Please join the Friends community to celebrate the beauty of the forest preserves and to honor the winners of the 2023 Photo Contest! View the winning photos from our 2023 Photo Contest up close and personal, hung professionally on the gallery walls! Then enjoy a panel discussion with some of the winning photographers. Refreshments will […]
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 […]
Black Partridge Woods is one of the first dedicated nature preserves in Illinois. The 80 acre site features river bluffs, ravine forests, and spring-fed streams, and boasts one of the earliest and most diverse displays of spring wildflowers in the region. Restoration activities center on the removal of invasive species like honeysuckle and barberry with […]
Listen to the relaxing sounds of Eggers while moving through it! Join us as we explore the sounds of nature, led by Norman W Long. Norman is an artist, designer, and composer born and raised on the South side of Chicago. The walk will focus on mindfulness and the participants' connection to the land as […]
Please join us as we explore the woodland trail to observe both the flora and fauna of the woodlands surrounding Salt Creek. Challenge Level: Easy to moderate at a steady pace. Parking/Meeting Location: Park at Bemis Woods North by the bridge over Salt Creek. Meet by the trail map sign. Meet your volunteer guide: As […]
The hike will explore the wooded, shallow, and wide ravine that defines the interior of Deer Grove West. The hike will follow the streams that created and still shape the ravine today. Deer Grove Lake and the Deer Grove Lake Dam will also be on the hike's route. Architectural remnants from the work done by […]
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 […]
Swallow Cliff is a landscape of hills, ravines, lakes, and marshes created by the retreat of the last glaciers to cover the area. Volunteers strive to restore the natural biodiversity that existed prior to settlement and the proliferation of non-native plants. Restoration activities include the removal of invasive species like honeysuckle and buckthorn, and the […]
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 […]
Seeds are the lifeblood of healthy woodlands and prairies. By growing successive generations of species, they help ensure resilient, self-renewing natural areas for years to come. Restoration volunteers hand collect seeds of many different species in Forest Preserve sites along the Chicago River North Branch, then distribute them to other less healthy North Branch sites. […]
The Yellow Trail - the trail we will be primarily walking - was rated the best trail in Illinois by Backpacker Magazine. The trails are in great shape and currently the wild geraniums and the woodland phlox are in full bloom! The walk will take approximately 2 hours and will be 3-4 miles in length, […]
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 […]
