Friends of the Forest Preserves

Conservation corps: Friends directly works to increase equitable access and engagement within the Forest Preserves and broaden community involvement in habitat restoration through its award-winning conservation corps workforce development program. the conservation corps program breaks down barriers to accessing technical training and employment in the environmental sector and since 2007 has employed, trained, and mentored more than 2,350 adults and youth. Since 2020 alone, youth and adult crews have helped restore 1,790 acres.

Summer programs: every summer, Friends facilitates two summer internship programs: Forest preserve experience (fpe) and beaubien woods youth ambassadors (byoa). Beginning in 2016, the fpe youth conservation corps program has engaged approximately 70-150 teens per year, offering teens paid summer positions to improve the health of the Preserves through conservation projects. the byoa program, which is specific to beaubien woods, employed 9 high school-age students to engage in several activities while gaining exposure to the Forest Preserves and jobs in conservation.

Engagement: Friends engages people directly in nature programming through its engagement programs, which includes hosting free, public events for residents local to a Forest preserve, such as morning yoga or bird walks. These events are informed by the results of outreach Friends conducts in surrounding neighborhoods, and are often developed in collaboration with community leaders, who are paid a stipend to support event planning and network building. In the past two years alone, Friends has hosted more than 200 public engagement events and more than 2,500 participants in positive experiences in the Preserves. Through this community engagement work and other programming, the Friends program team made up of staff and volunteers has developed expertise in community organizing, education, conservation, ecology, community building, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Restoration programs