The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
,
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
,
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
,
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
s, and
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s, that are mostly set aside as natural areas. Cook County contains
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, and is the center of the most densely populated urban
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
in
the Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
. The Forest Preserve lands encompass approximately , about 11% of the county, providing open space within its urban surroundings. It contains facilities for recreation, as well as a zoo and a botanic garden.
Background
Most often being left more in their natural state, the Forest Preserves have a different purpose from
urban park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
s; also they generally do not contain organized recreational facilities such as
tennis court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...
s or
softball diamond
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
s. They do contain
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
,
bicycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bike ...
, and
riding trails, as well as facilities for nature and group activities, and they are heavily used for
picnic
A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...
king. They are administered by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, a special taxation district that crosses municipal boundaries. The districts headquarters is located in
River Forest near Harlem Avenue and
Lake Street.
While the Forest Preserve District as a unit of government and municipal corporation is legally separate from Cook County, the latter's board of commissioners, the county board's president, commissioners and clerk hold the same offices ''ex officio'' concurrently, making up the Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners.
In 1905, at the instigation of the
Cook County Board of Commissioners
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...
and private nature groups partly guided by prominent landscape architect
Jens Jensen Jens Jensen may refer to:
* Jens Jensen (footballer) (1890–1957), Danish football (soccer) player who played one game for the Denmark national football team
* Jens Jensen (landscape architect) (1860–1951), Danish-born landscape architect in Chi ...
, Illinois adopted a forest preserve act. However, defects in the law caused it to be declared inoperable.
[ The Forest Preserve District Association was formed in 1911 and a new state law was adopted; however, the courts declared the 1911 law unconstitutional. Finally in 1913, the State adopted a Forest Preserve Act that survived legal challenge. The 1913 law allowed a county board:
A Cook County referendum required by the 1913 law was passed by voters in 1914, establishing the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, and the first Board meeting was held in February 1915.]
Operations
In addition to owning and managing tens of thousands of acres of forest, meadow, and wetlands, both the Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. It houses around 450 species of animals in an area of . It opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recogn ...
(managed by agreement with the Chicago Zoological Society) and the Chicago Botanic Gardens (managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society) are located on district land. The Forest Preserve District also maintains eleven public golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
s. There are six nature centers used for programming and education, five campgrounds, and three swimming centers. In 2016, a tree-top zipline
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bott ...
course was opened in west Cook County's Bemis Woods.
National sites
The Ned Brown Forest Preserve
The Ned Brown Forest Preserve, popularly known as Busse Woods, adjoining Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg in Illinois, is a unit of the Cook County Forest Preserve system. It is named after Edward "Ned" Eagle Brown. A section of the northeas ...
contains ''Busse Woods'', a National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...
. The District also administers the Chicago Portage National Historic Site. In addition, the District's Red Gate Woods
Red Gate Woods is a forest preserve section within the Palos Forest Preserve, a division of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois. It is located near where the Cal-Sag Channel meets the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. In the wo ...
was the war-time home of the Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
's first nuclear facility.
Conservation
Biologists with the district monitor the health of area wild life, lands, and water. This includes monitoring such populations as the number of fish in area rivers, and the return in the 21st century after a century of absence of such apex predators as the river otter. Twenty-two sections of district land, which contain high quality conservation resources, have been designated as Illinois Nature Preserves allowing greater management and protection.
The International Dark-Sky Association
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a United States-based non-profit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Tim Hunter, a physician/amateur astronomer. The mission of the IDA is " ...
(IDA) conservation program designated the Forest District's Palos Preserves an Urban Night Sky Place. After review, the IDA determined that within the context of its substantial urban setting, the preserve's "planning and design actively promote an authentic nighttime experience in the midst of significant artificial light."
