We unite people to protect, promote, and care for the forest preserves in Cook County. Through advocacy, ecological restoration, and Conservation Corps, we promote responsible management of the nearly 70,000 acres of forest preserve land – right outside your urban backdoor for all of us to enjoy. Some of the best natural areas in Illinois are right here in Cook County. Political Advocacy Friends provides oversight by attending all Forest Preserve District board meetings, making policy and budget recommendations, and fending off land grabs. We also believe that in order for the Forest Preserve District to properly function, it needs an independent board of forest preserve commissioners. Restoration For many years, the forest preserves weren't getting the attention they deserve – invasive brush turned thousands of acres into impassible thorn thickets, preserve land was sold, and trash littered the landscape. Through government and foundation funding, we hire contractors for large-scale, on-the-ground restoration projects such as removing invasive species, restoring hydrology, and conducting controlled burns. We also coordinate volunteer workdays year-round to maintain the progress we've made and move forward in restoring native species. Conservation Corps Our conservation corps programs are among the most important work we do. We recruit high school students and young adults, often from low-income neighborhoods on the south and west sides of Chicago, to not only learn about conservation, but also gain vital leadership and teamwork skills that can be used outside of the forest preserves. Friends corps members plant seeds and remove the invasive species that are the cancer of our ecosystems. They are paid for their restoration work while learning about careers and higher education in related fields.