Chicagoland has more protected land than most metropolitan areas in the United States.

More than 100 years ago, visionaries like Jens Jensen and Dwight Perkins fought to protect natural areas here. In 1904, the Municipal Science Club pleaded that “the opportunity exists for preserving country naturally beautiful…all of these should be preserved for the benefit of the public…if ever lost, [they] cannot be restored for generations.”

Cook County residents took action by approving the creation of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Today, more than 70,000 acres are preserved in Lake and Cook counties. And the Chicago River watershed holds some of the nation’s best examples of rare oak savannas and tallgrass prairies.