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Get Outside
- Get Outside Mega Menu
  
  Explore the Region’s Trails, Waterways, and Outdoor Spaces.
  
  The Openlands Get Outside Map
  
  With the Openlands Get Outside Map, discover places and ways to enjoy nature in the Chicago region.
  
  Paddle Northeastern Illinois
  
  An interactive guide to the Northeastern Illinois water trails system, which encompasses 10 waterways, ranging from creeks that flow through densely wooded forest preserves to the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago.
  
  Explore Regional Trails
  
  Utilizing trails is the easiest way to enjoy our region’s natural landscape. Find peace and solitude or share an experience with family and friends while you run, bike, or hike in natural serenity!
  
  Paddling Newsletter Signup
Get Involved
- Get Involved Mega Menu
  
  There are many ways to help protect the nature you love with Openlands.
  
  Take Action Now
  
  One of the simplest ways you can take action against Climate Change is by advocating for the protection of nature and wildlife. Learn more about current campaigns to support.
  
  Education Programs
  
  Learn more about our Education programs including, Birds in My Neighborhood, Space to Grow, and school garden support opportunities.
  
  Training & Certification
  
  Join our ever-growing community of tree ambassadors that care for the Urban Forest in Chicagoland.
  
  Bring your property into harmony with nature
  
  View volunteer opportunities
  
  Become a charity runner for Team Openlands
  
  Sign up as an arborist employer
  
  Newsletter Signup
  
  Upcoming Events
Get Help
- Get Help Mega Menu
  
  Get the help, information, and resources you need to maintain and protect your land.
  
  Property Owner Landscape Practices
  
  Bring your property into harmony with the Earth through conservation-friendly practices.
  
  Protecting Public & Private Lands
  
  Learn more about how we help public and private landowners create a web of healthy land and water across the Chicago metropolitan region.
  
  Food and Farmland
  
  Learn more about conservation-friendly practices for farmland in our region.
  
  ComEd Green Region Grant
  
  TreePlanters Grants
  
  Urban Forestry
  
  Contact Us
Get Expertise
- Get Expertise Mega Menu
  
  Stewarding environmental responsibility and change in the region for 60 years.
  
  Our Experts
  
  As innovative protectors and stewards of the land, we work to create access to nature for all.
  
  Learn About Our Projects
  
  Our projects strive to give back to our region’s open spaces and create new ones so that we can continue to enjoy their solace and health benefits for generations to come.
  
  Get the Help You Need
  
  Questions for us? Contact our expert team.
  
  Newsletter Signup
Get Me To
- Get Me To Mega Menu
  
  Find a place to hike, paddle, and explore
  
  Take action on a current campaign
  
  Learn about ways to support Openlands
  
  Register to volunteer
  
  Register to be a certified TreeKeeper
  
  Register to be an Arborist Apprentice
  
  Get technical assistance with my property
  
  Contact a conservation expert at Openlands
  
  Apply for a TreePlanters Grant
  
  Apply for the ComEd Green Region Grant
  
  Newsletter Signup
  
  Shop the Openlands Native Plants Sale!
  
  Give nature and the land you love something big by planting something small. Openlands Native Tree and Plant Sale offer a gorgeous selection of native plants that, in addition to soaking up stormwater, cleaning the air, and beautifying our properties, provide the much-needed habitat that pollinators and other wildlife depend on.
  
  Learn More

Donate

Search

Get Outside
- Get Outside Mega Menu
  
  Explore the Region’s Trails, Waterways, and Outdoor Spaces.
  
  The Openlands Get Outside Map
  
  With the Openlands Get Outside Map, discover places and ways to enjoy nature in the Chicago region.
  
  Paddle Northeastern Illinois
  
  An interactive guide to the Northeastern Illinois water trails system, which encompasses 10 waterways, ranging from creeks that flow through densely wooded forest preserves to the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago.
  
  Explore Regional Trails
  
  Utilizing trails is the easiest way to enjoy our region’s natural landscape. Find peace and solitude or share an experience with family and friends while you run, bike, or hike in natural serenity!
  
  Paddling Newsletter Signup
Get Involved
- Get Involved Mega Menu
  
  There are many ways to help protect the nature you love with Openlands.
  
  Take Action Now
  
  One of the simplest ways you can take action against Climate Change is by advocating for the protection of nature and wildlife. Learn more about current campaigns to support.
  
  Education Programs
  
  Learn more about our Education programs including, Birds in My Neighborhood, Space to Grow, and school garden support opportunities.
  
  Training & Certification
  
  Join our ever-growing community of tree ambassadors that care for the Urban Forest in Chicagoland.
  
  Bring your property into harmony with nature
  
  View volunteer opportunities
  
  Become a charity runner for Team Openlands
  
  Sign up as an arborist employer
  
  Newsletter Signup
  
  Upcoming Events
Get Help
- Get Help Mega Menu
  
  Get the help, information, and resources you need to maintain and protect your land.
  
  Property Owner Landscape Practices
  
  Bring your property into harmony with the Earth through conservation-friendly practices.
  
  Protecting Public & Private Lands
  
  Learn more about how we help public and private landowners create a web of healthy land and water across the Chicago metropolitan region.
  
  Food and Farmland
  
  Learn more about conservation-friendly practices for farmland in our region.
  
