Connect, Learn and Explore: Dive Into Our Schedule of Events
Friends of the Forest Preserves hosts numerous events throughout the year designed to connect people of all ages and backgrounds with the natural wonders of the forest preserves in Cook County.
Guided hikes, educational workshops, wellness programs, volunteer workdays, golf outings, fundraisers, cultural programs, and more await you.
Browse our schedule of events below to learn more.
Events
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Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards Workday – Sundays
Come volunteer to restore native habitat! Filled with prairie, oak woodlands and wetlands, the Poplar Creek region in Northwest Cook County needs you. You will be given the opportunity to pursue restoration activities such as brushcutting, lopping, brush pile burn building, weed pulling, and seed planting – all while meeting others in the community. No previous […]
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Bunker Hill North Flatwoods Volunteer Workdays
Join the North Branch Restoration Project to restore this oak woodland to its former beauty! This 76-acre site depends on a community of volunteers to remove invasive species, spread native seed, and much more. Large pin oaks are a unique feature of this preserve, which is also home to some beautiful spring ephemerals. Visit The […]
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Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards Workday – Saturdays
Come volunteer to restore native habitat! Filled with prairie, oak woodlands and wetlands, the Poplar Creek region in Northwest Cook County needs you. You will be given the opportunity to pursue restoration activities such as brushcutting, lopping, brush pile burn building, weed pulling, and seed planting – all while meeting others in the community. No previous […]
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Miami Woods and Prairie Volunteer Workday – Chicago River Day
The Miami Woods Forest Preserve covers 112 acres stretching along the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River from Oakton Street northward to Dempster Street. It is bounded on the west side by Caldwell Avenue, Waukegan Road and development at the intersection of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street. The land on the […]
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Miami Woods and Prairie Volunteer Workday
The Miami Woods Forest Preserve covers 112 acres stretching along the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River from Oakton Street northward to Dempster Street. It is bounded on the west side by Caldwell Avenue, Waukegan Road and development at the intersection of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street. The land on the […]
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Oxbow Prairie Volunteer Workday
Formed by an old loop in the river’s course, lies the Oxbow Prairie. This old oxbow in the Chicago River’s North Branch is a combination of low, wet prairie soils and slightly higher mesic prairie soils. A small open savanna lies on what was once the east bank of the river. The mesic prairie had […]
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Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards Workday – Sundays
Come volunteer to restore native habitat! Filled with prairie, oak woodlands and wetlands, the Poplar Creek region in Northwest Cook County needs you. You will be given the opportunity to pursue restoration activities such as brushcutting, lopping, brush pile burn building, weed pulling, and seed planting – all while meeting others in the community. No previous […]
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St. Paul Woods Volunteer Workday
St. Paul Woods is an inviting oak-hickory woodland situated east of the North Branch of the Chicago River. Like many of our native woodlands, it needs management to clear invasive brush and trees to restore the original structure. With increased sunlight, the wildflowers and grasses will once again add to the beauty of the woods. Join […]
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Bunker Hill North Flatwoods Volunteer Workdays
Join the North Branch Restoration Project to restore this oak woodland to its former beauty! This 76-acre site depends on a community of volunteers to remove invasive species, spread native seed, and much more. Large pin oaks are a unique feature of this preserve, which is also home to some beautiful spring ephemerals. Visit The […]
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Miami Woods and Prairie Volunteer Workday
The Miami Woods Forest Preserve covers 112 acres stretching along the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River from Oakton Street northward to Dempster Street. It is bounded on the west side by Caldwell Avenue, Waukegan Road and development at the intersection of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street. The land on the […]
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Oxbow Prairie Volunteer Workday
Formed by an old loop in the river’s course, lies the Oxbow Prairie. This old oxbow in the Chicago River’s North Branch is a combination of low, wet prairie soils and slightly higher mesic prairie soils. A small open savanna lies on what was once the east bank of the river. The mesic prairie had […]
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Stewardship Volunteer Days – Sand Ridge Nature Center
Sand Ridge is a woodland and prairie site with a magnificent nature center attached. Join our volunteer crew for a restoration day to help restore our forest preserves. Park in the main parking lot and then meet at the pod northwest of the Nature Center off of the service driveway; Click the registration link for […]
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Bunker Hill North Flatwoods Volunteer Workdays
Join the North Branch Restoration Project to restore this oak woodland to its former beauty! This 76-acre site depends on a community of volunteers to remove invasive species, spread native seed, and much more. Large pin oaks are a unique feature of this preserve, which is also home to some beautiful spring ephemerals. Visit The […]
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Miami Woods and Prairie Volunteer Workday
The Miami Woods Forest Preserve covers 112 acres stretching along the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River from Oakton Street northward to Dempster Street. It is bounded on the west side by Caldwell Avenue, Waukegan Road and development at the intersection of Waukegan Road and Dempster Street. The land on the […]
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NEWTS New Volunteer – Stewardship Volunteer Days
3QM9+FQ, Hoffman Estates, IL 3QM9+FQ, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United StatesBeginner friendly workday at Spring Creek Healy Savanna where we will learn how to remove invasive shrubs with hand tools and place the wood in a brush pile fire. Meet at Beverly Lake parking area off of Higgens Rd (Rte 72). Click the registration link for more details.
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Trailblazers: Des Plaines River Relics Walk
The final three miles of the Des Plaines River Trail have more lost, abandoned, and mysterious artifacts than any other stretch of the trail; we’ll discuss what these are and how they fit into the modern history of this most urban of urban rivers. Along the way, we’ll also talk about water quality, habitat conditions […]
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Stewardship Volunteer Days – Whistler Woods
Join us at Whistler Woods for our volunteer days! We will be performing a variety of restoration activities in this woodland and prairie-dominant site. Meet near the end of the parking lot before the cul-de-sac; Click the registration link for more details.
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St. Paul Woods Volunteer Workday
St. Paul Woods is an inviting oak-hickory woodland situated east of the North Branch of the Chicago River. Like many of our native woodlands, it needs management to clear invasive brush and trees to restore the original structure. With increased sunlight, the wildflowers and grasses will once again add to the beauty of the woods. Join […]
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Homeschool Hangout at Eggers Grove
Come hang out at Eggers Grove for a fun homeschool meet-up! Every third Thursday of the month from 10am-12pm until June 19, 2025