Nature

So you've spotted a flock of huge white birds with comically-large beaks riding the Rock River surf. They couldn't possibly be pelicans, could they? They're far too exotic for the Midwest. Right?WNIJ's Under Rocks team heads out in search of the American White Pelican — and finds a festival devoted to these spring-time visitors along the way.Email us your story ideas at rocks@niu.edu!

Where there's smoke, there's fire, right? Elizabeth Bach shows us how fire heals.

A splash of real maple syrup can mean the difference between a good waffle and a great waffle. And once you know the amount of work that goes into making that tablespoon of sweet amber liquid, it becomes even more delicious. We tap into our local sapspert to guide us through the magical transformation we're calling The Sappening.

Three kids crunch the leaves under their feet while helping a fourth kid get a foothold to climb a short tree on the edge of a fenced-in yard.On the other…

If you have been debating on the idea of cover crops, this might be the year to give them a try.Cover crops are planted after a harvest to enrich and…

There’s no denying the Bald Hill Prairie Preserve is a pretty special place. Last year, the Byron Forest Preserve District acquired the gravel hill…

There’s not much left of the prairies and oak savannas that used to cover Illinois. Now the state has found a way to help environmental organizations…

A drug that makes most cancers more vulnerable to the body's immune system may mark a new era in treatment. That’s according to a study published in the…

An international research team has made a major fossil discovery. An NIU professor played a role in compiling the findings, which were announced this…