Bill Text: IL HR0192 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commends the North Branch Restoration Project, the Centennial Volunteers Program, and the Friends of the Forest Preserves, and applauds the Forest Preserves of Cook County's commitment to building and supporting volunteer restoration efforts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-03-14 - Resolution Adopted [HR0192 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HR0192-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to commend the partnership between the
North Branch Restoration Project, the Centennial Volunteers
Program, and the Friends of the Forest Preserves and their
efforts to restore the forest preserves, as well as the Forest
Preserves of Cook County's commitment to building and
supporting volunteer restoration efforts; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago metropolitan area contains some of
Illinois's largest and best remnants of its native ecosystems;
these remaining natural lands are irreplaceable and need help
to survive and prosper; and
WHEREAS, In 1977, a group of enthusiastic citizens
volunteered to help rescue several small remnants of native
prairie that still survived in the Forest Preserves of Cook
County along the North Branch of the Chicago River; today, many
groups in the Chicago area are involved in the restoration of
native habitats; among these groups, the North Branch
Restoration Project has been called a model for volunteer
stewardship and ecological restoration; and
WHEREAS, Every weekend, volunteers gather at scheduled
sites to work, restoring health to the preserves by cutting

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brush, pulling weeds, and gathering and sowing seeds; citizen
scientists collect important information about the plants and
animals, monitor changes in sites as restoration proceeds, and
add to the knowledge of local ecosystems; and
WHEREAS, The results have been remarkable; in prairies,
plants such as cream false indigo, purple prairie clover,
rattlesnake mater, and bottle gentian have reappeared and are
thriving; many grassland animals, from the smooth green snake
to the great spangled fritillary butterfly, survive because of
these efforts; with the return of sunlight and fire in the
woods, grasses, sedges, and wildflowers once again cover the
forest floor; great crested flycatchers, American woodcocks,
and eastern wood pewees raise their young in the woods; and
WHEREAS, Across the Forest Preserves of Cook County, more
than 20 endangered or threatened plant species have increased
in numbers; animals such as the Cooper's hawk and the Edward's
hairstreak butterfly are back from the edge of local
extinction, and the eastern bluebird has returned to nest in
the North Branch savannas; and
WHEREAS, The Forest Preserves of Cook County, with nearly
70,000 acres, is the largest forest preserve district in the
United States; within its boundaries are rare habitats that
offer plant and animal diversity on par with the rainforests of

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the world; more than 20 years ago, the District became the
first agency in a major metropolitan area to monitor urban
wildlife that carries West Nile, Lyme disease, rabies, and
avian influenza; as a result, the District's Wildlife Research
Center now has a world renowned data set utilized by the
Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and
many universities; and
WHEREAS, The Centennial Volunteers were established in
2015 and are a part of a community of like-minded individuals
who help restore the Chicago River system and make a tangible
difference to the environment; volunteers are trained by
experts in restoration and resource management and are involved
in regular volunteer days on the weekends throughout the year;
they lead activities for nine sites on volunteer days and
during other special events; and
WHEREAS, The Friends of the Forest Preserves was founded in
1989, and its mission is to be "the voice of a diverse
community inspiring and organizing people to protect, restore,
and expand the forest preserves in Cook County"; the Friends of
the Forest Preserves helped develop the Next Century
Conservation Plan, an ambitious blueprint to make Cook County a
national leader in urban conservation, and now plays a
leadership role in the plan's implementation; the organization
also played an instrumental role in developing the Conservation

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Corps, a program that provides high school students and young
adults with hands-on conservation projects to help restore
land, including raising more than $5 million in support, which
made it possible to engage more than 950 young people who have
helped care for and improve over 1,000 acres of Forest
Preserves' land; and
WHEREAS, The North Branch Restoration Project, the
Centennial Volunteers, and the Friends of Forest Preserves are
exemplary community partners with the Forest Preserves of Cook
County and support and train a vast network of volunteers to
help steward the woodlands, savannas, wetlands, and prairies
across 70,000 acres of preserves; the value of the volunteers'
efforts extends beyond the borders of the forest preserve
property, as volunteers enjoy the physical and mental health
benefits of spending time in nature among a supportive,
friendly community of people, and the neighborhoods receive the
environmental benefits of clean air, stormwater retention, and
beautiful spaces to get outdoors to relax and play; therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we commend the North Branch Restoration Project, the Centennial
Volunteers Program, and the Friends of the Forest Preserves and
their efforts to restore the forest preserves, congratulate

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them on their success, and applaud the Forest Preserves of Cook
County's commitment to encouraging and supporting volunteer
efforts; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
presented to the North Branch Restoration Project, the
Centennial Volunteers Program, the Friends of the Forest
Preserves, and the Forest Preserves of Cook County as an
expression of our esteem and respect.