Trail systems
There are thirteen trail systems within the preserve district, they are the:
*Arie Crown Forest trail system
*Burnham Greenway trail system
*Busse Woods bicycle trail
*Centennial and I&M Canal trail system
*Deer Grove trail system
* Des Plaines River Trail system
*North Branch Trail
The North Branch Trail is a Class I bicycle trail located in northeastern Cook County, Illinois. The trail starts at the western part of Gompers Park in Chicago (), and from there it continues north approximately to Glencoe (). The trail follows ...
system
* Palos Trail system
*Poplar Creek trail system
*Sag Valley trail system
*Salt Creek trail system
*Thorn Creek trail system
*Tinley Creek trail system
Facilities by region
Region 1: Northwest Cook County
Poplar Creek Division
Includes: Spring Lake Preserve, Crabtree Preserve, Arthur L. Janura Preserve
Activity Areas
Barrington Road Pond
Beverly Lake
Bluff Springs Fen
Bode East
Bode Lake
Crabtree Nature Center
Great Egret Family Picnic Area
Old Stover Trailhead
Penny Road Pond
Poplar Creek Bicycle Lot
Poplar Creek Equestrian Parking
Poplar Creek Model Airplane Flying Field
Shoe Factory Road Woods
Spring Creek Valley Headwaters
Spring Lake Nature Preserve
Trail Systems
Crabtree Preserve (Paved)
Poplar Creek (Paved)
Poplar Creek (Unpaved)
Spring Lake (Unpaved)
Region 2: Northwest Cook County
Northwest Division
Includes: Deer Grove Preserve, Jens Jensen Preserve, Paul Douglas Preserve, Ned Brown Preserve
Activity Areas
Baker's Lake Overlook
Baker's Lake Younghusband Prairie
Busse Forest-Central
Busse Forest-North
Busse Forest-South
Busse Forest-West
Busse Forest Elk Pasture
Busse Forest Main Dam
Busse Lake Beisner Road Access
Busse Lake Boating Center
Camp Alphonse
Camp Reinberg
Deer Grove
Deer Grove-East
Deer Grove-West
Deer Grove Lake
Grassy Ridge Meadow
Highland Woods Driving Range
Highland Woods Golf Course
Ned Brown Meadow
Woodland Meadow
Trail Systems
Busse Forest (Paved)
Deer Grove (Paved)
Deer Grove (Unpaved)
Paul Douglas (Paved)
Region 3: North Cook County
Indian Boundary Division, Des Plaines Division
Includes: Seymour Simon Preserve
Activity Areas
Allison Woods
Axehead Lake
Beck Lake
Belleau Lake
Big Bend Lake
Blandings Grove Family Picnic Area
Blue Beach Family Picnic Area
Camp Baden Powell
Camp Dan Beard
Camp Ground Road Woods
Camp Pine Woods
Catherine Chevalier Woods
Che-Che-Pin-Qua Woods
Chippewa Woods
Dam No. 1 Woods-East
Dam No. 1 Woods-West
Dam No. 2 Woods
Dam No. 4 Woods-East
Evans Field
Fullerton Woods
Fullerton Woods Family Picnic Area
Harry H. Semrow Driving Range
Indian Boundary Family Picnic Area
Indian Boundary Golf Course
Iroquois Woods
Irving Park Road Canoe Landing
Jerome Huppert Woods
John E. Traeger Family Picnic Area
Kloempken Prairie
Lake Avenue Woods-East
Lake Avenue Woods-West
Lions Woods
Massasauga Family Picnic Area
Northwestern Woods
Potawatomi Lake
Potawatomi Woods
River Bend Family Picnic Area
River Trail Nature Center
Robinson Homestead Family Picnic Area
Robinson Woods-South
Schiller Model Airplane Flying Field
Schiller Playfield
Schiller Pond
Schiller Woods-East
Schiller Woods-South
Schiller Woods-West
Sunset Bridge Meadow
Trail System
Des Plaines (Unpaved)
Region 4: North Cook County
North Branch Division, Skokie Division
Includes: William N. Erickson Preserves, George F. Nixon Forest, Frank Bobrytzke Forest, Clayton F. Smith Preserves, Roman Pucinski Preserve
Activity Areas
Billy Caldwell Golf Course
Blue Star Memorial Woods
Bunker Hill
Caldwell Woods
Calvin R. Sutker Grove
Camp Adahi
Camp Glenview
