Editing Elgin, Illinois (section)

==Parks and recreation==
Elgin's city parks include {{convert|112|acre|adj=on}} Lords Park, which features the [[Elgin Public Museum]] and a small zoo featuring a herd of [[American bison]], and {{convert|121|acre|adj=on}} Wing Park, which includes a [[Wing Park Golf Course|golf course]] and outdoor swimming pool. Other golf courses within Elgin include the Highlands of Elgin, the Elgin Country Club, and Bowes Creek Country Club. The Centre of Elgin, which among other features includes an aquatic park and a [[climbing wall]], remains one of the largest municipal recreation centers in the United States. The Elgin Sports Complex on the city's southwest side offers ten lighted ballfields, ten soccer fields and The Hill BMX track. The complex hosts several local, regional and national tournaments every year. Elgin connects to [[Algonquin, Illinois|Algonquin]] and [[East Dundee, Illinois|Dundee]] to the north, and [[St. Charles, Illinois|St. Charles]], [[Geneva, Illinois|Geneva]], and [[Batavia, Illinois|Batavia]] to the south by the Fox River Trail [[Segregated cycle facilities|bike path]].

Although one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Illinois, Elgin still retains some of the natural habitat diversity that first brought settlers to this area. On the east, the city borders the {{convert|4200|acre|adj=on}} Poplar Creek Preserve, maintained by the [[Forest Preserve District of Cook County|Cook County Forest Preserves]], which includes bike trails, hiking trails and equestrian trails. The Shoe Factory Road Prairie located in the preserve provides an example of the hill prairies that once dotted the region. Poplar Creek Preserves connects to the {{convert|4000|acre|adj=on}} Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve via a [[conservation easement]] covering parts of the Sears campus.<ref name="Archived copy">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cityofelgin.org/2140/Our-History |title=Our History &#124; City of Elgin, Illinois - Official Website |access-date=April 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421224229/https://www.cityofelgin.org/2140/Our-History |archive-date=April 21, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Elgin boasts two highly protected [[nature preserve]]s, the Bluff Spring Fen and Trout Park. For its size, Bluff Spring Fen has a remarkable number of distinct plant communities, including a hill prairie and a [[fen]], or alkaline spring marshland, which is home to several rare [[orchid]]s. Trout Park also includes a similar calcareous seep community, with the addition of a unique forest community of [[oak]]s, [[Fraxinus|ashes]], [[maple]]s, and uncommon species such as [[Thuja|arborvitae]] and [[witch-hazel]]. When the park was created in the 1920s, the local newspaper ran a lengthy front-page story with lists of the plant species of Trout Park, reflecting both the great variety of plants present and the interest Elginites had in conservation. In the 1960s, the [[Northwest Tollway]] bisected the site and reduced it in size.<ref name="Archived copy"/>

In recent years, Elgin has increased its efforts to be more [[environmentally sustainable]]. In 2017, the city introduced free curbside [[textile recycling]] to residents, and it is the first city in Illinois to do so.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://kanecountyconnects.com/2017/07/elgin-is-first-illinois-city-to-offer-simple-curbside-textile-recycling/|title=Elgin Is First Illinois City To Offer Simple Curbside Textile Recycling|date=July 7, 2017|work=Kane County Connects|access-date=October 16, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016122326/http://kanecountyconnects.com/2017/07/elgin-is-first-illinois-city-to-offer-simple-curbside-textile-recycling/|archive-date=October 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, Elgin encourages its residents to compost and use [[rain barrels]], which it sometimes subsidizes for residents to purchase.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofelgin.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=492&ARC=478|title=Elgin|website=Elgin|access-date=October 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016122328/http://www.cityofelgin.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=492&ARC=478|archive-date=October 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The city also has a proposed Sustainability Action Plan that includes plans for creating renewable sources of energy for the city, a curbside organics/composting pilot-program, and information about community gardens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofelgin.org/index.aspx?NID=856|title=City of Elgin, Illinois - Official Website - Sustainability Action Plan|website=www.cityofelgin.org|language=en|access-date=October 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016174124/http://www.cityofelgin.org/index.aspx?NID=856|archive-date=October 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>