Leadership at the Forest Preserves of Cook County Financial Department and the Forest Preserve Foundation partnered to get their teams out from behind their computer screens and into the Preserves for a field trip.
We connected with each other and with nature, while also learning more about the Preserves and the powerful projects our work supports.
Join us on our journey, learn some fun facts, and map out some trips of your own to feed your spring fever.
The Preserves are up to some serious good!
We visited woodland and wetland habitats, toured finished projects like the Nature Play Garden at Dan Ryan Woods and the Prairie Boat art installation at Beaubien Woods, learned about rich histories, and envisioned the future of new work designed to bring the benefits of nature to everyone.
Visiting the Nature Play Garden at Dan Ryan Woods was especially exciting for those of us who are Forest Preserve Foundation staff. The Foundation granted $46,295 and worked with Greencorps Chicago to build the nature play elements. The Foundation also granted $9,000 and worked with Youth Outdoor Ambassadors (YOAs) to develop a nature play curriculum for an ADA compliant, multi-level tree house and additional nature play elements. Rocks with holes drilled in the center take the place of the typical plastic pieces on typical playgrounds, while zigzag wooden walkways invite one to play.
We also visited sites for accessible bird programming – bird sits instead of bird walks and learned about historic aqueducts. These limestone aqueducts were constructed by the CCC to prevent water from washing away soil on the steep ridges. Visitors can still walk alongside the aqueducts as they wind their way through the woods south of 87th St.
Another stop on the tour, Sand Ridge Nature Center, features a wonderful indoor nature center and is home to ambassador animals like a turtle that is blind in one eye so it can’t find its own food. Unable to live in the wild, these native reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals help educate tens of thousands of visitors annually. We learned that all box turtles with red eyes are male, but not all males have red eyes, and that the albinism of a white snake diminishes their vision.
Back outside at this former asparagus farm we saw native plants that have returned to areas where Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps high school crews, (funded in part by the Forest Preserve Foundation), and the Mighty Acorns third grade crews worked hard on restoration. Winding trails brought us to the wonderful vista of a bird observatory used for mental health programming for teens. We learned of the need for funding for The Nature Bus transportation to help get young people to all these impactful programs.
At Beaubien Woods art meets nature meets history in Prairie Boat, a 40 foot-long gathering space that marks the beginning of the African American Water Trail along the Little Calumet River, as well as a stop on the Underground Railroad. It was created in partnership with Imani Village, a green community under development nearby. The boat structure, by designer and sculptor Christine Perri, includes art by numerous artists.
One of those artists is Patrick Thompson whose panels, Heroes, reflect heroes such as Harriet Tubman and the Tuskegee Airmen.
Another artist Jittaun Priest, describes his piece, Past, Present, Future
“Despite any challenges African Americans face, we still have a strong level of discernment and always persevere. I symbolically showed this through images of people dancing, praising, looking up, and pointing toward something better. It also depicts knowledge of education, agriculture, energy, and the importance of family and community to grow and be better to break the cycle of mental and physical slavery. The last piece reflects hope and possibilities of what is yet to come. Aaron Douglas, a well-known artist in the Harlem Renaissance era, inspired this collection.”
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Together we can make the Preserves welcoming spaces for everyone.
Conserve. Educate. Enjoy.