Celebrate Earth Day by joining a restoration day at forest preserves throughout Cook County! Get outside and give back to your community and nature. We welcome all volunteers, experts and novices! Just make sure to wear long sleeves and pants and comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty. Gloves and tools will be provided, and some sites will even have a free lunch for Earth Day!
Wednesday, April 22:
4th Annual Earth Day Hike at Lake Calumet-Southeast Environmental Task Force 8:30 am- 12:30 pm: Explore the area around Lake Calumet on the “secured” property of the Illinois International Port District. Join us to view the recently acquired 282 acres that will soon be opened for hiking, fishing, boating, bird-watching, and other nature activities as part of the Millennium Reserve Initiative.
- Where to meet: Harborside Golf Course Clubhouse-11
001 S. Doty Ave. East, Chicago 60628 - Contact: Call 773-646-0436
2012 Photo Contest Runner up: “Calumet Is My Backyard” student monitoring at Beaubien Woods near Chicago, Laura Milkert
Saturday, April 25:
Bunker Hill-North Branch Restoration Project 9 am- 12 pm: Restore this beautiful site while celebrating Earth Day!
- Where to meet: Caldwell & Tonty, Chicago 60646
- Contact: John Balaban, balx2@comcast.net
Chicago Portage Woods 9 am- 12 pm: Restore native habitat by removing invasive brush, collecting seeds, and pulling weeds at one of Illinois’s National Historic Sites, the Chicago Portage.
- Where to meet: Chicago Portage National Historic Site parking lot, Lyons 60534
- Contact: Paul Lucas, chicagoportage@yahoo.com
Deer Grove East 9 am- 12 pm: See the other half of the very first forest preserve, Deer Grove.
- Where to meet: At Camp Reinberg off Quentin Road or far west end of parking lot off Dundee Road entrance.
- Contact: Mark Krivchenia, info@deergroveeast.net
Friends of Busse Woods 9 am- 12 pm: Remove invasive species, pick up trash, and gather and spread the seeds of native plants.
- Where to meet: Busse Forest-South, Grove 16, Elk Grove 60007
- Contact: Matt Haas, bussewoodsvolunteer@gmail.com
Hofmann Dam River Rats 9 am- 12 pm: Participate in the 37th annual river clean-up. Refreshments will be provided.
- Where to meet: North of Barrypoint Road near the Hofmann Tower
- Contact: John Mach, 708-656-2286, or Bob Bezouska, 708-749-9654
Kickapoo Woods-Centennial Volunteers 10 am- 1 pm: Join the Centennial Volunteers as we clear room for new species on Kickapoo prairie via brush cutting and burning. Free lunch!
- Where to meet: 14498 S. Halsted St, Riverdale, Riverdale 60827
- Contact: Chris Weber, chris@fotfp.org
- Friends of the Forest Preserves event
Linne Woods-North Branch Restoration Project 9 am-12 pm: Restore this beautiful site while celebrating Earth Day!
- Where to meet: Linne Woods, Morton Grove 60053
- Contact: Marian Thill, john.c.thill@gmail.com
McCormick Woods-Des Plaines River Valley Restoration Project 9 am- 12 pm: Enjoy a few quality hours outside and learn to identify and remove invasive species that threaten biodiversity in the preserves.
- Where to meet: McCormick Woods, North Riverside 60546
- Contact: Elizabeth Cozzi, elizabeth.cozzi@abbott.com
Orland Grassland 9 am- 12 pm: Help restore this unique grassland.
- Where to meet: Gather at Orland Grassland Parking Lot, 167th Street, about 1/4 block west of La Grange Road, Orland Park, IL
- Contact: Pat Hayes, ptihys@yahoo.com
Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards 9 am- 12 pm: Restore the native habitat in the Carl Hansen/Poplar Creek Forest Preserve in Hoffman Estates.
- Where to meet: Shoe Factory Road Woods, Hoffman Estates 60120.
- Contact: John T. Navin, j.navin@att.net
Sand Ridge Nature Center 10 am- 3 pm: Join us for a day set aside as a reminder to be good stewards of our planet. Activities include hikes, puppet shows, crafts and Earth Day Jeopardy!
- Where to meet: 15891 S Paxton Ave, South Holland 60473
- Contact: sandridge.naturecenter@cookcountyil.gov
Somme East-Centennial Volunteers 12 pm- 3 pm: Join the Centennial Volunteers to remove invasive species and plant native ones!
- Where to meet: 1714 Dundee Rd, Northbrook
- Contact: Josh Coles, josh@fotfp.org
- Friends of the Forest Preserves Event
Sundown Meadow-Des Plaines River Valley Restoration Project 10 am- 1 pm: Remove invasive species and collect and spread native seeds.
- Where to meet: Driveway is on west side of LaGrange Road, between 63rd Street and 67th Street (north of I-55), Countryside 60525
- Contact: Chris Haddad Scanlon, CHaddad3@hotmail.com
Trailside Museum of Natural History 1 pm- 4 pm: Take a guided walk to view the many wonders of our Earth in the springtime woods.
- Where to meet: 738 Thatcher Ave, River Forest 60305
- Contact: trailside.museum@cookcountyil.gov
Willow Spring Woods 9 am-12 pm: Remove invasive species like honeysuckle and barberry.
- Where to meet: Crawdad Slough parking lot, on the east side of 104th Ave (Willow Springs Road), one block south of 95th St.
- Contact: Joe Neumann, 773-434-1415
Chris Haddad Scanlon is the steward of Sundown Meadow in Countryside.
Sunday, April 26:
LaBagh Woods-Centennial Volunteers 12 pm- 3 pm: Restore this uncommon woodland and plant native shrubs. Be a part of river and forest revitalization by joining an inspiring movement of volunteers gathering to restore this special site along the Chicago River.
- Where to meet: 5275 North Cicero Avenue, Chicago 60646
- Contact: Josh Coles, josh@fotfp.org
- Friends of the Forest Preserves event
Schiller Woods-Des Plaines River Valley Restoration Project 9 am- 12 pm: Enjoy a few quality hours outside and learn to identify and remove invasive species that threaten biodiversity in the preserves.
- Where to meet: Grove 8, Schiller Woods North, Chicago 60634
- Contact: Cathy Bloome, catbloome@gmail.com
Somme Prairie Grove- North Branch Restoration Project 9 am- 12 pm: Somme Prairie Grove is a mosaic of prairie, savanna, and woodland. Help restore it!
- Where to meet: Parking lot on the north side of Dundee, just east of Waukegan, Northbrook 60062
- Contact: Stephen Packard, info@sommepreserve.org
Spring Creek Stewards 12 pm- 3 pm: Spring Creek is one of only a few preserves large enough to sustain populations of rare animals, grassland birds and a rich variety of habitats.
- Where to meet: Penny Rd. Pond parking lot. Go west from the intersection of Penny and Old Sutton Roads until you see the parking lot on your left.
- Contact: Randy Holtz, springcreekstewards@gmail.com
Centennial Volunteers at LaBagh Woods.