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Preserving Chicago Wilderness will take more than good planning. It means people. And volunteers can help with many different projects.
There are lots of ways to volunteer. You can guide walking tours and canoe trips on the Chicago River. You can greet visitors and answer questions at Lincoln Park Zoo, or teach 5- to 7-year-olds about animals. You can learn to burn—participating in prescribed burns in the Palos Preserves. You can capture and identify insects in the Lake County Forest Preserve District. You can become “treekeepers,” learning to care for trees and organize workdays in their communities. You can help Sierra Club with grass-roots activism and lobbying local officials.
To become a Chicago Wilderness volunteer, call any of these organizations:
The Field Museum, 312-922-9410, ext. 360, Anita Morgan
Brookfield Zoo, 708-485-0263, ext. 396, Laura Jasiek
Lincoln Park Zoo, 312-742-2124, Elizabeth Wheeler
Chicago Botanic Garden, 847-935-8281, Linda Doede
The Morton Arboretum, 708-719-2428, Susan Dietrich
The Chicago Academy of Sciences, 312-549-0606, ext. 2026, Laura Sabransky
John G. Shedd Aquarium, 312-939-2426, ext. 2500, Nanette Schaumberg
Volunteer Stewardship Network, 312-346-8166, ext. 22, Rebecca Gee
Openlands Project, 312-427-4256, Julie Sacco
Lake Michigan Federation, 312-939-0838, Ellen Gibson
The Friends of the Chicago River, 312-939-0490, Chris Cercone
Sierra Club, 312-251-1680, Jack Darin
Forest Preserve District of Cook County, 708-771-1574, Steve Mayberry
Lake County Forest Preserves, 847-948-7753, ext. 212, Tom Smith
DuPage County Forest Preserve District, 708-876-5920, Portia Blume
Kane County Forest Preserve District, 708-741-9924, Valerie DePrez
Forest Preserve District Will County, 815-727-8700, Richard Wachenheim
McHenry County Conservation District, 815-678-4431, Sue Jacobek
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 217-785-8285, Jay Johnson
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, 815-385-9074, Steve Byers
North Park Village Nature Center, 312-744-5477, Nancy Saulsbury,
Chicago Park District, 312-747-1463, Lori Crockett