Volunteering

The beautiful, vibrant natural areas of Chicago’s wilderness are peaceful respites, recreation venues, and windows to our natural history—and they inspire the passion of hundreds of volunteers, who enthusiastically devote thousands of hours to restoring and protecting our region’s unique nature.
If you are interested in volunteering, you can spend a few hours one afternoon, or commit time every week or every day. Every bit helps, and there are plenty of opportunities for people of all skill and experience levels to lend a hand.

How to Get Involved

Work Days
Monitor
Advocate
Education and Outreach

 

Work Days

Pitch in at restoration workdays—also called “work parties” for their frequently festive atmosphere—at parks, preserves, and natural areas around the region. For a few hours, usually on the weekend, volunteers help plant native species, collect seeds, remove invasive species, and build trails. Thanks to the knowledgeable and helpful stewards and natural resource managers working alongside volunteers, a workday can be one of the best ways to learn first-hand about the plants and animals in your local preserves.

You can find workday schedules by contacting your local forest preserve district, park district, land conservancy, or “Friends of” groups, and by visiting the following sites:

Chicagoland Environmental Network
The Habitat Project
North Branch Restoration Project
Sierra Club
Volunteer Stewardship Network

 

Monitor

Be one of the “people who count” by learning to identify and monitor frogs, birds, plants, butterflies, or dragonflies. “Citizen scientists,” as monitors are often called, take the pulse of ecosystem health.

 

Advocate

Work with the local Sierra Club and Audubon chapters or local “Friends of” groups to help build support and raise awareness of our natural resources and advocate for open space protection.  The following “Friends” groups are Chicago Wilderness alliance members:

Friends of Ryerson Woods
Friends of Spring Creek Forest Preserve
Friends of the Chicago River
Friends of the Forest Preserves (Cook County)
Friends of the Fox River
Friends of the Kankakee, 219.322.7239
Friends of the Morton Grove Forest Preserves
Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory
Friends of the Parks

 

Education and Outreach

Volunteers are also needed to greet families at nature centers; help lead educational programs; contribute newsletter articles and photographs; and assist during special events such as native plant sales.  A range of opportunities are available – simply contact an organization that interests you and discover how you can contribute!