Photo of outdoor event with people and booths

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

  • A Family PEACE Gathering:  Express Yourself with Music, Dance, and Poetry

    Dan Ryan Woods Event Pavillion W 87th St & S Western Ave, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Nature-based peace circles for people of all ages & ethnicities to connect, celebrate, and build community through art, wellness, & play. April workshops will explore self-expression using Music, Movement, and […]

  • BGI Spring Kickoff

    Flint Creek – CFC Farmhouse 459 W State Rte 22, North Barrington, Illinois, United States

    Join us for a festive gathering to celebrate the hard work of woody clearing and prescribed burns while welcoming the arrival of spring! Gather around the campfire for a cozy […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Day – Sand Ridge Nature Center

    Sand Ridge Nature Center JC4M+8M5, Calumet City, Illinois, United States

    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 outside […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Day – Whistler Woods

    Whistler Woods M946+6JQ, Riverdale, Illinois, United States

    Join us at Whistler Woods for this beginner friendly volunteer day! We will learn to remove invasive brush and utilize tools to restore our forest preserves. Meet at the end […]

  • A Family PEACE Gathering:  Express Yourself with Music, Dance, and Poetry

    Dan Ryan Woods Event Pavillion W 87th St & S Western Ave, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Nature-based peace circles for people of all ages & ethnicities to connect, celebrate, and build community through art, wellness, & play. April workshops will explore self-expression using Music, Movement, and […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Day – Sand Ridge Nature Center

    Sand Ridge Nature Center JC4M+8M5, Calumet City, Illinois, United States

    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 outside […]

  • Earth Day Celebration Hike at Deer Grove

    Deer Grove Forest Preserve Deer Grove Forest Preserve, West Dundee Road, Palatine, Illinois, United States

    Celebrate Earth Day by joining us for a hike at Deer Grove Forest Preserve. We will explore areas within both the East & West Preserves! On this hike, we will […]

  • Spring Ephemeral Hike

    Hospital Grove 459 W State Rte 22, North Barrington, Illinois, United States

    Join BGI at one of our upcoming spring hikes! All are welcome and free to attend. We will be admiring and learning all about the incredible flora that emerges in […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Days

    Craftsbury Preserve 42°10'20.6"N 88°09'28.9"W, Barrington, Illinois, United States

    Workday where we will remove invasive shrubs with hand tools and place the wood in a brush pile fire. Beginners welcome! No registration required! If you are interested in signing up for […]

  • 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 […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Day – Kickapoo Woods & Prairie

    Kickapoo Woods & Priarie J9J3+GP, Riverdale, Illinois, United States

    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 […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Days

    Spring Creek Stony Ridge 42°06'17.7"N 88°13'06.2"W, Barrington Hills, Illinois, United States

    Workday where we will remove invasive shrubs with hand tools and place the wood in a brush pile fire. Beginners welcome! Contact information: [email protected]

  • Spring Ephemeral Hike

    Spring Creek Healy Savanna Beverly Lake, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States

    Join BGI at one of our upcoming spring hikes! All are welcome and free to attend. We will be admiring and learning all about the incredible flora that emerges in […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Day – Sand Ridge Nature Center

    Sand Ridge Nature Center JC4M+8M5, Calumet City, Illinois, United States

    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 […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Day – Whistler Woods

    Whistler Woods M946+6JQ, Riverdale, Illinois, United States

    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 at the end of the parking […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Days

    Flint Creek – CFC Farmhouse 459 W State Rte 22, North Barrington, Illinois, United States

    With the forecasted rain, we will spend time doing some spring cleaning in the farmhouse barn to prepare for the upcoming growing season. No registration required! If you are interested […]

  • Spring Ephemeral Hike

    Grigsby 42°09'53.7"N 88°11'01.5"W, Barrington Hills, Illinois, United States

    Join BGI at one of our upcoming spring hikes! All are welcome and free to attend. We will be admiring and learning all about the incredible flora that emerges in […]

  • Stewardship Volunteer Days

    19th Street, Barrington 42°10'20.6"N 88°09'28.9"W, Barrington, Illinois, United States

    Workday where we will remove invasive shrubs with hand tools and place the wood in a brush pile fire. Beginners welcome! No registration required! If you are interested in signing […]

  • 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 […]