- Openlands

Climate change is here. Nature-based solutions can help.

Openlands focuses on solutions to the climate crisis that use nature to mitigate or even turn back the clock on the changes and impacts expected for our region.

Our Mission

Conserving nature close to home

Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich our lives.

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Where We Work

Connecting a web of green and blue in the region

The Chicago region has one of the most complicated geo-political landscapes in the nation, covering three states. Since Openlands’ founding, we have played a critical role as the only conservation organization looking systematically across the region at the relationship between the natural environment, urban growth, community health, and comprehensive land-use planning.

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Get Involved

Be an advocate for nature

There are many ways to help protect the nature you love with Openlands. Whether you’re a teacher that wants to teach outside, a government agency that wants to improve your green space or a tree lover who wants to volunteer in their community, there are opportunities to connect with nature where you live.

Get involved

Around Openlands

Apply for the ComEd Green Region Grant

Now celebrating its eleventh year, the ComEd Green Region Grant awards grants up to $10,000 for conservation projects based in Northern Illinois.

Apply

Save the Date: Green and Growing Summit

The Green and Growing Summit is a gathering designed to strengthen the connectivity of Chicago’s garden education movement building on the work of the Green Teachers Network and the CPS Garden Educator Cohort. Click below to learn more and apply to be a workshop facilitator.

Learn More

Tell State Lawmakers to Protect Your Waterway Rights

Tell your state legislators to support the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act, which protects your right to access local waterways for recreational purposes.

Take Action

Discover New Places with Openlands Get Outside Map

Discover places and ways to enjoy nature in the region with the Get Outside Map! Use the interactive map and list to search over 400 parks, preserves, and natural areas open to the public. Each site includes a list of benefits and activities, a link for directions through Google Maps, and links to event calendars and other information.

Explore

Recent News

Celebrating the Passage of the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act

by OpenlandsJanuary 23, 2023January 24, 2023

Conservation easements play a critical role in landscape conservation and the preservation of wildlife habitat. And thanks to the passage of the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act (CCEPIA) in late December, the integrity of conservation easements now receives permanent protection like the land that easements preserve.

10 Places to Get Outside this Winter

by OpenlandsDecember 22, 2022December 22, 2022

The Chicago region contains hundreds of beautiful nature preserves. We have compiled a list of ten beautiful locations where you can get outside and hike this winter. For more ideas, check out our Get Outside Map!

Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change at COP27

by OpenlandsNovember 22, 2022November 22, 2022

This past Sunday, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) concluded. Climate delegates, advocates, and leaders met for two weeks in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheikh for discussions and negotiations surrounding the mitigation of global warming and the payment of loss and damages for developing nations that are bearing a majority of the climate crisis. While much of the conference centered around finding ways to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably below 1.5 C, (which we are not currently on track to achieve) COP27 did yield an important conservation-related discussion: nature-based solutions to climate change.