search icon

Openlands

Jul 29, 2021 | Acacia Hernandez
Currently, the city’s tree canopy cover is at 16%, a 3 percentage point decrease since 2010, according to a 2020 census of Chicago’s trees led by the Morton Arboretum. (WTTW News)

The City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance to create an Urban Forestry Advisory Board — charged with strategically caring for Chicago's urban tree canopy.

,
Jun 30, 2021 | Patty Wetli
Chicago has room for 900,000 more trees in under-resourced areas alone. (Facebook / Openlands)

Supporters are calling it a big win for Chicago’s trees, but say the real work begins now. How the new Urban Forestry Advisory Board will bring together public and private partners to care for and enhancing the city’s urban canopy.

Mar 26, 2021 | Patty Wetli
Native plants have a lot of environmental benefits, but can be hard to find at nurseries. (Sqraz / Pixabay)

Sales sponsored by Openlands and the West Cook Wild Ones chapter are now both taking orders online for native plants, including some that are hard to find at area garden centers and nurseries. 

,
Sep 11, 2020 | Patty Wetli
The original Civilian Conservation Corps planted billions of trees. A renewed CCC could do the same. (Openlands / Facebook)

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is proposing the creation of a modern-day Civilian Conservation Corps as a way to put Americans to work while also directing resources toward the nation’s long neglected conservation projects.

Sep 9, 2020 | Patty Wetli
(North Park Village Nature Center / Facebook)

In a win for nature lovers and fans of open space, the Chicago City Council voted on Wednesday to keep 100-plus acres in North Park protected from development, permanently.

Aug 3, 2020 | Patty Wetli
TreeKeepers are active in their communities, organizing tree plantings, adopting trees and maintaining parks. (Openlands / Facebook)

The conservation group Openlands started the program in 1991 and has since certified 2,000 TreeKeepers, who play an important role in conserving, protecting and advocating for the Chicago region’s trees. 

Jul 22, 2020 | Patty Wetli
A proposed Urban Forestry Advisory Board would take a more strategic look at one of the city’s unsung resources — its trees. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

It’s time to be strategic, rather than reactive, when it comes to managing a vital piece of Chicago’s infrastructure — it’s trees. 

May 7, 2020 | Patty Wetli
Look for an American goldfinch during Saturday's Big Day birding event. (Ken Gibson / Flickr)

This weekend, people around the world will report their bird sightings as part of a massive citizen-science project. Here’s how it works.

Apr 22, 2020 | Patty Wetli
The University of Illinois at Chicago Circle (now UIC) was a hub for the first Earth Day. (Courtesy UIC archives)

Chicago was a hub for environmental activism on the first Earth Day, and it remains a pioneer today.

Jul 11, 2019 | Alex Ruppenthal
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary (Courtesy Openlands)

Environmental nonprofit Openlands created a new online tool to help Chicago-area residents easily identify ways to explore the outdoors in and around the city. 

Oct 23, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
(Laura Marie / Flickr)

Chicago-based environmental group Openlands has received a $1 million grant to address climate change by planting new trees and recruiting residents to protect them.