Celebrating 100 Years, Securing the Future
One hundred years ago, civic leaders had the foresight to leave us an extraordinary legacy – the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the first forest preserve district in the United States. The Forest Preserves’ unique habitats make it an ecological treasure. Today, as we face the challenges of urban sprawl and climate change, we need healthy habitats – wetlands, woodlands, and prairies – more than ever, but these precious resources are in dire need of restoration. The Next Century Conservation Plan for the Forest Preserves of Cook County is an ambitious blueprint for the future. The plan lays out a set of bold actions to make Cook County a national leader in urban conservation. The plan calls for massive restoration and expansion of protected lands, as well as a commitment to making the preserves more accessible to the diverse people of Cook County.
The Plan
This ambitious plan lays out a set of bold actions to make Cook County a national leader in urban conservation. It highlights the preserves as one of the region’s greatest assets for the environment, the economy, and quality of life, but suggests that its fragile native ecosystems are at risk. The plan calls for the County to make a massive commitment to restoration, expand protected lands by at least 30%, and to make the preserves more accessible to the diverse people of Cook County.
Implementation
Upon completion of the plan, President Preckwinkle appointed the inaugural members of the Forest Preserves’ Conservation and Policy Council to guide its implementation and ensure the Forest Preserves remain true to our conservation mission. Each year the council will present to the President and the board an updated five year implementation strategy; this report represents the first submittal. The council will also review the Forest Preserves’ annual budget request and ensure it is aligned with the implementation strategy presented in this report.
Meet the Conservation and Policy Council
Created in 2014, the Conservation and Policy Council advises on specific steps to implement the Next Century Conservation Plan’s vision of a vibrant, ecologically healthy and welcoming forest preserves system.
Alan M. Bell
Partner, Charity & Associates, P.C.
Michael DeSantiago
Former President, Primera Engineers
Terry Guen
President, Terry Guen Design Associates
Emily Harris
Executive Director, ADA 25 Advancing Leadership
Sylvia M. Jenkins, Ph.D.
President, Moraine Valley Community College
Stanley Moore (Ex-officio member)
4th District Commissioner, Cook County Board and Forest Preserves of Cook County Board
Wendy Paulson
President, Bobolink Foundation
Maria Pesqueira
President, Health Communities Foundation
Laurel Ross
Former Director of Urban Conservation, Field Museum
Shelley Spencer
Executive Producer, Media Consultant
Mark N. Templeton
Director, Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago
Meet the Plan’s Leaders
Jane Balaban
Co-chair Ecological Management Workgroup, North Branch Restoration Project
Nature Committee Co-Chair
JANE’S BIO
Rebeccah Sanders
Vice President and Executive Director of Audubon Chicago Region
People Committee Co-chair
REBECCAH’S BIO
Richard G. Gamble
Senior Vice President of Operations, Chicago Zoological Society-Brookfield Zoo
Economics Committee Co-chair
RICHARD’S BIO
Bob Megquier
Executive Vice President of Programs, Openlands
Leadership Committee Co-chair
BOB’S BIO
John McCabe
Director of Resource Management, Forest Preserves of Cook County
Nature Committee Co-chair
JOHN’S BIO
Cynthia Moreno
Director of Conservation and Experiential Programming, Forest Preserves of Cook County
People Committee Co-chair
CYNTHIA’S BIO
Christopher Adas
Real Estate Agent, Forest Preserves of Cook County
Economics Committee Co-chair
CHRISTOPHER’S BIO