LaBagh Woods benefits from organizations who work to improve its heath and make it more available and accessible. 

North Branch Restoration Project

Volunteers are a key part of the story at LaBagh Wood and literally thousands of hours have been logged by the North Branch Restoration Project, an all-volunteer organization who has been restoring forest preserve sites for over 50 years. 

The North Branch Restoration Project has an enormous impact on the forest preserves and is considered a model for volunteer stewardship and ecological restoration across the country. Since 2016, over 200 restorations events and more than 2,000 volunteers have helped plant over 3,000 native shrubs and trees. There is a 70% survival rating of the planting.

Centennial Volunteers

A coalition of organizations—including Friends of the Chicago River, Audubon Chicago Region, North Branch Restoration Project, Friends of the Forest Preserves, The Field Museum, and the Forest Preserves of Cook County—established the Centennial Volunteers in 2014 to mark the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s 100th anniversary.

The Centennial Volunteers conduct ecological restoration projects at LaBagh Woods and eight other locations in the Chicago and Calumet river basins. One of the main goals of the initiative is to engage 6,000 volunteers, inspiring individuals to become dedicated site stewards and volunteers for the Forest Preserves.

Chicago Ornithological Society   

The Chicago Ornithological Society (COS) promotes the appreciation and conservation of birds throughout the Chicago region. Along with other conservation-minded partners, the COS is a leader in the LaBagh Woods North Branch Restoration Project.

Forest Preserves of Cook County

LaBagh Woods is only a fraction of the nearly 70,000 acres within the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Established in 1915 to preserve and protect natural lands for the enjoyment and education of the public, the Forest Preserves include not only forests, but prairies, wetlands, and other natural landscapes—including some of the rarest and highest quality ecosystems in Illinois. Find their website here.