Chick Evans Golf Course
Chipilly Woods
Edgebrook Golf Course
Edgebrook Woods
Erickson Woods
Forest Glen Woods
Forest Way Grove
Glen Grove Equestrian Center
Glenview Woods
Harms Woods-Central
Harms Woods-North
Harms Woods-South
Irene C. Hernandez Family Picnic Area
LaBagh Woods
Linne Woods
Little House of Glencoe
Mary Mix McDonald Woods
Mathew Bieszczat–Volunteer Resource Center
Miami Woods
Perkins Woods
St. Paul Woods
Sidney Yates Flatwoods
Skokie Lagoons
Somme Nature Preserve
Somme Prairie Grove
Somme Woods
Thaddeus S. "Ted" Lechowicz Woods
Tower Road
Tower Road Boat Launch
Turnbull Woods
Watersmeet Woods
Wayside Woods
Whealan Pool Aquatic Center
Special Activity Site
Chicago Botanic Garden
Trail Systems
North Branch (Paved)
North Branch (Unpaved)
Region 5: West Cook County
Salt Creek Division
Activity Areas
Andrew Toman Grove
Bemis Woods-North
Bemis Woods-South
Brezina Woods
Brookfield Woods
Callahan Grove
Cermak Family Aquatic Center
Cermak Quarry
Cermak Woods
Cummings Square (General Headquarters)
G.A.R. Woods
Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum
LaGrange Park Woods
Maywood Grove
McCormick Woods
Meadowlark Golf Course
Miller Meadow-North
Miller Meadow-South
National Grove-North
National Grove-South
Ottawa Trail Woods-North
Ottawa Trail Woods-South
Plank Road Meadow Boat Launch
Possum Hollow Woods
Quercus Woods Family Picnic Area
Salt Creek Woods
Schuth's Grove
Silver Creek Family Picnic Area
Stony Ford Canoe Landing
Thatcher Woods
Thatcher Woods Glen
Thomas Jefferson Woods
Twenty-Sixth Street Woods-East
Twenty-Sixth Street Woods-West
Westchester Woods
White Eagle Woods-North
White Eagle Woods-South
Wolf Road Prairie
Zoo Woods
Trail Systems
Salt Creek (Paved)
Salt Creek (Unpaved)
Salt Creek Greenway (Paved)
Special Activity Sites
Brookfield Zoo
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
Region 6: Southwest Cook County
Salt Creek Division, Palos Division
Includes: Palos Preserves
Activity Areas
Arie Crown Forest
Belly Deep Slough
Buffalo Woods-Central
Buffalo Woods Family Picnic Area
Buffalo Woods-North
Buffalo Woods-South
Bullfrog Lake
Camp Kiwanis Equestrian Staging Area
Columbia Woods
Country Lane Woods
Cranberry Slough
Crawdad Slough
Crooked Creek Woods
Dan McMahon Woods
Henry De Tonty Woods
Hickory Hills Woods
Hidden Pond Woods-East
Hidden Pond Woods-West
Joe's Pond
John Husar I&M Canal–Bicycle Trail Parking Lot
Lake Ida
Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center
Maple Lake Boating Center
Maple Lake-East
Maple Lake
Maple Lake Overlook
Morrill Meadow
Palos Fen
Paw Paw Woods
Pioneer Woods
Pulaski Woods
Pulaski Woods-East
Pulaski Woods-South–Mountain Bike Staging Area
Red Gate Woods
Saganashkee Slough-Central
Saganashkee Slough-East
Saganashkee Slough Boat Launch
Spears Woods
Sundown Meadow
Theodore Stone Forest
Tuma Lake
White Oak Woods
Willow Springs Woods
Wolf Road Woods
Trail Systems
Arie Crown (Unpaved)
Centennial (Unpaved)
John Husar I&M Canal (Paved)
Palos (Unpaved)
Region 7: Southwest Cook County
Sag Valley Division
Includes: Black Partridge Preserve, Cap Sauer's Preserve, John J. Duffy Preserve, Edward M. Sneed Forest
Activity Areas
Bergman Slough
Black Partridge Woods
Cap Sauers Holding
Cherry Hill Woods
Forty Acre Woods
Horsetail Lake
McGinnis Slough
McClaughrey Spring Woods
Orland Grassland
Orland Grove
Paddock Woods
Palos Park Woods-North
Palos Park Woods-South
Papoose Lake
Sag Quarries
Sagawau Environmental Learning Center
Southland Volunteer Resource Center
Swallow Cliff Woods-North
Swallow Cliff Woods-South
