Peter Bailey Dring, age 80 of Land O' Lakes, WI, loving husband and best friend of Carolyn nee Nieman Dring passed away on April 26, 2015 at Season's of Life Hospice House in Woodruff, WI. Proud father of the late ElizabethTherese Dring, Timothy Peter Dring (Teri), Cynthia Gail Gerwin (Rick), Andrew Ross Dring (Christine), Mark Lincoln Dring (Jill). Proud grandfather of Sarah, Benjamen, and Kathleen Dring, John and Ashley Long, James and Elizabeth Dring Proud Great Grandfather of Emma Pearl and Suelita Susana Duran. Loving son of Nathaniel and Mary( nee Bailey) Dring. Peter was a long time resident of Willow Springs, Illinois and upon retirement became a resident of Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin. He was a graduate of Fenwick High School and DePaul University, earning a bachelors degree in Botany. Peter joined the Cook County Forest Preserve District as a Naturalist I in June of 1957 and was assigned to the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, where he was to stay for the next 37 years. In 1962 he earned the civil service rating of Naturalist III, and from 1960 until 1970 he was the acting County Aquatic Biologist, managing all county waters during the summer months. In 1970, he was appointed Director of the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, a post he held until his retirement in 1994. During his early years with the Forest Preserve District he lectured to hundreds of elementary and secondary schools with an estimated attendance of over 24 million students. During his career he also held a variety of offices and earned many honors while providing leadership in the field of Natural History. Among the offices held were: Illinois Audubon Society President 1975 - 1978, Chicago Ornithological Society President 1969 - 1971, Morton Arboretum Nature Study and Camera Club President 1981 - 1983, Cisco Chain Riparian Owners Association President, Ottawa Interpretive Association Member and President 1995 - 2004, Land O'Lakes Library Board of Trustees. Peter also led field trips for the Field Museum of Natural History, the Chicago Academy of Science, the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, the Chicago Ornithological Society and numerous garden clubs. Honors: He received the 1978 "National Conservationist of the Year" award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, "Conservationist of the Year" from the Chicago Audubon Society, the John and Kitty Kohout Award for Nature Photography 1992, Professional Conservation Educator of the Year from the Illinois Wildlife Federation 1992, Outstanding Employee of the Cook County Forest Preserve District July 1992. He received a commendation from the Chicago Police Department for assisting in research on rape cases; letter of commendation from the Illinois Department of Public Health for assisting in research on Saint Louis Encephalitis and Eastern Equine Encephalitis; and for teaching them the procedures of bird trapping and for collecting blood samples in the field. He received a letter of thanks and a plaque from the South Suburban Council of the Boy Scouts of America for acting as advisor in Natural History, judged many camera club slide competitions specializing in natural history, judged many Science Fairs in the southwestern part of Cook County. In 1960 he received his Master Bird Banding permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service which he held and exercised until 2015. Over the years he banded tens of thousands of birds, specializing in Tree Swallows, Bluebirds and House Wrens. He was an avid photographer and many of his photographs appeared in the Chicago Tribune in the late 70s and 80s, the "Birds of Illinois" published in 2004, and were used in the recent remodeling of the Ottawa Visitors Center. He enjoyed life, with family and friends, in the Northwoods fishing, canoeing and bird watching. A mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, May 1, 2015 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Watersmeet, MI. Visitation will be for 1 hour prior to the service at the church. Additional services will be held in Oswego, IL with burial in Westchester, IL Memorials to the Land O' Lakes Public Library are appreciated. The Gaffney-Busha Funeral Home of Eagle River, WI is serving the family. Online condolences may be expressed at gaffney-busha