Friends in the News

Read about our latest efforts advocating for the preserves, as well as highlights from our restoration work and youth programs.

Block Club Chicago – Invasive Shrubs Cover Nearly 80% Of Chicago-Area Forests. Can Conservationists Turn Things Around? Block Club Chicago, August 13, 2025 NORTHBROOK — Sun beams highlighted green patches of native witch hazel and bottlebrush grass as Anna Braum walked through Chipilly Woods one recent weekday afternoon. Two years ago, the forest […] View the original story
105.9 WBBM – Groups advocate for canal name change 105.9 WBBM, August 12, 2025 Aired on August 12, 2025Version 1: The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was an accurate name when it was dug 125 years ago to connect the Chicago River on the […] View the original story
WBEZ Chicago – Canal that famously reversed the Chicago River deserves a better name, groups say WBEZ, August 12, 2025 The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was dug to help change the flow of the Chicago River when it opened in 1900. Now the public is being asked for suggested […] View the original story
Lawndale News – Nearly 90 HACC Youth Graduate from Summer Jobs Program in the Forest Preserves of Cook County Lawndale News, August 7, 2025 Posted by Editor on August 7, 2025 in Education | Comments Off on Nearly 90 HACC Youth Graduate from Summer Jobs Program in the Forest Preserves of Cook County A summer of learning, outdoor exploration and service […] View the original story
The Lansing Journal – Nearly 90 youth graduate from forest preserve summer jobs program The Lansing Journal, July 31, 2025 PROVIDED BY FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. – A summer of learning, outdoor exploration and service culminated in a graduation ceremony for 89 Cook County youth […] View the original story
Citizen Weekly – Say “Om” with Friends of the Forest Preserves Citizens Weekly, July 9, 2025 Just in time for summer, Friends of the Forest Preserves (FOTFP) increases their commitment to help Cook County residents connect with nature, free health and wellness sessions featuring yoga, stretching […] View the original story
MidwestLiving – I Set Out to Walk 210 Miles Around Chicago. Here’s How it Went MidwestLiving, March 22, 2024 The Chicago Outerbelt, a 210-mile trail that encircles the city, promotes eco-recreation and engages diverse communities in outdoor experiences. View the original story
Supporters Celebrate ‘Victory for People and Nature’ as Forest Preserve Tax Hike Appears a Winner WTTW, November 8, 2022 “With the results we see tonight on the referendum, it’s clear that people deeply appreciate all the benefits the Forest Preserves of Cook County provides, starting with access to nature […] View the original story
Does a beer sip in the woods? It does as a great fun-raiser if it’s Beer in the Woods Chicago Sun Times, September 29, 2021 Beer in the Woods exploded this year for Friends of the Forest Preserves and had a perfect Saturday to hold it. View the original story
Cook Forest Preserve youth program aims to diversify conservation workforce Chicago Sun Times, July 30, 2021 Forestry and related fields have historically been dominated by white males but a program for suburban Cook County teens has a goal of drawing more workers of color. View the original story
Conservation Organizations Support General Iron Opposition in One-Day Solidarity Hunger Strike WTTW, February 22, 2021 “The people, wildlife and wetlands of the Calumet area have borne more than their share of pollution, and it’s time for the City of Chicago to find a different way.” View the original story
Cook County Forest Preserves: Is It Time For a Funding Referendum? WTTW, November 24, 2020 With the forest preserves enjoying unprecedented usage — twice as many trail users were tallied in 2020 as 2019 — the timing is ripe to seize upon that goodwill and […] View the original story
On Labor Day, a reimagined Depression-era jobs plan reminds us how and why to value workers Chicago Sun Times, September 6, 2020 The time is ripe for a new Civilian Conservation Corps that would be more inclusive than its predecessor. View the original story
How deal could speed open-space restoration in three counties Daily Herald, June 8, 2020 Restoration efforts known as the Barrington Greenway Initiative in a 14,000-acre area covering portions of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties could get a boost through a pending agreement between seven […] View the original story
Letter to the editor: How to take care of the forest preserves, so they can take care of us. Journal and Topics, April 27, 2020 “It’s literally the only place we can go.” View the original story
Niles News Briefs: Where Youth Learn to Love Nature Bugle Newspapers, December 11, 2019 When Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps (CCLC) students finish their six-week summer job in the Forest Preserves, they sound proud, inspired and ready for their next challenge. View the original story
Summer jobs program puts high school students to work in forest preserves Chicago Tribune, July 17, 2019 Because of high demand, the housing authority committed an additional $85,000 to hire 32 more workers and five crew leaders, forest preserve spokesman Carl Vogel said. The program has 116 participants this year compared to 50 two years ago, Monocchio said. View the original story
EDITORIAL: Illinois needs to do more to protect its natural wonders Chicago Sun Times, July 16, 2019 Like a rare native plant struggling to survive, the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission needs help if it is to thrive and do its job. View the original story
Bringing Nature Back to the Chicago Area Earth Island Journal, July 15, 2019 Ecological restoration has deep roots in the Midwest, where extraordinary community efforts have revived prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands. View the original story
Engaging Cook County’s Next Generation of Conservation Leaders Parks & Recreation, January 22, 2019 2018 Innovation in Conservation Award. View the original story

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Friends’ President Benjamin Cox helps cut the ribbon for the Busse Dam Reservoir Project.

Friends’ Newsletters

Read about what we’ve been up to, what we’re doing now, and what’s next: