248 weekdays 8a.m.‒4p.m. For a more “down-to-earth” exploration, hikers and bikers can use the 1.9-mile Hawk Trail, which circles the hill’s base.

The overlook rests on top of a closed landfill, which operated from 1974 to 1996. A gas-to-energy plant converts methane the landfill produces into energy, which powers thousands of area homes. Revenue from the landfill’s former disposal operations and the gas-to-energy plant — not tax dollars — funded construction of the recreational improvements and continue to fund the maintenance of the overlook.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will provide free boat safety inspections on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Silver Lake boat launch at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville.

Certified, uniformed members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 37-25 will conduct the checks and provide boaters and visitors with information on safety, environmental responsibility, vessel operation and the work of the auxiliary. Boat owners who pass inspections will receive safety-check decals to attach to their vessels.

The all-volunteer auxiliary has volunteers has been providing free inspections and information on state and federal boating laws since 1947. Its members assist the U.S. Coast Guard with safety patrols, inspections, boat-safety classes and search-and-rescue efforts.

“This is the perfect opportunity to have your boat inspected and make sure it’s in proper working order at the start of the boating season,” said Forest Preserve District of DuPage County President Joe Cantore.

“Make safety a priority as you head out on the water by learning all you can about boat safety,” said Forest Preserve District Commissioner Al Murphy, District 6.

Trout season opens today, April 1st at three Forest Preserve District of DuPage County lakes: Grove Lake at Wood Dale Grove in Wood Dale, Silver Lake at Blackwell in Warrenville and Pickerel Lake at Pratt’s Wayne Woods in Wayne.

In preparation the District has stocked Pickerel Lake with approximately 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout and Grove Lake with 1,000 pounds. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources provided Silver Lake with roughly 3,200 fish.

The creel limit for rainbow trout is five per day with no length restriction, and all anglers 16 and older who are not legally disabled must carry valid Illinois fishing licenses with inland trout stamps. Forest Preserve District permits and either Illinois water usage stamps or state registrations are required.

District permits are $7 per day or $35 per year for DuPage residents and $9 per day or $45 per year for nonresidents. Daily permits are available at the boat-rental area or at the steel lock box near the launch. Annual permits can be purchased online, at the Blackwell rental area, or through Visitor Services, where walk-ins can also purchase water usage stamps.