Another example of our advocacy work is the Open Space Plan. The Open Space Plan was developed by Friends, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and a host of other stakeholders as a tool for protecting open space in the northern suburbs. The protection of open space is important with regards to the Chicago River because it helps protect wildlife habitat, and also helps reduce stormwater runoff pollution, flooding, and erosion.

Every parcel of open space in the northern suburbs is outlined and classifies by importance of goals such as habitat protection and stormwater management.

The ground-breaking Open Space Plan was composed in 2004 as a tool for municipalities and planning agencies in the rapidly urbanizing northern suburbs of the Chicago River watershed. It outlines every parcel of open space in the northern suburbs and classifies them by importance in terms of specific goals such as habitat protection and stormwater management. The plan was created so that it is adaptable to many different focuses. For example, one organization can apply it to habitat protection while another can focus on flood reduction. It has already been used by municipalities to guarantee that as development occurs, it occurs responsibly.

Friends’ manager of watershed program, John Quail, leads this effort. His contact information can be found at the contact page.