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 secure the funds needed to put the preserves on solid financial ground…
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 secure the funds needed to put the preserves on solid financial ground…
The uncertainties of 2020 pushed our outing to the virtual space this year, but we all know it’s the shenanigans and camaraderie on the course that make this event so fun. So, please enjoy a round of golf with your favorite people at your convenience and support a great cause at the same time! By registering for the Friends Virtual Golf Outing, you’re part of a community of people united to protect, promote, and care for the forest preserves in Cook County.
You’ll receive a $5 discount off your round of golf at the Forest Preserves’ premier golf course, George W. Dunne National Golf Course, or golf at a course of your choice anytime until Saturday, October 31 (or just pretend you did, it’s all good). We’ll mail you a sleeve of the highly-coveted Friends logo golf balls. If you do actually get out to play, please send us a photo to let us know you’re having fun!
Registration includes:
One sleeve of golf balls and a $5 discount for a round of golf at George Dunne National.
Location:
George W. Dunne National Golf Course
16310 Central Ave., Oak Forest, Illinois 60452
(Or pretend you’re at Augusta or Pebble.)
Dates:
Golf at your convenience, now through Saturday, October 31, 2020.
(Or not, you do you… this thing is virtual! But the $5 discount expires 10/31/20.)
Cost:
The cost this year varies, so we’re asking you to donate what makes sense to you. This has been a crazy year for everyone, but we’ve been working hard to continue improving the preserves that we all love and to keep the people that do it – many from disadvantaged communities – employed during this year’s insanity.
All sponsors will be recognized, including logo placement, on our website and across social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
Drink Cart Sponsor – $1,250
Closest to Pin Sponsor – $1,000 – Sponsored!
Long Drive Sponsor – $1,000 – Sponsored!
Dinner Sponsor – $600
Hole Sponsor – $500
Golf Ball Sponsor – $350 – Sponsored!
Lunch Sponsor – $250
Please donate here or contact Benjamin Cox at benjamin@fotfp.org about becoming a sponsor.
Cook County Board Commissioner John P. Daley
Friends Board Member Ronald Milnarik
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“Beer in the Woods” as we know it will not be possible this year, however Friends is committed to nurturing our BITW community and supporting the businesses who have been so generous over the years. While this will not be an in-person event at LaBagh Woods, we invite you to join us for “Beer in the Woods: Backyard Edition” on Saturday, September 26.
The event will now take place all over Cook County, in backyards, on balconies, at kitchen tables – anywhere that inspires you! In exchange for your purchase of a ticket, Friends will mail you a care package, including the coveted double-walled stainless steel logoe’d mug with carabiner (yes, everyone gets one this year!) and special gifts. You’ll buy the beer, cider, or beverage of choice from our list of participating businesses. Then we invite you to share your photos, videos, and stories on social media. Tell us what you’re drinking, where you’re drinking it, and how you’ve been enjoying (or plan to enjoy) the forest preserves this year.
Follow us on Facebook.
Ticket sales have ended (in order to provide enough time for care packages to arrive in the mail). But there are still ways to participate and support the Friends community!
Participating businesses:
Thank you to our sponsors:
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12 – 2 p.m.
Get outside and walk with us!
Starting at Penny Road Pond in Spring Creek Forest Preserve, Friends of the Forest Preserve staff and local land managers will lead our group through one of Cook County’s most unique grassland preserves. The walk will include information about native plants and wildlife, local hiking opportunities, a brief stop to collect wildflower seeds, and all the beauty of an Illinois prairie!
This walk is approximately 2.5 miles. While not a very difficult trip, it will involve a hill and mowed grass trails. Please be prepared with sturdy footwear, long pants, and water bottles. For more information, please contact Peter Whitney at peter@fotfp.org.
This walk is free, but please register. This walk is being offered in partnership with REI Co-op, and we’re thankful for their support.
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Get outside and walk with us!
Starting at Teason’s Woods, just southwest of Chicago, Friends Executive Director Benjamin Cox will lead the way along a stream and through woodlands and meadows in the Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve.
This walk is approximately 3 miles. While not a very difficult trip, it will involve hills (yes, there’s terrain here!) and some dirt trails. So please be prepared with sturdy footwear, long pants, and water bottles. The walk is FREE, but you must register. For more information, please contact Benjamin Cox at benjamin@fotfp.org or 312-356-9990.
This walk is being offered in partnership with REI Co-op, and we’re thankful for their support.
Like a rare native plant struggling to survive, the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission needs help if it is to thrive and do its job.
Ecological restoration has deep roots in the Midwest, where extraordinary community efforts have revived prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands.
Event recap: Attendees of the Heron and Wildlife Walk at Watersmeet Woods were treated to close-up views of nesting Great Blue Herons and their chicks, prairie vistas, crayfish burrows, a Red-Tailed Hawk, and nesting Northern Flickers feeding their chicks.
Time: Meet at 10:00 a.m. rain or shine!
Price: FREE!
Duration: 2 – 3 hours (depending on distance)
Distance: Your choice of 1 mile or 3 miles
All ages welcome!
Join us on a guided tour of the hidden gem that is Watersmeet Woods. This 160 acre complex of wet prairie, savanna, and floodplain has been a regular nesting site for various birds-of-prey, woodcocks, and turtles. In recent years, this has also been the site of a great blue heron rookery, and we hope to catch a glimpse of the chicks before they leave the nest. Along the way, we’ll highlight turtle habitat restoration and other stewardship efforts of volunteers with the North Branch Restoration Project, who have managed this site since the 1990’s. Discover the suite of unusual plant communities that support the abundance of wildlife found at Watersmeet Woods.
The first leg of the hike (approximately .5 mile) will be on a paved trail. Participants may choose to turn back at this point, or continue on the rest of the hike on unimproved paths. Binoculars will be available for use during the walk. We will provide refills for water, but please bring a reusable water bottle to carry on the hike. Dress for the weather and potentially muddy conditions, and bring your own sunscreen and bug spray as needed.
Participants may park in the New Trier High School Northfield parking lot on the west side of Happ Rd, north of Illinois Rd and south of Winnetka Rd. We will meet at the northwest corner of the parking lot. Look for yellow “volunteer” signs.
Registration for this event is encouraged but not required. Please register HERE.
For more information contact derek@fotfp.org.
*Photo credit to Lisa Culp Musgrave
Beer in the Woods is back for a third year! Please join us on Saturday, September 28 to drink outstanding craft beer and cider at the best venue in town – LaBagh Woods on the northwest side of Chicago! Enjoy interactive live animal presentations, nature-themed crafts, picnic games, a flash bioblitz, an “Ultimate Camp Site” display, bird walks, home brewing demonstrations, food trucks, and a DJ!
All of the proceeds from this event will support the Friends’ mission: We unite people to protect, promote, and care for the forest preserves in Cook County.
Participating Breweries/Cideries/Fermentation Specialists (subject to change):
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Participating Food Trucks:
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Entertainment by:
DJ CatieO
Frog Lady Presentations
Gnome Brew
Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education
REI Co-op
Uncle Dan’s Outfitters
Thank you to our generous sponsors:
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