There are two opportunities in April (April 1 & 11) to get a sneak peek of the new Public Broadcasting Service “Travels with Darley” episode: “Route 66 & Midewin.”

Producer Darley Newman visited Illinois for a few days in October to film scenes for the show. Newman has been working with the National Forest Foundation on a project that shows what the U.S. Forest Service offers in the great outdoors. One of the stops on Newman’s ride along historic Route 66 is the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. In the show, Midewin ecologist Bill Glass leads Newman through the prairie in search of the Midewin bison herd. Along the way, they encounter fields of eight-foot-tall grasses, a crew of volunteers harvesting native prairie seeds and people picnicking and enjoying the trails of the Midewin by foot, bicycle and on horseback.