Laona Heights Sugar River Colored Sands Sugar River Two Rivers Ferguson Hartley Memorial Trask Bridge Four Lakes Pecatonica River Pecatonica Wetlands Crooked River Grove Creek Seward Bluffs Klehm Forest Preserve Severson Dells Fuller Memorial Cedar Cliff Indian Hill Hinchliff Memorial Kilbuck Bluffs Trailside Kishwaukee Gorge South Kishwaukee Gorge North Rockford Rotary Kishwaukee River Oak Ridge Blackhawk Springs Deer Run Espenscheid Memorial McKiski County Line Kieselburg Roland Olson Stone Bridge Clayton Andrews Ledges Hononegah J. Norman Jensen Millrace Isle Macktown Atwood Homestead Forest Preserve Headquarters

Regional Award for Excellence in Ecological Restoration

In December 2014, FPWC received regional recognition for excellence in ecological restoration. FPWC was one of ten organizations accredited after an intensive application, assessment, and site evaluation by the Chicago Wilderness Excellence in Ecological Restoration Program. The silver accreditation was awarded in recognition of the highly successful multi-year habitat restoration at Deer Run and Oak Ridge Forest Preserves which now support hundreds of native plant and animal species. “This award is a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on the success we have achieved in restoring and managing high quality habitat within the forest preserves,” said Mike Holan, FPWC Executive Director. Mike Groves, FPWC Manager of Natural Resources, explains, “we nominated the Oak Ridge/Deer Run site for recognition because the restoration best practices we have implemented here have been tremendously effective in protecting the native plants and animals in this critical area at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kishwaukee River; one of the highest quality streams in the state.”