NPLD in Your Town: Chicago

Volunteers living in the Chicago area had no trouble finding service opportunities on National Public Lands Day 2011.  City, county, park districts and local parks are hosted numerous events across the region so that every person found a volunteer project that met their needs. In Chicago, more than 20 sites hosted NPLD events.

For those living near downtown, there were five sites:

• Skinner and Loomis St. Gardens
• North Pond Sanctuary 
• Gompers Park 
• Washington Park 
• Dunning Read Conservation Area

Anyone living outside of the city were able to volunteer one of of these sites:

• Barrens Access/ Hickory Creek Preserve – New Lenox, IL
• Churchill Park – Glen Ellyn, IL
• Danada Parson's Grove – Wheaton, IL
• Springbrook Prairie – Naperville, IL 
• Willow Springs Woods – Willow Springs, IL
• The Grove National Historic Landmark – Glenview, IL
• Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve – Westchester, IL
• Easton Park – West Chicago, IL
• Spring Valley Nature Center –Schaumburg, IL
• Deer Grove – Palatine, IL
• Hickory Knolls – St. Charles, IL
• North Park –Lincolnshire, IL
• Whistler Woods – Riverdale, IL
• Middlefork Savanna – Lake Forest, IL
• Rollins Savanna – Grayslake, IL
• Taltree Arboretum & Gardens – Valparaiso, IN
• The Nature Conservancy Lulu Lake Preserve – East Troy, WI

Fifteen of the sites listed above are part of the Chicago Wilderness Corporate Council Day of Service.  The Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance that connects people and nature. They have more than 250 organizations that work together to restore local nature and improve the quality of life for all who live in Chicago, by protecting the lands and waters on which we all depend.

The Chicago Wilderness Corporate Council is an integral member of the Chicago Wilderness alliance, devoted to maintaining and enhancing the biodiversity of the Chicago region.  They are led the September 24 Day of Service, an annual volunteer event, designed to encourage community participation in the protection and restoration of local nature.

Through the Day of Service, the Chicago Wilderness Corporate Council encouraged its employees and their families to join volunteers, school groups, Scouts and community groups in celebration of National Public Lands Day to preserve our natural heritage and restore the health of local nature for our families and future generations.

This article is part of series focused on National Public Lands Day in cities and towns across the country. Many of these cities are supporting the efforts of Let's Move and Let's Move Outside. If you would like your city featured in an article, email npld@neefusa.org.