Now in three languages!
Ahora en très idiomas!
Teraz w trzech językach!

A group children gather together around two children holding and examining two turtles.

Photo by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

A screenshot of the homepage in English of the Outdoor Illinois Journal.
OutdoorIllinois Journal in English. Note the “Now in three languages!” in the upper left corner.

If you are fluent in English, Spanish and Polish, please forgive the title duplication! We can’t help but be excited about the internationalization of OutdoorIllinois Journal and having articles available for a multitude of readers.

Accessing the language options is simple: visit OutdoorIllinois Journal and note the “Now in three languages!” option on the upper left side of the screen. The dropdown menu provides you with the three available options. If you select Spanish or Polish, the translated articles will appear at the top of each quarterly edition. Additional translations will be added each quarter, and, as time allows, we will be adding additional translations to the older editions.

“Translating the OutdoorsIllinois Journal into Spanish and Polish is a crucial step towards Illinois Department of Natural Resource’s (IDNR) mission of making nature accessible to all,” said Jose Burgos, Chief External Affairs Officer with the IDNR. “With approximately 1.7 million Spanish speakers and 185,000 Polish speakers in Illinois, this initiative ensures that a significant portion of our population can fully engage with and appreciate our natural resources.

Another multi-language product offered by IDNR is the annual Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations.

A collage of two screenshots of the Outdoor Illinois Journal homepage. To the left is the homepage in Spanish. To the right is the homepage in Polish.
To the left is the homepage in Spanish and to the right is the homepage in Polish.

“The complexity of hunting and trapping regulations is a known constraint throughout the entire hunting community,” noted Phil Borsdorf, IDNR Hunter Heritage Program. “A collaborative effort, funded through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grant W-209-R, enables us to more effectively convey pertinent hunting and trapping information to Spanish and Polish speaking user groups by translating the annual Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations in both languages.”

One of the guiding principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the Democracy of Hunting.

“Hunting opportunity is for everyone,” Wefer said. “I believe it is our moral obligation to invite and welcome everyone.”

Burgos reiterated Wefer’s remark, nothing the ongoing work by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to reach diverse audiences by saying “This effort reflects IDNR’s commitment to inclusion and underscores the message that ‘Everyone Belongs in Nature.'”



Kathy Andrews Wright retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of OutdoorIllinois magazine. She is currently the editor of OutdoorIllinois Journal.

Share this Article

Submit a question for the author



Explore Our Family of Websites

Similar Reads


An adult male white-tailed deer with large antlers in velvet stands on the edge of a prairie.

2025-2026 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest


A gray and brown fox walks along the edge of a woodland.

A gray adult male white-tailed deer walks along the edge of a woodland. The deer points its nose up to the wind to catch the scent of a female deer in heat.

Planning a Hunt on Public Land 2.0


An orange, black and white butterfly nectars on a pink flower.

A group of people pose together. Everyone is wearing fantasy style costumes including some knights and elves. In the background are trees.

A gray, tan and black coyote standing on leaf litter in a woodland looks up at a tree. In the background are trees.

A black woodpecker with a red crest and white stripes on its head perches on a fallen log in a forest.

A close-up of a gray, silver fish with its mouth wide open. There are whiskers around its mouth.

Cookin’ for Catfish


A tan, brown, black and white snake basks curled up in a spot of sunlight on the forest floor. In the background is the edge of a rock outcropping.

The Enigmatic Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)


An underwater view of large walls of invasive plants overtaking native vegetation restricting open water space for aquatic organisms to swim.

Be a Hero—Transport Zero