Friends of the Forest Preserves

Friends of the Forest Preserves unites people to protect, promote, and care for the forest preserves in Cook County. 

As the only independent nonprofit organization focused on the forest preserves in Cook County, Illinois, we work to safeguard and improve the 70,000 acres of forest preserves for all of us and generations to come. 

Founded in 1998 by a small group of concerned citizens, the Friends community is now a force of thousands working together to ensure that land, water, and life will always thrive in the forest preserves.

We invite you to join the Friends community! 

• • Volunteer at a local forest preserve that needs your help.
  • Discover a career in restoration and conservation with our Conservation Corps for teens and adults.
  • Attend an event and explore the many wonders of the forest preserves.
  • Become a member today – annual memberships start at $30.
  • Advocate on behalf of our forest preserves.

By working locally, the Friends community is doing our part in the global movement for change. Read more about what we do.

Please read our Land Acknowledgment: Friends of the Forest Preserves acknowledges that the forest preserves in Cook County are located on the ancestral homelands of the Council of Three Fires, a long-standing…