Will County foundation has raised almost $2 million to boost forest preserves

To coincide with marking its 10th year of fundraising efforts, the Nature Foundation of Will County recently presented a check for almost $400,000 to the Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners.

“We support programs and activities that protect nature, inspire discovery and connect people to nature,” foundation Executive Director Tara Neff said. “We are a small but mighty organization.”

This most recent check included a $375,000 donation from the Dollinger family that was used for the recent improvements at Lake Chaminwood Preserve in Channahon.

“This was really huge for us,” Neff said. “Their donation made things possible that would not have been possible before.”

As a result, Neff said, “Staff was able to create something wonderful and get it implemented in two phases, rather than having this plan and having to wait for years to see if they could make it come true.”

As a separate 501(c)(3) organization, Neff explained that there are tax benefits for donating directly to the Nature Foundation of Will County, which in turn helps support “all the things people love about the forest preserve district.”

“It is really gratifying to see a community of people who want to donate,” she said. “We have something so special that people want to be part of because it is so important to the quality of life we have here.”

The group was formed in 2010; however, the inaugural board meeting of the Nature Foundation of Will County, formerly the Friends of the Forest Preserve District of Will County, was held in April 2014.

Since that time, it has raised more than $1.85 million for forest preserve programs and initiatives.

Neff said the idea of forming a separate nonprofit came about because the forest preserve district wanted to further capitalize on grant opportunities, partner with local businesses and corporate/local group sponsors for community workdays, and assist individuals in estate planning.

“As the nonprofit arm of the forest preserve,” she said, the Nature Foundation has been able to do just that by providing a tax incentive for individuals and businesses.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County encompasses 23,000 acres of land and operates 70 forest preserves, many of which include picnic shelters, campsites, canoe/kayak/boat launches, fishing access, ice skating ponds, playgrounds and sled hills.

It also offers more than 135 miles of trails for visitors to bike, hike, horseback ride or cross-country ski.

In fact, current board President Jennifer Gabrenya was out on a run in one of the preserves and thought to herself, “Why am I not supporting the forest preserves more?”

We have something so special that people want to be part of because it is so important to the quality of life we have here.”

—  Tara Neff, Nature Foundation executive director

In addition to becoming a donor to the Nature Foundation of Will County, she decided to get involved serving in the volunteer position.

“During the pandemic, the preserves were always there,” Gabrenya said.

Going into the next decade, she said, the foundation is focused on continuing to help the forest preserve district meet its mission.

“I feel incredibly lucky to live in a county with such wonderfully preserved open spaces, and they are all so very different,” she said. “When people slow down and take in nature, it lifts their spirits, and we remember our connection to nature.”

The forest preserve also hosts hundreds of free public programs and events including the 2023 inauguration of its Take It Outside Challenge.

The event, which the Nature Foundation provided $13,000 to support, used the Goosechase app and sent more than 1,000 contestants hunting through the forest preserves for GPS check-ins, photos of nature scenes and wildlife, selfies and trivia questions – with the goal of completing missions and earning prizes.

Neff said the Take It Out Challenge was a staff member’s idea that was not planned or budgeted.

However, it became “an opportunity for the Nature Foundation to support and get the staff member’s idea off the ground and into fruition,” she said.

Now, each quarter, the Take It Out Challenge encourages hundreds of individuals to visit different forest preserves.

Adding value

“We are all looking for ways to add value to the forest preserve’s priorities – education, conversation, preservation and recreation,” Neff said.

In 2024, other funding allocations from the Nature Foundation include the Hammel Woods campground welcome station, bicycle racks, benches and water fountains, the Woods Walk, and fishing derbies.

The organization also financially supports art exhibits at the district’s nature centers, in addition to programming and other events.

In fact, Neff herself was at the Birds of Art exhibition, a traveling 60-piece exhibit of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, at the Plum Creek Nature Center on a weekday and said people came from Cook County, DuPage County and Indiana to view the exhibit.

The Nature Foundation of Will County also administers two grants – the Serve Will County Grant, which helps local youth service organizations find ways to add value to the forest preserve district, and the Restore Will County Grant, which sets aside money for specific site improvements.

The Nature Foundation also provides support for a school bus scholarship, which “helps make available to more students in Will County the opportunity to go on field trips to these fabulous visitors centers to interact and learn from professional staff,” Neff said. Funding for the program is provided from Pembina, a pipeline company with operations in Will County.

The company made a three-year, $40,000 commitment to the Nature Foundation that includes money to fund the bus scholarship program, materials for STEM and STEAM activities at forest preserve visitor centers, and natural area restoration at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center.

“There are so many opportunities to engage in our natural world that aren’t necessarily taught in school,” Neff said. “These field trips offer the opportunity to get out there and maybe get your hands dirty, your feet wet, and get up close and personal to nature.”

The foundation accepts both restricted and unrestricted donations and generates revenue from native plant sales and forest preserve district merchandise sales.

For more information about the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.