2005: The Year in Pictures

Saving the Middlefork Savanna

To the south, the Dalitsch property and a proposal for a big new Costco. To the north, one of the most significant parcels of North American savanna in existence, threatened by drainage from the proposed Costco. As tempers and voices rose over the summer, it was the calm presence of Lake Forest Open Lands -- to say nothing of our expertise in crafting land conservation solutions -- that helped save the day. We worked behind the scenes with a coalition of private donors and corporations -- including the Chicago Bears -- to add acreage to the savanna, instead of a Costco. Go Bears! Go Open Lands!

Earth Day: Rachel Carson play

Accomplished actress Kaiulani Lee performed "A Sense of Wonder" at the Gorton Community Center, which co-hosted this event with us. More people attended than at any previous Earth Day event.

Earth Day: Plant Sale at Mellody Farm

Wintry temperatures and blustery wind could not keep away the avid gardeners who showed up to buy plants at our highly successful plant sale.

Conservation Scientist Addresses Annual Meeting

David Lentz, Vice-President of Scientific Affairs and Senior Scientist with the Chicago Botanic Garden, spoke on the future of conservation science. Our annual meeting took place at the Onwentsia Club on May 7 and was well attended.

Dog Day

As usual, this merry event delivered smiles and appreciative woofs to the many dog-owners and their animals who attended on May 15.

Lake Forest Day Parade

This year our Associate Board outdid themselves with their amazing and wonderful float around the theme, "This Land is Your Land." Shades of Woody Guthrie! 

Bagpipes & Bonfire

This perennial favorite continues as one of our most favorite events of the entire year. This year's revenue topped that of all previous years. Let the pipes sound! 

Witches Walk

A little rain doesn't scare away spooks and goblins! From Mother Nature to the Scary Trail, the organizers of this annual event did a fantastic job.

Notice our new look?

We've been working to polish the look of our printed materials and merchandise so that our events and our work can more readily be identified within the Lake Forest community. We've also been sending our expanded eight-page newsletter to every household in Lake Forest. Feel free to download it from the home page of our Website at lfola.org.

And that's not all!

We continue to grow and develop as a leader in the land conservation movement nationwide. Thanks to strategic planning and skilled leadership, we have been able to mentor other groups and continue to advance our own knowledge and experience. This past year saw the launch of our every-five-year strategic planning process; the expansion of our education programs in the public schools with a new fifth-grade module; staff attendance at the national Land Trust Rally (conference) held in Madison, Wisconsin in October; and the acquisition of two additional donations of land. Our online annual report has more details and can be downloaded from our home page at lfola.org.

We look forward to a busy, productive, and environmentally sound 2006!