The Friends Receive Triple Matching Grant from Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
ICECF has awarded the Friends a grant valued up to $27,000 for stewardship expenses and expanding volunteer support. Contributions to FGBT will be matched 3-1 up to $21,000 for site preparation, tree and plant purchases and installation on the challenging slope located between Woodlawn and Scott Avenues. An additional$6,000 will be provided when volunteer hour targets for work on the trail and social media are met.
Your donation sets us on the path to 3x more!
- $1,000 makes you a Trailblazer
- $500 buys a native tree
- $200 buys a large native shrub
- $100 buys a flat of wildflower plugs
Friday Fun Facts – Did you know?
2020 - What a Year It Was!
2020 marked FGBT’s 10th anniversary of restoring the Green Bay Trail. With the arrival of COVID, trail use surged as visitors turned to it for exercise and respite. Users enjoyed a wide variety of recreational pursuits in its safe environment. With dedicated volunteer and donor support, we accomplished far more than could have been forecasted.
THANK YOU!
- 23 safe socially distanced trail work days were held with support of our growing volunteer base.
- More than 3,800 volunteer hours supported trail work and activities.
- Four seed cleaning events produced 31 lbs of seeds, representing 55 native plant species and 15.3 million seeds, to spread on the trail.
- With grant support from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, two permanent interpretive signs featuring biodiversity and bees were installed on the trail south of South Ave.
- The Monarch Hatchery remained a favorite site to witness the metamorphosis of butterflies. 31 butterflies were hatched and released.
- Three community programs featuring bats, coyotes, and Biomimicry were held prior to the COVID shutdown, but we had to cancel our annual summer and winter Solstice events and the 10th anniversary Buckthorn Barbecue.
- A Photo Contest featuring the trail’s beauty and safe recreational environment yielded 279 photos submitted by 128 photographers. More than 1,600 votes were cast to select the 12 winners. View the beautiful photos on the FGBT website.
- A trail video and slide show were produced to feature the trail’s restoration and opportunities to “Refresh, Relax and Restore”.
- Stewardship continues from South to Scott Aves. with the professional guidance of a restoration ecologist.
We continue to strive to keep the trail a natural site for recreation, exploration and enjoyment. We look forward to returning to our much-enjoyed annual programs and events. Explore our website, Facebook, and Instagram sites for updated information.
New Videos!
We are pleased to showcase two videos in the Gallery – “A Gem in Our Community” and “Restoring Nature’s Beauty.”
What we do
We are environmental stewards of the Green Bay Trail, restoring a natural, prairie eco-system. Our goal is to make the trail a national example of the healthy intersection of nature and culture that inspires community and individual well-being. LEARN MORE
