Do More For Public Lands

IF YOU ENJOY VISITING THE PUBLIC LANDS IN THE CHICAGO AREA, PERHAPS YOU WILL CONSIDER DOING MORE FOR THEM.

Volunteering

Our public lands are always in need of volunteers. There is a wide array of volunteer activities available so anyone is likely to find something to do. Activities include animal care (the Danada Equestrian Center in the Danada Forest Preserve in Wheaton, Illinois even has a volunteer program for caring for and feeding horses), assisting at special events, campground supervision, ecological restoration, education, enforcement of rules and regulations, litter cleanup, nature ambassadorships on social media and staffing nature and visitor centers. Listed below are various public lands and the web addresses for volunteering at them.

Public Land VolunteeringWeb Address
  
Cook County Forest Preserve Districtwww.fpdcc.com/volunteer/
DuPage County Forest Preserve Districtwww.dupageforest.org/get-involved/volunteer
Kane County Forest Preserve Districtwww.kaneforest.com/volunteer
Lake County Forest Preserve Districtwww.lcfpd.org/who-we-are/volunteer
McHenry County Forest Preserve Districtwww.mccdistrict.org/about_us/work_with_us/volunteer/index.php
Will County Forest Preserve Districtwww.reconnectwithnatrure.org/get-involved/volunteer
Illinois State Parkswww2.illinois.gov/dnr/outreach/Volunteer/Pages/default.aspx
Indiana Dunes National Parkwww.nps.gov/indu/get_involved/volunteer.htm
Chicago Park Districtwww.chicagoparkdistrict.com/get-involved/volunteer
The 606 Trailwww.bloomingdaletrail.org/volunteer
Green Bay Trailwww.gbtrail.org/volunteer
Cal-Sag Trailwww.calsagtrail.org/about-us
Chicago Botanic Garden (new volunteerships suspended due to Covid)www.chicagobotanic.org/volunteer
Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Gardenswww.lakekatherine.org/191/Be-a-Volunteer
Midewin Tallgrass National Prairiewww.fs.usda.gov/main/midewin/workingtogether/volunteering
Pullman National Monument (in process)www.nps.gov/pull/getinvolved/index.htm
The Grovewww.glenviewparks.org/facilities/the-grove/

Donations

If you don’t have time to volunteer at a public land, and even if you do, perhaps you will consider making a donation to help maintain or expand our public lands. All levels of government are stretched for funds so contributions are always welcome. Listed below are various public lands and the web addresses with information on making donations to them.

Public LandDonations Web Address
  
Cook County Forest Preserve Districtfotfp.org/about-the-preserves
DuPage County Forest Preserve Districtwww.dupageforest.org/friends
Kane County Forest Preserve Districtwww.kaneforestpreservefoundation.org
Lake County Forest Preserve Districtwww.lcfpd.org/preservation-foundation/donate-now
McHenry County Forest Preserve Districtwww.mccdistrict.org/join_support/donate/index.php
Will County Forest Preserve Districtwww.reconnectwithnature.org/Get-Involved/Donate
Chicago Park Districtwww.chicagoparkdistrict.com/donate
Illinois State Parkswww2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Pages/default.aspx
Indiana Dunes National Parkwww.nps.gov/indu/getinvolved/supportyourpark/index.htm
Chicago Botanic Garden (new volunteerships suspended due to Covid)www.chicagobotanic.org/annual_fund_donation

Engagement with Public Officials and
Candidates For Public Office

Contact your elected representatives at all levels of government – municipal, county, state, federal – to make known your interest in safeguarding our public lands. Support those candidates for public office who are committed to safeguarding our public lands. And don’t be shy to ask questions so that you can better understand their positions.

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