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Advocate
We work hard to advocate for good policy
decisions at the Forest Preserve Board and to get the right resources
to preserves that need them, but we need your help.
 Advocate
for your local preserve. Share your concerns by emailing alice
at fotfp.org and we'll see if we can help. Often we know exactly
who to talk to at the District to get something done.
Check out our letters or articles on the current
issues -- like land grabs and encroachments. Write in to your local
newspaper. Friends can "coach” your efforts and may be
able to publicize good responses in our newsletter. Inform your
Commissioner
of your views and tell them how you think they should vote on the
issue.
Feel free to send us a copy of your emails or letters
(or notes from telephone calls) to local Maintenance Superintendents,
Forest Preserve Commissioners, or Forest Preserve Police. Also send
us copies of their responses. This way, we can acknowledge the District
staff and encourage their responsiveness and efforts.
Current news and issues
$13.3 million
raid
Forest Preserve Commissioners voted to transfer
$13.3 million from the Forest Preserve Distrct to the County government
to lessen their $500 million deficit.
Read
the entire article
Where we stand
Friends of the Forest Preserves is outraged, but not discouraged
by the Commissioners vote for the $13.3 million raid. Although documents
state the initial transfer from Cook County to the Forest Preserve
District was a “permanent transfer,” many Commissioners
dismissed this information, considering the transfer a loan. We
believe that if the Commissioners were wearing their Forest Preserve
District hats instead of their County hats, this transfer would
not have taken place. However, this confirms Friends' position that
there must be separate boards for the County and the Forest Preserve
District. We have formed a coalition of conservation organizations
and non-partisan government groups that are working on a strategy
on how to separate the boards. The potential for conflicts of interest
between the County and Forest Preserve District governments is simply
too great.
Tollway land grab
The Illinois Highway Authority is looking
to convert 16 acres of forest preserve land into bioswales to catch
runoff after the highway (I-294) is expanded. Read
the entire article
Where we stand
We have met with other environmental organizations in the
area to discuss the tollway expansion and its affect on the 16 acres
of Forest Preserves that it borders. The Illinois Toll Highway Authority
proposes to create bioswales to lessen the damaging effects of salt
and heavy metal-laden runoff on the surrounding Forest Preserves.
However, the Tollway Authority has neither provided a detailed plan,
nor a backup plan should the bioswales prove ineffective. Moreover,
there is little quantitative performance data for bioswales on a
project such as this.
We recommend implementing a better-studied method
of runoff control that will result in less habitat loss. A common
solution is to pipe the runoff to another location, such as a river
or detention pond, where it would have less of an overall environmental
effect. Treating the runoff before it's discharged into the body
of water would improve this option.
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Explore
 Membership
Events & Tours for 2007
Please join us for a guided tour or event. Registration
is required! For more information, directions, and to RSVP, please
contact Kathryn Callaghan, Constituency Director at (312) 356-9990
or kathrync@fotfp.org by
5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the program. Tours are $5 for members
and $10 for non-members.
Earth Day in Calumet
Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to noon
Celebrate Earth Day and learn about stewardship and volunteer opportunities
at Powderhorn Prairie on Chicago’s southeast side. The program
includes a stewardship demo, a bird walk with The Field Museum Ornithologist
Doug Stotz and a dutch oven cookout.
Bunker Hill Wildflower Walk
Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to noon
Join us as we walk the woodland portion of this preserve on Chicago’s
northwest side in search of spring ephemeral wildflowers. Come and
see the beautiful display before it disappears until next year.
Depending on weather conditions, we may see spring beauties, trillium,
toothwort or trout lilies.
Summer Solstice Member Picnic in Palos
Saturday, June 21
Celebrate the longest day of the year with fellow members at Cap
Sauer’s Holding near Palos Park. Bring your family for food,
fun, and nature walks and participate in hands-on restoration work
with the stewards who care for the site.
Intro to Forest Preserves at Deer Grove
Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. to noon
Deer Grove forest preserve in Palatine contains wonderful examples
of native plant and animal communities in its marshes, woodlands
and savannas. Join us to learn about forest preserve history, challenges
and restoration at the County’s very first forest preserve.
Busse Woods Walk
Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to noon
Visit Cook County’s only National Natural Landmark. Located
in the 3,700 acre Ned Brown Preserve in northwestern Cook County,
Busse Forest features a mixture of flatwoods and upland forest ecosystems.
Learn about the forces that shaped this unique environment and its
fascinating human history.
Watch for more listings to come later in the year.
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Volunteer
Join us for a clean up, an ecological management outing,
or a become a volunteer steward in a forest preserve near you!
Forest preserve volunteer opportunities include GIS
mapping, assisting with school field trips, staffing a nature center
and actively managing land. Habitat restoration consists of invasive
species removal, trash collection, prescribed burns, or gathering
seeds from a prairie or forest to restore the natural health of
the ecosystem. It’s a chance to get outside, meet new people
and enhance our local ecosystems.
Friends helps lead ecological management
workdays at:
Beaubien Woods ("Beaubien Woods" exit
69 off of Bishop Ford/I-94) on the first Saturday of each month
from 9am-12pm
Dan Ryan Woods (87th and Western in Chicago) on
the second Saturday of each month from 9am-12pm
Powderhorn Woods (on Brainard, just south
of Burnham on Chicago’s southeast side) on the third Saturday
of each month from 9am-12pm.
Friends is also working to expand stewardship in the Calumet Region
at Zander Woods, Jurgenson Woods, Calumet City Prairie, Greenlake
Savanna, and other sites. Please contact
us if you are interested in finding out more about how to get
involved.
Restoration "workdays" take place throughout
the county every weekend. Take a look at the Forest
Preserve District of Cook County volunteer website (co-sponsored
by Friends) to explore local groups and workdays closest to you,
and get involved today.
Monitoring
Become a volunteer bird, frog, butterfly or dragonfly monitor
for your area. Please go to the Chicago
Wilderness Habitat Project or Illinois
Butterfly Monitoring Network homepage for more information.
If you are interested in monitoring rare plant species, check out
Chicago
Wilderness Plants of Concern.
 Clean
up
One of the biggest threats to our Forest Preserves is trash. It's
hard to believe that people still throw their junk on the ground,
isn't it?! If you’d like help organizing a clean up for your
community, corporate, or church group, please contact Friends Conservation
Director Alice Brandon at 312-356-9990 or e-mail her at alice
at fotfp.org
Trails
Many groups work hard to help maintain and expand trails for walking,
jogging, biking, hiking, and horseback riding. To help, please contact
Chicago Area
Mountain Bikers (www.cambr.org),
Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation (www.chibikefed.org),
or the FPDCC
Volunteer Resources Team at (773) 631-1790.
 Mighty
Acorns
The Mighty Acorns® program introduces 4th through 6th graders
to nature and conservation stewardship in the Chicagoland area through
activities based on education, restoration, and exploration. To
help lead nature education field trips and for participating schools
go to www.mightyacorns.org.
Contact Cheryl McGarry at camcgarry@cookcountygov.com
or call (773) 631-1790.
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