THE JEAN AND JOHN Greene Nature Preserve—named in honor of its generous benefactors—has been years in the making.

“We’re really excited and incredibly appreciative of the community’s patience,” says Lake Forest Open Lands Association (LFOLA) President Ryan London, standing among the acres of jewel-toned trees that fill the majestic McCormick Ravine. “This process took longer than we expected and Covid didn’t do us any favors either. But we’re thrilled to be at the point where we can soon welcome visitors to this beautiful site.”

Once upon a time, the Lake Michigan coastal zone was one of the most diverse natural systems in the Illinois landscape. As development diminished coastland habitat, McCormick Ravine remained relatively intact, able to retain pockets of natural communities which support rare, state listed species. However, over decades portions of this largely forgotten landscape declined and needed attention to restore the habitat and improve water quality.

Enter Lake Forest Open Lands.

Since its establishment in 1967, the organization has permanently preserved, restored, and maintained more than 900 acres of local native landscapes including prairies, savannas, woodlands, wetlands, and ravines for the benefit and enjoyment of the local communities. There are over 14 miles of walking trails that are open to the public year-round. Considered a leader among land trusts, Lake Forest Open Lands often serves as a resource to other emerging conservation groups in communities nationwide. In 2009, Lake Forest Open Lands became the first Illinois land trust to be accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, a mark of distinction in land conservation.

Recognizing McCormick’s natural value and potential, LFOLA began its partnership with the City of Lake Forest in 1975 to study and help manage the ravine. This long-standing relationship led the way for the group to secure the ravine’s permanent protection and restoration. In May 2015, Lake Forest’s City Council approved a land exchange, transferring the preserve to LFOLA in exchange for Veterans Park, and a commitment by LFOLA to secure significant private funding to allow them to participate in the U.S. Army Corp’s Great Lakes Fishery & Ecosystem Restoration project, and to build the infrastructure of a public nature preserve.

LFOLA officially acquired the property in 2019, quickly assembled an award-winning design team and immediately began the engineering for the much-needed accessibility into this community gem. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit soon after—delaying the permitting and preventing breaking ground until September 2021.

“We knew from the start this site was so special, so unique, and so rare that we had to have an approach that had a light touch, was sustainable, and was going to deliver something that was functional from the start. We didn’t want to be years into this project and have to go back and undo something,” explains London. “This type of approach takes time.”

Under the watchful eye of London, LFOLA embarked on reconnecting the McCormick Ravine with Lake Michigan. LFOLA has improved the ravine’s hydrology and water quality by removing failed drainage systems and a dam, managing storm water entering the ravine, and stabilizing the slopes by replacing invasive plants with native ones (over 100,000 new plants). Stone riffles, step pools, and cascades were also added to increase fish, amphibian, and reptile habitat. The Jean and John Greene Nature Preserve also has new trails, educational signage, boardwalks, stairs, benches with panoramic views, and a show-stopping,120-foot suspension bridge. LFOLA has worked with John Keno and Company, a local construction business, on all of the work that has taken place in the ravine – moving over 30 million pounds of stone over the last seven years.

“In essence, we’ve been able to do the impossible— create another world class LFOLA nature preserve located at the most challenging and ecologically sensitive site in town,” London says.

LFOLA is an independently funded conservation and educational organization devoted to the acquisition and stewardship of its natural landscapes, and to ensuring all generations have a meaningful, lasting connection to nature and to the land. It strives to engage and expand the community’s commitment to the preservation and conservation of the community’s historic and highly unique natural landscapes.

“We are hoping that people will make the Greene Nature Preserve at McCormick Ravine a destination community members want to come and visit, learn about why ravines are important, and be inspired to take what we’ve learned home to their own backyards,” adds London. “We’re doing our best to ensure that people of all ages and abilities can come and enjoy it.”

To this end, LFOLA—in partnership with the Wisconsin nonprofit Access Ability Wisconsin— will have an all-terrain electric wheelchair that can be reserved through the LFOLA website so that people with temporary or permanent mobility issues can still visit the entire site.

“We will provide universal access to our visitors, which doesn’t make us completely ADA compliant, but pretty darn close,” London says. “We are the very first to have access to one of these motorized all-terrain outdoor wheelchairs in Illinois.”

When asked if he has any concerns about LFOLA maintaining the preserve they have worked so hard to restore, London is quick to answer.

“Stewardship is what LFOLA does best,” he says. “Our talented ecologists work hand in hand with our dedicated volunteers who devote thousands of hours every year doing this work. And our expert educators cultivate the community’s understanding of why open spaces are important. This new preserve is a wonderful opportunity to engage even more people in experiencing our community’s nature. At LFOLA, we believe nature needs us as much as we need it.”

To learn more about accessing the Jean and John Greene Nature Preserve at McCormick Ravine and how you might become involved with LFOLA, visit lfola.org.