Tampier Greenway Family Picnic Area
Tampier Lake Boating Center
Tampier Lake-North
Tampier Lake-West
Teason's Woods
Trail Systems
Centennial (Unpaved)
Sag Valley (Unpaved)
Region 8: South Cook County
Tinley Creek Division
Includes: South Green Belt Preserve
Activity Areas
Arrowhead Lake
Bachelor's Grove Woods
Bartel Grassland
Bobolink Family Picnic Area
Bremen Grove
Bur Oak Woods
Camp Falcon
Camp Sullivan
Carlson Springs Woods
Catalina Grove Family Picnic Area
Coopers Hawk Grove Family Picnic Area
Elizabeth A. Conkey Forest-North
Elizabeth A. Conkey Forest-South
Flossmoor Road Bicycle Lot
George W. Dunne National Driving Range
George W. Dunne National Golf Course
Goeselville Grove Family Picnic Area
Midlothian Meadows
Midlothian Reservoir
Rubio Woods
St. Mihiel Woods-East
Tinley Creek Model Airplane Flying Field
Tinley Creek Woods
Turtlehead Lake
Vollmer Road Grove
Yankee Woods
Trail Systems
Tinley Creek (Paved)
Tinley Creek (Unpaved)
Region 9: Southeast Cook County
Calumet Division, Thorn Creek Division
Includes: Plum Creek Preserve
Activity Areas
Beaubien Woods
Beaubien Woods Boat Launch
Brownell Woods
Burnham Prairie Nature Preserve
Burnham Woods Golf Course
Calumet City Playfield
Calumet City Prairie
Calumet Woods
Clayhole Woods
Dan Ryan Woods-91st Street
Dan Ryan Woods-Central
Dan Ryan Woods-East
Dan Ryan Woods-North
Dan Ryan Woods-South
Dan Ryan Woods-West
Dixmoor Playfield
Eggers Grove
Flatfoot Lake
Glenwood Woods-North
Glenwood Woods-South
Green Lake Family Aquatic Center
Green Lake Woods
Indian Hill Woods
Joe Louis "The Champ" Golf Course
Joe Orr Woods
Jurgensen Woods
Kickapoo Woods
King's Grove
Lansing Woods
Little Calumet Boat Launch
Michael J. O'Malley Preserve
North Creek Meadow
Plum Creek Play Meadow
Powderhorn Lake
River Oaks Golf Course
Sand Ridge Nature Center
Sand Ridge Prairie Nature Preserve
Sauk Lake
Sauk Trail Woods-Central
Sauk Trail Woods-East
Sauk Trail Woods-North
Sauk Trail Woods-South
Schubert's Woods
Shabbona Woods
Sweet Woods
Thorn Creek Model Airplane Flying Field
Thornton-Lansing Road–Nature Preserve (Zander Woods)
Wampum Lake
Wentworth Prairie
Whistler Woods
Woodrow Wilson Woods
Trail Systems
Burnham Greenway (Paved)
Major Taylor (Paved)
Plum Creek (Unpaved)
Thorn Creek (Paved)
Thorn Creek (Unpaved)
See also
* Chicago Portage National Historic Site
* Illinois Nature Preserves
*Red Gate Woods
Red Gate Woods is a forest preserve section within the Palos Forest Preserve, a division of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois. It is located near where the Cal-Sag Channel meets the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. In the wo ...
* North Creek Woods
*Sauk Trail Woods
Sauk Trail Woods are located within the Cook County Forest Preserves in Park Forest and Chicago Heights, Illinois. They are part of the Thorn Creek Trail System. They contain miles of paved bike trails and off-trail dirt paths. Sauk Trail Woods c ...
*Schiller Woods magic water pump
The Schiller Woods magic water pump is a public water pump at Schiller Woods Forest Preserve in Cook County, Illinois, near Chicago. Its water is believed by many local residents to have magical properties, improving health and vigor. Some believ ...
References
External links
Forest Preserve District of Cook County - official website
Forest Preserve Map
Forest Preserve Golf
Cook County Forest Preserve Photographs
- digital images from the UIC Library collections
{{Authority control
Forest Preserves
Nature reserves in Illinois
Forests of Illinois
1914 establishments in Illinois