Sales for 2015 picnic and other permits are now open.

You can register online or buy them at our General Headquarters, 536 N. Harlem Ave., River Forest, IL. Find the perfect grove for your picnic today!

Learn more here...

Get off the couch and into the wilderness! 

Join fellow photographers of all skill levels on a tour guided by one of our naturalists. Take your best shot at capturing some of the preserves' most scenic vistas! All cameras are suitable, from SLRs to smartphones. Our monthly Photo Meet-Ups offer something for everyone.

The next Meet-Up is on Saturday, January 24, at Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills.  

Free and open to all ages. For details and the year's full lineup, click here or call 847-381-6592.

Get your 2015 Forest Preserves Wall Calendar now at our six nature centers and downtown Chicago in the lobbies of the Cook County Administration Building, the Daley Center and the George Dunne Office Building.

They'll also be available at county courthouses, accompanying our touring poster exhibit:

• Jan 5 - Jan 16:  Rolling Meadows & Maywood
• Jan 19 - Jan 30:  Markham

The calendar is free, but supplies are limited.

Join this great gathering of inspiring people who live and breathe Chicago nature. All are welcome!

Early bird registration goes through January 5. Online registration ends January 19.

Readers of the Forest Way may have noticed the colorful images of nature gracing the sidebar of this e-newsletter since last January. Ranging from bird close-ups to landscapes, they are the fruits of FPD 365, amateur photographer Kris DaPra's bid to take a photo of the Forest Preserves of Cook County every day in 2014.

As Kris neared the final days of the project, we asked her about all the places FPD 365 took her in 2014.

On December 11, the Chicago Wilderness alliance recognized the work of the 

Forest Preserves of Cook County and its conservation partners by giving Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve, in Elgin, its Excellence in Ecological Restoration Platinum accreditation, the highest achievement recognized by the alliance.

The program recognizes large, high-quality natural areas and the organizations that manage them. Known for its rare, namesake wetland, the 165-acre Bluff Spring Fen preserve holds a diverse community of native plants and wildlife, including 12 species listed as threatened or endangered in Illinois. The Forest Preserves recently conducted a large project to recontour land surrounding the fen, part of an effort to preserve the site's natural water flow and further restore the site. The award also recognized decades of invaluable volunteer stewardship by Friends of the Bluff Spring Fen and oversight by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.

The alliance also gave its Conservation and Native Landscaping Award to Bartel Grassland in Matteson, the Thatcher Woods Complex in River Forest and Somme Nature Preserve in Northbrook. That award recognizes projects that demonstrate exemplary use of native landscaping or conservation design.

According to the alliance, "The accreditations and awards showcase our region's best examples of places that benefit both wildlife and people."

Learn more at chicagowilderness.org.

Major push to expand meadow openings will continue through winter

The restoration will result in larger meadows, much like this one at Cherry Hill Woods in the Palos Preserves.

In December, the Forest Preserves started a new phase of work to restore 259 acres near northwest suburban Wheeling.

Contractors are removing a large number of trees from the Portwine, Dam #1 Woods and Willow-Sanders properties, which stretch from Willow Road in the south to Lake-Cook Road in the north. 

The major restoration push will continue through the winter, and aims to restore habitat for plants and animals native to our prairies and woodlands. Removing trees will increase the amount of sunlight that reaches the ground, encouraging the growth of grasses, sedges and wildflowers. These will provide food and shelter to a greater diversity of wildlife, as well as reducing soil erosion.

The three-year project began last winter with smaller-scale, targeted brush clearing in more sensitive areas. This next phase will be more dramatic.

Read our press release to learn more...