# Openlands

Openlands is a non-profit conservation organization and accredited land trust that works with groups and individuals in northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and southeastern Wisconsin to preserve open space, develop walking and biking trails, restore natural areas, and connect people to the outdoors. The organization focuses on four major areas of work: protecting land, water, and wildlife; growing the tree canopy; empowering people and communities; and advocating for policy solutions. Openlands has protected and expanded public access to more than 71,000 acres of land for parks, forest preserves, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens across the Chicago metropolitan region. It is a member of Chicago Wilderness.

## History

Openlands (originally Open Lands Project) was established in 1963 as a program of the Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chicago. During its early years, Openlands was involved in advocacy efforts related to the Illinois Prairie Path, the establishment of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and the creation of the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. In 1968, Openlands became an independent organization under the leadership of founding chairman Jeffrey R. Short Jr. and executive director Gunnar A. Peterson. Openlands is one of the first organizations in the United States to address environmental issues within a metropolitan region.
Gerald W. Adelmann led the organization from 1988 to 2023. In 2023, Michael S. Davidson was appointed president and CEO.

## Projects

* 1964: The Illinois Prairie Path in DuPage County was approved as the first rails-to-trails project in the United States.
* 1965: Beall Woods, an old-growth forest in southern Illinois, was purchased by the state and designated a nature preserve.
* 1966: Openlands contributed to the establishment of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, later designated a national park.
* 1968: Peacock Prairie (now James Woodworth Prairie), a black soil tallgrass prairie, was preserved and later transferred to the University of Illinois Chicago.
* 1969: Goose Lake Prairie State Park was established, protecting the largest remnant tallgrass prairie east of the Mississippi River.
* 1970: Volo Bog was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve. That same year, Openlands launched the Lake Michigan Federation (now the Alliance for the Great Lakes) to protect the Lake Michigan ecosystem.
* 1972: Ryerson Woods Conservation Area was established as part of the Lake County Forest Preserve.
* 1980: Openlands acquired land along Nippersink Creek for restoration, later transferring it to the McHenry County Conservation District.
* 1991: Openlands launched TreeKeepers, a program that trains and certifies volunteers to care for trees on some public property in the Chicago region. Program trainers include tree experts, arborist, and Openlands staff. TreeKeepers is part of Openland's Urban Forestry Program which has received $1.5 million from MacArthur Foundation since 2013 to increase the Chicago region's tree canopy and expand community outreach and engagement. Since the program launched, the organization has trained more than 2,000 volunteers. More than 5,000 trees have been planted in Chicago by volunteers of the program since 2013.
* 2005: Openlands initiated the O'Hare Modernization Wetlands Mitigation Project, successfully restoring over 530 acres of wetlands and protecting a total of 1,620 acres of natural areas.
* 2011: The Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Fort Sheridan opened to the public, featuring 77 acres of ravines and bluffs along Lake Michigan.
* 2012: Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after seven years of advocacy by Openlands and partners. Hackmatack was the first national wildlife refuge in the Chicago region and will eventually consist of 11,200 acres of protected wildlife habitat.
* 2013: Openlands founded the Birds in My Neighborhood program in 2013 to introduce urban public school children to bird-watching and nature.
* 2018: Conserve Lake County (serving Lake County, Illinois) merged into Openlands.
* 2023: Openlands, in partnership with the Wetlands Initiative, secured a $1.5 million America the Beautiful Challenge grant to restore 1,321 acres of prairie, savanna, and wetlands at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
* 2024: Openlands, in partnership with the Conservation Fund and Illinois Audubon Society, purchased Tamarack Farms, a 985-acre property, to enhance the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, marking it as the single largest property within the refuge's boundaries. Openlands sponsors the only Registered Apprenticeship Program for arboriculture in Illinois, providing one year of education and on-the-job training opportunities for apprentices.
* 2025: Openlands created the African American Heritage Water Trail to highlight the often untold stories of Black Chicagoans along the Little Calumet River.