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PROPOSED GRANT AWARD
Department: Department of Resource Management
Grantee: Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Forest Preserves”)
Grantor: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”)
Request: Authorization to accept grant
Purpose: Authorization is sought for the Forest Preserves to accept a grant and enter into a grant agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore and enhance 51 acres of habitat and support a variety of community engagement activities at Bemis Woods.
Grant Amount: $135,500.00
Grant Period: 9/11/2026 (retroactive) - 9/30/2029
Fiscal Impact: Not to exceed $136,500.00 in direct match, which includes $10,000.00 of in-kind support for a variety of wildlife monitoring, prescribed burns, and volunteer engagement activities undertaken in association with the project.
Accounts: Professional Services 51037.520840; Grant and Mitigation 51010.521444 and 51010.520840; and all future Professional Services and Grant and Mitigation accounts
Concurrences: The Chief Financial Officer has approved this item. Final agreement is subject to legal review and approval.
District(s): 17
Summary: The Forest Preserves has been awarded federal grant funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (#F25AC02387-00) under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program to support habitat restoration and collaborative community engagement activities at Bemis Woods in central Cook County. Restoration activities will include 51 acres of invasive brush removal and tree thinning, accompanied by revegetation efforts featuring localized seed collection and dispersal, and oak propagation in partnership with the Chicago Botanic Garden.
This project builds upon a previously funded USFWS grant at the site (See Board Item No. 24-0092) and continues collaborative community engagement work launched during the first phase. The Forest Preserves will continue its partnership with the Chicago Bird Alliance to lead four (4) nature walks during the project period, as well as involve local stewardship and community science volunteers in frog monitoring and seed collecting workdays.
Bemis Woods, located near the Village of Western Springs, contains an assemblage of woodland and floodplain forest interspersed with scattered wetlands supporting regionally important wildlife, plants, and pollinators. The proposed work is intended to promote native oak regeneration and open migratory corridors within the Salt Creek watershed. This project advances the goals of the Next Century Conservation Plan and the Natural and Cultural Resources Master Plan, which identified the Salt Creek preserves, including Bemis Woods, as the sixth-highest priority landscape for conservation and ecological restoration.
Total project costs are $272,000.00, of which the Forest Preserves will contribute $136,500.00 or approximately 50% in direct match.
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