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!
Enjoy the fall colors in the prairie as we continue to go after lots of seed. Registration: No registration required! If you are interested in signing up for the CFC newsletter for weekly event emails here is that link- https://citizensforconservation.org/get-involved/regular-workdays/ Contact Information: [email protected] or [email protected]
Eggers Woods is a beautiful site made of woodlands, marshes, and prairies. For a better view of the flora and fauna at this site, join us for a volunteer day performing ecological restoration. Meet at the parking lot east of the caretaker’s building.
Help us collect seed at Spring Creek Prairie to distribute back into the area. Enjoy nature, learn plant identification skills, and responsible seed collecting techniques. Tools and snacks provided. Contact Information- Please reach out to Ken DeMuth 312-316-5216 with any questions!
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Join Friends of the Forest Preserves and the Forest Preserves of Cook County to gather and separate all of the native seed collected during the 2025 season! Volunteers can learn more about the seed collecting process and interact with other volunteers and stewards in a low-intensity activity.
Help us collect seed at Spring Creek Prairie to distribute back into the area. Enjoy nature, learn plant identification skills, and responsible seed collecting techniques. Tools and snacks provided. Contact Information- Please reach out to Cliff Trahan 630-442-9888 with any questions!
Please join us for a pre-holiday hike as we explore the woodland trail for fun and fitness. The trail is easy to moderately difficult. Adults, including active 50+, are invited and encouraged to bring a friend. Parking/Meet Up: Access to trail at Country Lane Woods on 95th Street west of LaGrange Road at the back […]
You’re invited to take a short nature hike and then collect some seeds with the group. River Trail Nature Center situated along the Des Plaines River has a lot to offer people of all ages that you can explore before or after our event! Location: River Trail Nature Center About this event: The group will […]
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 of the pod on the service driveway NW of the Nature Center.
Come hang out at Eggers Grove for a fun homeschool meet-up! Every third Thursday of the month from 10am-12pm All ages and families are invited to this free event at Eggers Grove. Whether you homeschool, unschool, or just want to hangout with other families, come for a monthly nature walk and other nature based activities.
Join us at Whistler Woods for a restoration day and holiday-themed potluck! Bring your favorite dish and come ready to cut and burn buckthorn with other volunteers.
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 kiosk.
Join the Spring Creek Stewards and Citizens for Conservation for a fun, hands-on celebration of this year’s seed season! We’ll work together to mix thousands of pounds of locally collected native seeds into custom restoration mixes, all of which will head right back into the preserves you love. Come be part of the final step […]
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 […]
Join us as we admire the fall colors and beauty of the Des Plaines River. 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 […]
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 […]
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 of the pod on the service driveway NW of the Nature Center.
Join the Forest Preserves of Cook County to gather and separate all of the native seed collected during the 2025 season! Volunteers can learn more about the seed collecting process and interact with other volunteers and stewards in a low- intensity activity.
