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Advocate
Friends works hard to advocate for good
policy decisions at the Forest Preserve Board and to get the right
resources to Preserves that need them, but we need your help.
 Advocate
for your local preserve. Tell us your concerns by emailing alice
at fotfp.org and we'll see if we can help. Often we know exactly
who to talk to at the District to help get something done.
Check out our letters or articles on the current
issues -- like land grabs and encroachments. Friends can "coach”
your efforts and may be able to publicize good responses in our
newsletter. Inform your Commissioner
on where you stand and tell them how you think they should vote
on the issue.
Feel free to send us a copy of your emails or letters
(or notes from telephone calls) to local Maintenance Superintendents,
Forest Preserve Commissioners, or Forest preserve Police, often
the best way to communicate. Also send us copies of their responses.
This way, we can acknowledge the District staff and encourage their
responsiveness and efforts.
Current news and issues
$13.3 million
raid
Forest Preserve Commissioners voted to transfer
$13.3 million from the Forest Preserve Distrct to the County government
to lessen their $500 million deficit.
Read
the entire article
Where we stand
Friends of the Forest Preserves is outraged, but not discouraged
by the Commissioners vote for the $13.3 million raid. Although documents
state the initial transfer from Cook County to the Forest Preserve
District was a “permanent transfer,” many Commissioners
dismissed this information, considering the transfer a loan. Friends
feels that if the Commissioners were wearing their Forest Preserve
District hats instead of their County hats, this transfer would
not have taken place. However, this solidifies Friends position
that there must be separate boards for the County and the Forest
Preserve District. Friends has formed a coalition of conservation
organizations and non-partisan government groups that are working
on a strategy on how to separate the boards. The inherent conflict
of interest involved w2ith the County and the Forest Preserve District
is simply insurmountable.
Tollway land grab
The Illinois Highway Authority is looking
to convert 16 acres of forest preserve land into bioswales to catch
runoff after the highway is expanded. Read
the entire article
Where we stand
We have met with other environmental organizations in the
area to discuss the expansion of the tollway and its affect on the
16 acres of Forest Preserves that it borders. The Illinois Toll
Highway Authority is suggesting the implementation of bioswales
to lessen the damaging effects of salt and heavy metals contained
in the runoff on the surrounding Forest Preserves. However, the
details of the bioswales as well as backup plans, if the bioswales
are unsuccessful, have not been presented by the Tollway Authority.
Friends recommends that a better alternative to bioswales be put
in place, since there is little quantitative performance data for
bioswales on a project such as this. We believe another alternative
could involve piping the runoff to another location, such as a river
or detention pond, where it would have less of an overall environmental
effect. This is common practice in other areas, although this alternative
is not idea. Treating the water before it's discharged, however,
would improve this option, having a lesser effect on the environmental
health of the river.
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Explore
 Membership
Events & Tours for 2008
Please join us for a guided tour or event. Registration
is required! For more information, directions, and to RSVP, please
contact Kathryn Callaghan, Constituency Director at (312) 356-9990
or kathrync@fotfp.org by
5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the program. Tours are $5 for members
and $10 for non-members.
Earth Day in Calumet
Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to noon
Celebrate Earth Day and learn about stewardship and volunteer opportunities
at Powderhorn Prairie on Chicago’s southeast side. The program
includes a stewardship demo, a bird walk with The Field Museum Ornithologist
Doug Stotz and a dutch oven cookout.
Bunker Hill Wildflower Walk
Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to noon
Join us as we walk the woodland portion of this preserve on Chicago’s
northwest side in search of spring ephemeral wildflowers. Come and
see the beautiful display before it disappears until next year.
Depending on weather conditions, we may see spring beauties, trillium,
toothwort or trout lilies.
Summer Solstice Member Picnic in Palos
Saturday, June 21
Celebrate the longest day of the year with fellow members at Cap
Sauer’s Holding near Palos Park. Bring your family for food,
fun, and nature walks and participate in hands-on restoration work
with the stewards who care for the site.
Intro to Forest Preserves at Deer Grove
Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. to noon
Deer Grove forest preserve in Palatine contains wonderful examples
of native plant and animal communities in its marshes, woodlands
and savannas. Join us to learn about forest preserve history, challenges
and restoration at the County’s very first forest preserve.
Busse Woods Walk
Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to noon
Visit Cook County’s only National Natural Landmark. Located
in the 3,700 acre Ned Brown Preserve in northwestern Cook County,
Busse Forest features a mixture of flatwoods and upland forest ecosystems.
Learn about the forces that shaped this unique environment and its
fascinating human history.
Watch for more listings to come later in the year.
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Volunteer
Join us for a clean up, an ecological management outing,
or a become a volunteer steward in a forest preserve near you!
Forest preserve volunteering ranges from GIS mapping,
to school field trips, nature center staffing, and on the ground
work. Habitat restoration consists of invasive species removal,
trash collection, prescribed burns, or gathering seeds from a prairie
or forest to restore the natural health of the ecosystem. It’s
a chance to get outside, meet new people and enhance our local ecosystems.
Friends helps lead ecological management
outings at:
Beaubien Woods ("Beaubien Woods" exit
69 off of Bishop Ford/I-94) on the first Saturday of each month
from 9am-12pm
Dan Ryan Woods (87th and Western in Chicago) on
the second Saturday of each month from 9am-12pm
Powderhorn Woods (on Brainard, just south
of Burnham on Chicago’s southeast side) on the third Saturday
of each month from 9am-12pm.
Friends is also working to expand stewardship in the Calumet Region
at Zander Woods, Jurgenson Woods, Calumet City Prairie, Greenlake
Savanna, and other sites in the region. Please contact
us if you are interested in finding out more about how to get
involved.
Restoration "workdays" take place throughout
the county every weekend. Take a look at the Forest
Preserve District of Cook County volunteer website (co-sponsored
by Friends) to explore local groups and workdays closest to you,
and get involved today.
Monitoring
Become a volunteer bird, frog, butterfly or dragonfly monitor
for your area. Please go to the Chicago
Wilderness Habitat Project or Illinois
Butterfly Monitoring Network homepage for more information.
 Clean
up
One of the biggest threats to our Forest Preserves is trash. It's
hard to believe that people still throw their junk on the ground,
isn't it?! If you’d like help organizing a clean up for your
community, corporate, or church group, please contact Friends Constituency
Coordinator Alice Brandon at 312-356-9990 or e-mail her at alice
at fotfp.org
Trails
Many groups work hard to help maintain and expand trails for walking,
jogging, biking, hiking, and horseback riding. To help, please contact
Chicago Area
Mountain Bikers (www.cambr.org),
Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation (www.chibikefed.org),
or the FPDCC
Volunteer Resources Team at (773) 631-1790.
 Mighty
Acorns
The Mighty Acorns® program introduces 4th through 6th graders
to nature and conservation stewardship in the Chicagoland area through
activities based on education, restoration, and exploration. To
help lead nature education field trips and for participating schools
go to www.mightyacorns.org.
Contact Cheryl McGarry at camcgarry@cookcountygov.com
or call (773) 631-1790.
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