The 2023 Openlands Annual Luncheon

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Thank you for joining us at the 2023 Openlands Annual Luncheon

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

We gathered for the Openlands 2023 Annual Luncheon to honor outgoing President and CEO Jerry Adelmann’s unparalleled legacy and celebrate Openlands’ 60th anniversary. For over 40 years Adelmann provided critical direction to countless environmental initiatives resulting in some of our region’s most profound environmental protection successes. Consistently the largest gathering of the conservation community in the state of Illinois, the Openlands Annual Luncheon recognizes the achievements of environmental leaders in our region and celebrates the importance of conservation and environmental stewardship locally, nationally, and internationally.

WAYS TO GIVE

Jerry Adelmann

2023 Gerald W. Adelmann Conservation Leadership Award

Adelmann joined Openlands in 1980 to coordinate a special program that led to the creation of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, the first federal land designation of its kind. He then founded the Canal Corridor Association in 1982, a model after which 62 heritage areas in 36 states around the country are now based on. In 1988, Adelmann was appointed as head of Openlands.

Under his leadership, Openlands launched the 21st Century Open Space Plan, played an instrumental role in establishing Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and formed conservation partnerships across the region.

Adelmann is a founding member of Chicago Wilderness, chair of the City of Chicago’s Nature and Wildlife Committee, and vice chair of the Center for Humans and Nature among other commissions. His conservation and preservation work in the U.S., China, and Myanmar has earned him prestigious accolades including the Hutchinson Medal from the Chicago Botanic Garden and an honorary doctorate from Lewis University.