Annicka Barker, a 2019 Forest Preserve Experience participant, shared a new-found passion with her family. A $100,000 grant from the Forest Preserve Foundation will help underwrite increased wages for Forest Preserve Experience crew members this summer. “We are so pleased to support young people who rely on summer employment to help themselves and, in many […]
Naturally, with the spring season reaching its peak greenness, every golfer wants to hit the links. Golf is still happening in the Preserves, with some restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide orders to maintain safe and healthy distances. For the Foundation, golf plays a key role in our yearly events calendar. The Conservation […]
The Forest Preserve Foundation is pleased to announce two grants, approved by its board of directors at its May 1 meeting. Grants totaling $56,000 will support the Student Conservation Association and Free Spirit Media. A grant of $50,000 will go to the Student Conservation Association (SCA) for its 2020 summer program. Since 2015, the Foundation […]
Forest Preserve Foundation staff are finding ways to stay connected to the natural world while practicing physical distancing. Here, they reflect on their experiences during the COVID pandemic. Shelley and her son, Sage. Natural discoveries Sheltering in place is hard. Although we know and agree that the strategy to #stayhomesavelives is working, it is also […]
Volunteers remove invasive brush during a stewardship workday at Camp Bullfrog Lake. David Ventre, an avid mountain biker who lives on the North Side of Chicago, loves cycling through the Palos trails. Winding through rolling hills and deep ravines, the extensive Palos Trail Systems in south Cook County, offer beautiful views of the Forest Preserves. […]
A living tribute to black history can be found in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. If you are a Chicago-area cyclist, you probably have ridden along the Major Taylor Trail, named after the legendary African American cyclist. The Major Taylor Trail starts and ends in areas managed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County: […]
It is through telling the stories behind the work the Foundation does that we connect best with our friends and supporters. Whether it’s in a forest preserve or at one of our public events, the Foundation touches so many people. And they touch us. We use our blog to keep you informed about what we […]
Some gifts are for the birds. Literally. That was the sentiment behind a tribute gift from Ben and Kate Julian when they adopted a bench in the Skokie Lagoons. When Ben called Shelley Davis, president of the Forest Preserve Foundation, to discuss making a donation, “it was even a little awkward,” he recalled. Davis, he […]
Nicholas Brown remembers volunteering at a forest preserve when he was in grade school. Then when he got to high school, he joined the environmental club. Those were the experiences he listed on his Student Conservation Association (SCA) application. SCA wanted to know about his experiences in nature and what he might gain from future […]
The Foundation’s 2019 Annual Report is ready. We invite you to read it and learn about the work the Foundation has done this year. Indeed, the last 12 months have been ones of growth and impact for us. We continued to increase our investments in next-generation environmental leaders and key restoration projects in the Forest […]
