Chris Weber talks to volunteers at Kickapoo Woods.
As one of Friend’s field organizers, my job is to find new people to help care for the preserves. Sometimes, this task is not as straightforward as it may sound.
To get people involved, I first have to get them to come to a preserve, period. Not only have many Chicagoland residents never set foot in a preserve, but more than a few have avoided them for decades.
It’s a legacy of uncertainty left over from a time when the preserves were perceived as a potential danger.
Those realities have changed and continue to change, but people’s uncertainty lingers. So, whenever I am out recruiting potential volunteers, one of my first tasks is to show people it’s safe. I have to show people the preserves are a place where they belong. We go to the preserves together so they can check out the vibe.
When we do, in addition to birds and wildflowers, they find something equally important: People using the preserves in safe, felicitous ways. People exercising. People gathering with friends. People eating lunch. People of all ages and races enjoying these green retreats.
They’re reassured, and then we plan what’s next: Nature hikes, volunteer days, community events. The forest preserves are good habitat for everyone.
By: Chris Weber, Field Organizer-South for the Centennial Volunteers
Christopher Weber is a field organizer, working to build community support around South Side preserves. Prior to joining Friends, he managed a volunteer-run garden at the Lincoln Park Zoo. A long-time environmental journalist, he contributes in his spare time to news sites like Civil Eats and Grist. Chris lives with his family in Hyde Park. His favorite native plant is rattlesnake master.