Nature’s fix: Being outdoors can be a balm for your soul
THE OUTDOOR LIFE By Erin Starkey What feeds your soul? Brings you calm during a storm? A few years ago, I realized the answer was being outdoors. I was working as the director of a mental health department for a large local non-profit. This was work that I loved and was at times also very […]
Conservation Corps’ Dan Ryan Woods crew sets the bar high
If there’s a common assessment of this summer that the Dan Ryan Woods Chicago Conservation Corps members all share, it’s that they got a lot done. “We got through seven turnpikes, a check step and three water bars, a lot of invasive species and did some seed collection,” crew leader Kailin Sepp said, proudly talking […]
Forest Preserve Experience gives Chicago teenagers a life-changing summer to remember
On a sunny morning in late July, a stream of bright orange T-shirts makes its way to the Wampum Lake Woods pavilion in Thornton, Ill. This is the day that more than 80 Chicago teens will celebrate the end of their summer of work in the Forest Preserve Experience Program. Launched in 2016, the program […]
Forest Preserve Experience: Teens take home paychecks, skills and memories
Forest Preserve Experience crew members cut buckthorn. By Madelyn Wilson and Rachel Urich, Forest Preserve Foundation interns It’s late July, a mild and sunny morning. A crew of teenagers is cutting and piling buckthorn near the entrance of Possum Hollow Woods. They are part of the Forest Preserve Experience, a five-week summer internship program. The […]
Into the woods: Forest bathing in the Cook County Preserves
By Rachel Urich Forest therapy, also called forest bathing, is the ancient meditation technique of slowing down, calming your mind, and “bathing” in the forest and the energy that surrounds you. The Forest Preserves of Cook County is a perfect place to practice forest bathing techniques. Recently I tried them out myself as part of […]
A walk in Thatcher Woods forest from an ecologist’s perspective
Craig Billington, Forest Preserves ecologist Foundation board members and staff with Billington By Madelyn Wilson and Rachel Urich, Forest Preserve Foundation interns Craig Billington, an ecologist for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, took Foundation board members and staff on a guided tour through Thatcher Woods on recent Friday afternoon. As we headed out into […]
Foundation panel discussion showcases impact of the Forest Preserves
Experiences in the Forest Preserves of Cook County inspire people in very personal ways. After working last summer in the Preserves as a Student Conservation Association (SCA)/Conservation Corps intern, Nylah Ali sees herself becoming a plant biologist one day. Leslie Fenton, who grew up “almost right on top of Bemis Woods,” supports the Preserves by serving […]
Billy Casper VP Bill Rehanek works to ensure Conservation Cup success
Bill Rehanek, senior vice president, operations, Billy Casper Golf Since the beginning of the Conservation Cup golf outing and fundraiser, Bill Rehanek has been there to make sure everything runs smoothly. The PGA professional is the senior vice president, operations for Billy Casper Golf, which manages the George W. Dunne National Golf course, where the […]
‘Nature is for everyone,’ says Arnold Randall, Forest Preserves general superintendent
Dyrell Williams and Brian Clay with Foundation President Shelley A. Davis. Foundation board member Eleanor Grumman hosted a gathering at her North Shore home recently to showcase the Forest Preserves’ impact on the Chicago region — and how experiences in the Preserves can change the lives of young people like Dyrell Williams and Brian Clay. The 30 or so guests heard […]