Welcome to Fel Pro
Pleasant Valley expands 2,080 acres and is a mosaic of natural areas. A high-quality oak savanna, a grade ‘A’ stream, a never plowed wetland and an impressive prairie ecosystem creates one of the most biologically diverse, stunningly beautiful, and locally accessible sites in the county.
About the Site
The Fel-Pro Company, an auto parts manufacturer bought the 220 acres of open land in the early 1970s. The company’s vision was to enrich the lives of their 2,800 employees and their families by providing a nature preserve, onsite recreation, and a children’s summer camp. Fel-Pro earned the Forbes Magazine’s honor as the fourth best American employer in 1998. When Fel-Pro was sold in 1998, the eight family owners decided the camp-tract should remain as a legacy for everyone. They initiated a collaborative venture with The Nature Conservancy, Metropolitan Family Services, and McHenry County Conservation District as the primary landowner. The Nature Conservancy managed the 130-acre portion up until 2005 which included a gravel hill prairie, savanna, sedge meadow, fen, and several spring-fed lakes. Metropolitan Family Services, and later the YMCA of McHenry County leased and operated a summer camp in the 90-acre recreational area up until 2010.
Fel-Pro RRR is a example of protecting natural areas habitat while providing diverse outdoor recreational opportunities. Unlike any other site the Conservation District owns, Fel-Pro RRR in Cary offers visitors activities more commonly associated with park districts. Typical activities on a Conservation District site are more passive in nature like hiking, fishing and picnicking. A visitor can enjoy all those, plus a sand volleyball court, basketball court, ball diamond, and a disc golf course. It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s playground!
Cache Your Way Question MUST READ
A group of snakes can be referred to a couple of different names. In order to determine which answer you need, you must assemble the snakes! Thats right, inside the cache is a group of snakes - to find their proper name, find the ones with the letters. What does it spell?
UPDATE: Someone took the snakes! :-( If you are hoping to get a coin, dont worry.
Geocachers
Please join us in playing! All are welcome who observe and obey the rules. Please do not move or vandalize the container. Please do not remove the informational card from the container, this is an essential game piece for cachers completing the Cache Your Way program. For more information on the program, visit our website or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CacheYourWayAcrossMcHenryCounty/
Please DO NOT REMOVE THE SNAKES!!! The plastic snakes are for the program and are NOT swag!!! So even if you are not participating in the Cache Your Way program, please leave the snakes.
District Geocaching Rules
For a complete list of rules, visit our website
McHenry County Conservation District Information
Visit our website at www.mccdistrict.org or call 815-338-6223 for camping/shelters ext 1211, 815-479-5779 for educational programs or 815-678-4532 for the Lost Valley Visitor Center