West Ridge Nature Park Advisory Council (PAC)
West Ridge Nature Park Advisory Council (PAC)

Chicago Park District
Chicago Park District
Thank You Dow Packaging
Thank You Dow Packaging
Dow Packaging Provides Plant Plugs and Volunteer Workers
Dow Packaging Provides Plant Plugs and Volunteer Workers
On June 1, we took a major step toward making our nature preserve a northside ecological showcase. Eighteen volunteers from Dow Packaging brought and planted 1,200 donated plugs of native savanna and woodland plants.
Many of these plants went into the area that now borders the gravel road – an area that used to be a major dumping site for the cemetery. An eight foot tall monoculture of invasive white sweet clover sprawled over everything.
Now that the Chicago Park District and volunteers like Dow Packaging are weaving their magic, this savanna is no longer an ecological desert. We have received positive comments from local residents who remember the way things were. They are enthralled with the progress.



Thank You Starbucks
Thank You Starbucks
Starbucks Volunteer Workday Becomes Annual Event
Starbucks Volunteer Workday Becomes Annual Event
Starbuck’s volunteer workday at West Ridge Nature Preserve has become an annual event. On April 17, sixteen volunteers cleared out a half ton of rubble (a never ending task), They also reinstalled a temporary fence in the Nature Play Area, protecting the culturally sensitive area.


Weeding of the stream bank improved water clarity and flow.
And remounting of the last StoryWalk kiosk on a new study post (donation from Alderman Patrick O’Conner) will hopefully make it vandal proof.

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Go to 2017 Volunteers