What We Do

Long before there was a Cook County, this region where tallgrass prairie meets eastern forest was home to a breathtaking mosaic of landscapes. By the turn of the 20th century, with a great city growing here, civic leaders like Dwight Perkins and Jens Jensen recognized that it was essential to preserve these native landscapes for people to enjoy for centuries to come. They worked for years to establish the nation’s first – and now largest at 70,000 acres – forest preserve district.

In more recent history, the forest preserves have encountered a great deal of abuse and neglect. Invasive brush turned thousands of acres into impassible thorn thickets, preserve land was sold, and trash littered the landscape. A new group of civic leaders, people just like you, formed Friends of the Forest Preserves in 1998 to rescue these treasured lands. We knew that in order to maintain these vast rewards and ensure they’re here for all of us to enjoy, we’d have to work just as hard as the visionary citizens who protected them more than a century ago.

Today, we protect, promote, and care for the forest preserves to ensure they thrive for us and for future generations. Great civic leaders started the forest preserves over 100 years ago and now, it’s our turn to be those great civic leaders that ensure the preserves are here and healthy for the next 100 years.

Image is of a campaign logo for the 2022 ballot initiative, Vote Yes for Clean Air, Clean Water, and Wildlife, for the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

Advocacy

The members of Friends formed the organization to help solve serious problems in the forest preserves of Cook County. As an independent non-profit, Friends provides oversight by attending all Forest Preserve District board meetings, making policy and budget recommendations, and fending off land grabs. We also believe that in order for the Forest Preserve District to be properly governed, it needs an independent board of forest preserve commissioners.

Ecological Restoration

Invasive brush has turned thousands of acres of the forest preserves into impassible thorn thickets. Through government contracts, foundation funding, and private donors, we hire contractors for on-the-ground restoration projects that include removing invasive species, restoring hydrology, and conducting prescribed burns. We also coordinate, support, and promote volunteer workdays year-round to maintain the progress we’ve made and move forward in restoring native species. And finally, our Conservation Corps programs teach valuable restoration skills to crew members while helping restore the forest preserves to a healthy natural state.

Volunteer Organizing

Volunteers are out every week throughout the forest preserves of Cook County. Contact us and we can hook you up with a group or help you set up your own volunteer event. Volunteers remove invasive plants, collect trash, assist with prescribed burns, work on trails, and gather and spread seeds to restore the natural health of the ecosystem. We know you will love being outside, volunteering, and enjoying nature with some like-minded people. Help get something done and volunteer with us today!

Conservation Corps

Friends’ Conservation Corps programs break down barriers to accessing technical training and certifications, and connect people to employment in the environmental sector. Conservation Corps members learn about habitat restoration while gaining vital leadership and teamwork skills that can be used in future careers. We have nearly 2,500 alumni of our programs, the majority of whom are people of color and/or women. Instead of having to pay for career training, all corps members are paid to learn with us as they remove invasive species, collect and spread native seeds, and teach others about restoration work, while also gaining job skills that are beneficial for any future career.

Community Engagement Programs

Friends envisions a community in which everyone feels they have a place in the preserves. We work intentionally to diversify the community of nature lovers and advocates, engaging people who want to dedicate their time to be in and help nature, no matter their experience level. Our free public programs span all sorts of ways to enjoy the preserves: nature exploration walks, health and wellness activities, dancing, art, historical and cultural events, ecological restoration, and more. Our staff are happy to customize outdoor experiences to meet the needs, comfort level, and interests of groups and individuals.

Engagement Corps

Engagement Corps crew members work year-round to engage people with the forest preserves while learning the art and science of community organizing and leading welcoming and memorable outdoor experiences. Crew members build skills and connections that increase their chances of pursuing a career in fields such as environmental education, outdoor recreation, volunteer coordination, and more. This is a paid, two-year training program in which members earn certifications, build their resumes, and make meaningful connections with like minded colleagues.

Strategic Plan

Friends’ 2025 – 2029 Strategic Plan reflects our ambition to build and expand upon what’s working to ensure a long and thriving future for the forest preserves in Cook County. The strategy outlined aims to:

  • Clarify for our board, staff, and stakeholders our priorities for the organization’s next chapter, so that we might focus our energy and resources appropriately.
  • Set ambitious, but realistic goals around which we will galvanize our community.