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.
Text CALUMET or NORTHWEST 545-454 for events and volunteer opportunities!
Our first member appreciation event of the year will feature refreshments and a guided walk around a gem within the Palos Preserves system, Cranberry Slough. The Member Appreciation Series is an […]
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. Meet at the pod […]
Every Tuesday until September 23rd, 2025! Entrance at Halsted, south of 144th St. Riverdale, IL 60827. Stretch and Walks9:00 am – 10:00 am2 mile walk. Walking pace with room for […]
Every Wednesday until September 24th, 2025! Entrance at 134th St., East of Halsted Ave. Riverdale, IL 60827. Stretch and Walks9:00 am – 10:00 am2 mile walk. Walking pace with room […]
Come learn about sedges at Hill N Dale this Thursday from 9-11am! We will be learning, collecting, and maybe even spreading some of this seed. No registration required! If you […]
Come learn about Leiberg’s Panic Grass (aka Prairie Panic Grass), Tussock Sedge and more at Grigsby Prairie this Thursday from 9-11am! We will be learning, collecting, and maybe even spreading […]
Dan Ryan Woods is an expansive area covering 257 acres of Cook County. The site is home to beautiful woodlands, and flora and fauna that thrive in it. During our volunteer days, you […]
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 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 […]
Join BGI at our upcoming Seed Leaders Essentials Workshop! All are welcome and free to attend. We will be sharing seed leadership resources and teaching any and all interested in […]
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 […]
Kickapoo Woods is a site with beautiful wet prairies in Riverdale, IL. During volunteer days, you can get up close and personal with nature performing a variety of restoration activities. Meet at the volunteer […]
Join BGI at our upcoming Sketch and Stroll nature journaling hike! All are welcome and free to attend, this will be led by a beginner artist All supplies will be […]
Join Spring Creek Stewards as we go on a scavenger hunt for White Sweet Clover! All are welcome to come, learn, and lead. Contact Information- [email protected] or Ken DeMuth 312-316-5216 […]
Every Tuesday until September 23rd, 2025! Entrance at Halsted, south of 144th St. Riverdale, IL 60827. Stretch and Walks9:00 am – 10:00 am2 mile walk. Walking pace with room for […]
Every Wednesday until September 24th, 2025! Entrance at 134th St., East of Halsted Ave. Riverdale, IL 60827. Stretch and Walks9:00 am – 10:00 am2 mile walk. Walking pace with room […]
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 […]
Every Tuesday until September 23rd, 2025! Entrance at Halsted, south of 144th St. Riverdale, IL 60827. Stretch and Walks9:00 am – 10:00 am2 mile walk. Walking pace with room for […]
Every Wednesday until September 24th, 2025! Entrance at 134th St., East of Halsted Ave. Riverdale, IL 60827. Stretch and Walks9:00 am – 10:00 am2 mile walk. Walking pace with room […]
Come learn about collecting sedges and Shooting Stars at Flint Creek Savanna this Thursday from 9-11am! We will be learning, collecting, and maybe even spreading some of this seed. No […]
