The Friends of the Forest Preserve District received a Community Stewardship Challenge Grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation in the amount of $21,000 to restore 6 acres of habitat at West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve in West Chicago. For every dollar the Friends raised, the ICECF matched the funds 3:1, up to $21,000. The Friends raised $7,000 for the project, obtaining the maximum contribution of $21,000 from ICECF. The foundation contributed an additional $4,000 thanks to the West Chicago Prairie Stewardship Group's volunteers, who logged more than 400 hours before October 2019. The active support of the WCPSG, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to the high-quality site, qualified the restoration for the grant. In total, $32,000 was raised for the revitalization.
Chamberlain Group, Inc. made a $10,000 donation to the Friends to provide additional outdoor recreational experiences and learning opportunities throughout the preserves for those with special needs. CGI also joined the Forest Preserve District to host a Special Needs Adventure Day in October at St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville. More than 100 individuals learned about native animals to DuPage forest preserves and tried out archery, camping, fishing and kayaking. CGI’s commitment to good corporate citizenship is rooted in efforts to enhance the well-being of children and those with special needs.
L.L.Bean of Oak Brook gifted $5,000 in outdoor gear to the Friends and Forest Preserve District for use in DuPage forest preserves. The Forest Preserve District offered a variety of archery, camping, fishing and kayaking opportunities using this gear at its special events and recreational program in 2019. L.L.Bean additionally sponsored the Forest Preserve District’s “Discovery Challenge” photo contest, offering a grand prize camping package with a $250 gift card, a camping experience with tent, sleeping bag and backpack at Blackwell Family Campground, and a kayaking experience with a kayak, paddle, life jacket for a guided kayaking tour.
Domtar Corporation provided $3,000 in funds to the Friends to support the stocking of 2,250 yellow perch at Mallard Lake at Mallard Lake Forest Preserve in Bloomingdale. The Forest Preserve District stocks select lakes with various species of fish as part of its fisheries-management program each year. Yellow perch are native to DuPage forest preserve lakes and a favorite fish among anglers. Domtar also supported the Forest Preserve District’s Blanding’s turtle species-recovery program and recreational amenities in the forest preserves.
Thanks to a $2,500 grant from the DuPage Birding Club to the Friends, the Forest Preserve District installed 1,848 plants in the 113-acre wetland southwest of Book Road and 75th Street at Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville. Forest Preserve District volunteer site steward Joe Suchecki and volunteers from the DuPage Birding Club put a significant amount of the plugs in place, but before they began, Forest Preserve District contractors removed dense fields of invasive narrow and hybrid cattails to make room. As the new plantings repopulate, they should help keep invasive species in check naturally. The hope is that a sustainable, more biologically diverse community of wetland flowers, rushes and sedges will attract a greater variety of marsh wildlife.
A Blanding's turtle hatchling breaks from its shell.
© Larry Larson
Ecologist Dan Thompson delivers an exclusive program for Friends' donors.
© Larry Larson
Blanding's turtle eggs are raised in hobavators at the Urban Stream Research Center.
© Larry Larson
Ecologist Dan Thompson holds a Blanding's turtle hatchling.
© Larry Larson
Friends' donors take an opportunity for a quick photo of a Blanding's turtle hatchling.
© Larry Larson
A Friends' donor feeds the newly hatched Blanding's turtles.
© Larry Larson
The Friends of the Forest Preserve District raised $357,675 in cash and $13,219 in in-kind donations to support DuPage forest preserves, habitat restoration, wildlife conservation, nature-based programs and amenities, and cultural and other projects in 2019.
Expenditures supporting projects, preserves and operations as designated by donors totaled $226,965, and the foundation closed the year with a balance of $661,356.
You helped us get there!
View the Friends' Financial Annual Report for 2019 (PDF).
| Progress | 2018 | 2019 | Growth |
| Total Gifts | 858 | 930 | 8.3 percent |
| Matching Gifts | $5,469 | $5,845 | 6.8 percent |
| Recurring Gifts | $3,500 | $5,037.50 | 43.9 percent |
| Ambassadors Circle Donors | 314 | 366 | 16.6 percent |
A Blanding's turtle hatchling emerges from its shell.
DuPage teachers traveled by school bus to attend a teacher-institute day.
A police officer takes a red-tailed hawk to Willowbrook Wildlife Center for treatment.
Mayslake Hall's grand staircase features a period-appropriate runner on its restored treads.
Danada Equestrian Center's horses receive annual exams, vaccinations and other veterinary services.
A drone will prove an invaluable resource for the police department's search-and-rescue operations in DuPage forest preserves.
Many of our donors supported the restoration of critical habitat at year's end.
© Mark Baldwin
A "Night for Nature" guest views some of the silent auction items.
OUR MISSION
The Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County advances the vision of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County through philanthropic endeavors.
Help keep our forest preserves beautiful and safe places. If you have a concern, let us know.