  ComEd Green Region Grant
  
  TreePlanters Grants
  
  Urban Forestry
  
  Contact Us
Get Expertise
- Get Expertise Mega Menu
  
  Stewarding environmental responsibility and change in the region for 60 years.
  
  Our Experts
  
  As innovative protectors and stewards of the land, we work to create access to nature for all.
  
  Learn About Our Projects
  
  Our projects strive to give back to our region’s open spaces and create new ones so that we can continue to enjoy their solace and health benefits for generations to come.
  
  Get the Help You Need
  
  Questions for us? Contact our expert team.
  
  Newsletter Signup
Get Me To
- Get Me To Mega Menu
  
  Find a place to hike, paddle, and explore
  
  Take action on a current campaign
  
  Learn about ways to support Openlands
  
  Register to volunteer
  
  Register to be a certified TreeKeeper
  
  Register to be an Arborist Apprentice
  
  Get technical assistance with my property
  
  Contact a conservation expert at Openlands
  
  Apply for a TreePlanters Grant
  
  Apply for the ComEd Green Region Grant
  
  Newsletter Signup
  
  Shop the Openlands Native Plants Sale!
  
  Give nature and the land you love something big by planting something small. Openlands Native Tree and Plant Sale offer a gorgeous selection of native plants that, in addition to soaking up stormwater, cleaning the air, and beautifying our properties, provide the much-needed habitat that pollinators and other wildlife depend on.
  
  Learn More

Donate

Search

Home / Get Outside

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Category: Get Outside

Telemundo – Openlands looks for volunteers to plant and take care of trees in Little Village

March 21, 2025

General Information, Get Outside

Step into Spring with direct action at Openlands community tree care days

March 18, 2025

Development, General Information, Get Outside, Press Release

Openlands is named one of the top 100 finalists for the 23rd Annual Chicago Innovation Awards

September 26, 2024

Print Openlander-Spring-Summer-2024-Cover

General Information, Get Outside, Program Updates

Latest print Openlander: a network of living land and water

September 5, 2024

Development, Get Outside

Openlands and Access Living awarded Partnerships for Disability Access, Inclusion and Leadership Grant from the Land Trust Alliance

July 22, 2024

General Information, Get Outside, Openlands in the News, Program Updates

Univision – Openlands seeks volunteers for Spanish TreeKeepers program: become a certified tree caretaker and community ambassador

June 20, 2024

General Information, Get Outside, Have You Discovered, Openlands in the News

National Geographic – Paddle an African American heritage trail

June 13, 2024

General Information, Get Outside, History & Legacy, Openlands in the News

Timeout – Paddle along the African American Heritage Water Trail

April 26, 2024

News broadcast showing expert showing alongside city skyline with modern buildings and colorful architecture.

Education, General Information, Get Outside, Openlands in the News

Univision: Do you engage in outdoor activities? Learn the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside.

April 1, 2024

A group of people in life jackets standing next to a canoe, ready for an adventure on the water.

Get Outside, Openlands in the News, Thought Leadership

Lillian Holden: How can we empower Black Chicagoans to embrace water recreation? Chicago Tribune Op-ed

March 4, 2024

Winter-Birding-Blog-Montrose-Point-Bird-Sanctuary-2

Get Outside

10 Chicago winter birding locations

February 16, 2024

Openlander Winter/Fall 2023: Birds in My Neighborhood

General Information, Get Outside, Program Updates

Latest print Openlander: Celebrating 10 Years of Birds in My Neighborhood

January 11, 2024

Education, General Information, Get Outside, Openlands in the News

WTTW- North American Birds Named After Bad People Will Get a New Name. So Will Birds Named After Good Guys. Chicago Birders Weigh in on Polarizing Decision

November 13, 2023

General Information, Get Outside, Openlands in the News

Rails To Trails Magazine – Deep Roots One of The Nation’s Foremost Rail-Trails, the Illinois Prairie Path Has Created Deep Connections in Northeast Illinois

October 25, 2023

Family Birding Trip to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

General Information, Get Outside, Have You Discovered, Openlands in the News

Block Club Chicago – 15 Things To Do Outside In Chicago In September

September 6, 2023

Environmental Justice, General Information, Get Outside, Openlands in the News, Policy & Advocacy

Classic Chicago Magazine – Ten Ways to Advocate for Nature

August 28, 2023

Person in park with map and binoculars, wearing green shirt and light jumper by a lake.

General Information, Get Outside, Openlands in the News

Bird Note – Lilli Holden on the Ecology of Vacant Lots

August 16, 2023

General Information, Get Outside, History & Legacy, Openlands in the News

Hello, Nature 2 – Lillian Holden, our Water Trails Specialist Talks About the Historical Legacy of the African American Heritage Water Trail

August 3, 2023

Environmental Justice, Get Outside, History & Legacy, Openlands in the News

Illinois Chronicle – Prairie Boat project docks along Little Calumet River in Beaubien Woods

July 25, 2023

Environmental Justice, General Information, Get Outside, Have You Discovered, History & Legacy, Openlands in the News

Chicago Tribune – Bilingual ‘tree walk’ in McKinley Park Celebrates 60 Years of Supporting Trees, Clean Air

July 16, 2023

Get Outside, History & Legacy, Policy & Advocacy

Paddleable, Accessible, Interpreted: Blueways in Northeastern Illinois

June 21, 2023

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We’re proud to be recognized as a financially accountable and transparent organization and a Land Trust Alliance accredited land trust, meeting the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence.