Founded: 

1996

Year Hutchinson Medal awarded:

2010

Chicago Wilderness is a large regional conservation alliance dedicated to protecting and restoring the natural ecosystems of the greater Chicago region. Established as a collaborative response to widespread ecological degradation, the alliance unites more than 250 partner organizations across four states to advance biodiversity, sustainability, and ecological resilience. The Chicago Wilderness region encompasses more than 225,000 acres of protected land, including county preserves, state parks, federal lands, and private natural areas..

Key Contributions: 

Since its founding, the alliance and its partners have undertaken more than 180 collaborative projects, including:

• Developing a regional monitoring plan
• Producing an Atlas of Biodiversity (more than 30,000 copies distributed)
• Establishing the Mighty Acorns youth stewardship program (8,000+ students annually)
• Creating a Green Infrastructure Map to guide sustainable development
• Training over 200 people in prescribed burning protocols