Thatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project collection, Bulk, 1990-2011

  • IdentificationThat12
  • TitleThatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project collection That12
  • PublisherSpecial Collections
  • LanguageEnglish
  • RepositorySpecial Collections
  • Physical Description0.5 linear foot
  • Date
    • Bulk, 1990-2011
    • 1933-2011
  • AbstractFormed in June of 1990, the Thatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project is an volunteer organization working to restore the ecosystem of three land parcels (Thatcher Woods) held by the Cook County Forest Preserve District.
  • Origination
    • Guarino, Jean
    • Guarino, Victor

The Thatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project (TWSRP), a community-based, volunteer ecological restoration group, was formed in June 1990 to save Thatcher Woods’ natural habitat from invasive plant species. Thatcher Woods, Grand Army of the Republic Woods, and Thomas Jefferson Woods, known collectively as Thatcher Woods, encompass a natural floodplain forest, upland forest, savanna, and prairie in River Forest, Illinois. The TWSRP operates within the Volunteer Stewardship network in cooperation with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

Stewards of the TWSRP compile reports on the status of the preserve for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and The Nature Conservancy. Other stewardship activities include invasive species control, fire reintroduction, and habitat restoration. Initial TWSRP stewards included Debby Horowitz, John Kelly, and Victor Guarino. Jean Guarino was a coordinator and a later Steward, in addition to writing newspaper articles and correspondence found in the collection.

Some issues that the TWSRP have taken an interest in include: the Tunnel and Resevoir Plan ("Deep Tunnel Project" or "Chicago Deep Tunnel"), invasion of exotic plants, competition with recreationists, landscape debris, litter, and safety. Thatcher Woods is located in a highly populated region west of Chicago. As such, major local roads and a railroad line pass-through the land, while multiple landlocked institutions are in close proximity. This collection includes documentary evidence of multiple disagreements regarding land use between TWSRP and other parties, including a land dispute with Dominican University.

This collection features correspondence, maps, meeting notes, newspaper clippings, photographs, and plans, for the Thatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project.

Thatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Names
    • Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois (Ill.).
    • Guarino, Jean
    • Guarino, Victor
    • Thatcher Woods.
  • Subject
    • Chicago Community Organizations.
    • Community organization.
    • Forest reserves.
    • Forest restoration.
  • Geographic Coverage
    • Illinois--Chicago.
    • Illinois--Cook County.