photo: Jim Nachel, Conservation Research Institute

About the consortium

In 1996, a consortium of diverse and determined organizations launched a new force on the landscape. The group recognized the Chicago Wilderness as a thriving mosaic of natural areas embedded in the nation's third largest metropolitan area. In the group's vision for the future, the region's people reclaim a cultural tradition of restoring, protecting and managing the globally outstanding natural communities that enrich our lives.

Member institutions devoted to preserving these havens of life include landowners; local, state and federal agencies; centers of research and education; conservation organizations and others. Thirty-four of these institutions initially pooled their resources and strengths to form the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council, commonly known as the Chicago Wilderness consortium. more than 200 organizations now belong to the consortium. The member institutions have pledged a commitment to the protection, restoration and management of the Chicago region's natural resources.

Contact information for Chicago Wilderness programs and projects is available under Contact the Consortium.

The Consortium's address is:

Chicago Wilderness
8 S. Michigan Ave., Ste. 900
Chicago, IL 60603

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