Openlands

Openlands is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful metropolitan conservation organizations; it helps secure and protect land for public parks, forest preserves, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens. Chicago loses thousands of trees annually to pests, diseases, storms, and neglect, which has a negative effect on residents’ health, environment, and quality of life. This award supports Openlands’ urban forestry program to engage communities actively with their local environments through education, advocacy, and the planting and care of trees. The award also supports the program’s efforts to diversify the urban forestry profession by developing an accessible and cooperative career pipeline toward well-paying opportunities in the industry for people of color and women.

Founded in 1963, Openlands is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful metropolitan conservation organizations; it helps secure and protect land for public parks, forest preserves, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens. Chicago loses as many as 10,000 trees annually to pests, diseases, storms, and neglect, which has a negative effect on residents’ health, environment, and quality of life. Openlands’ Urban Forestry Program includes the “Treekeepers” program that trains participants about how to care best for the region’s trees, community-focused educational programming about trees and the benefits of a healthy urban canopy, and the planting and caring for trees across Chicago in partnership with neighborhood organizations. This award supports the Urban Forestry Program’s effort to increase the Chicago region’s tree canopy and expand its community outreach and citizen engagement over the next two years.

Founded in 1963, Openlands is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful metropolitan conservation organizations, helping to secure and protect land for public parks, forest preserves, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens. Chicago loses as many as 10,000 trees each year due to pests, disease, storms and neglect, which has negative effects on its citizens’ health and the environment. In response to the Foundation’s desire to offset carbon generated by routine operations, Openlands will use this grant to support a new tree-planting initiative to help replenish Chicago’s tree canopy.

Openlands Project is a Chicago-based non-profit organization founded in 1963 to protect the natural habitats and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region. This grant will support GardenKeepers, a project that will build on Openlands’ experience with school and community gardens to create a replicable model for community and school gardens, resolve legal issues faced by most would-be gardeners, educate gardeners and garden organizers, and conduct and independent evaluation of broader social and cultural impacts of the program.

In support of research and analysis on regional strategies for governing public open space in the Chicago region (over two years).