Preservation Foundation uses monetary donations to enhance Lake County Forest Preserves

By Kim Mikus

Lake County Forest Preserves

A scenic overlook on the Fox River, expansion of a native seed nursery, and growing the Blanding's turtle population are examples of ways the Preservation Foundation has helped advance the work of the Lake County Forest Preserves.

As executive director of the Preservation Foundation, the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves, Rebekah Snyder oversees the independent, 501c3 nonprofit organization. The foundation is involved in projects of all sizes that support forest preserve priorities.

Snyder's role includes working with donors who may give cash, stock or real estate, or make a gift through their will. They may fund the conservation of a historic object in the Dunn Museum collection or a field trip for a school in a low-income community.

"Giving is an act of love. As such, the main commonality among foundation donors is their love of the forest preserves' mission and vision, and their trust in the organization," she said.

I asked Snyder a few questions about the foundation, its mission and goals.

Q: What is the Preservation Foundation and why is it critical to the future of the Lake County Forest Preserves?

A: The Preservation Foundation supports the growth, development and sustainability of our county's natural areas and cultural heritage. Donations to the foundation help extend and accelerate the projects and priorities of the forest preserves that might otherwise go unfunded or be impossible to implement without private funds.

Q: What are a couple of projects recently funded by the foundation?

A: A recent $4,500 grant supported the Latinx Community Engagement Project, which allowed the Dunn Museum in Libertyville to partner with the College of Lake County to gather stories and photographs of families that have moved here from Latin America.

This helped us better understand their journey and the life they created in Lake County, as well as grow representation of these ethnicities within the museum's collections.

The restoration of Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside is an example of a much larger, multiyear project. Since 2016, one donor has given gifts totaling more than $1.1 million to restore hundreds of acres of land within this 1,226-acre preserve. This project was awarded an additional $216,000 grant from a national conservation funder.

Q: What's the profile of a typical donor?

A: There is no typical donor. Our donors range in age from 4 to 94. They may give $3 or $300,000. They may be an individual, an international corporation, or a local small business. Many live in Lake County, but this year our donors came from 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada.

Q: People can also give their time to the forest preserves as a volunteer. What type of opportunities are available?

A: Thousands of people give the gift of their time and talent to help the forest preserves every year. They lead fishing camps, plant native gardens, monitor wildlife, improve the health of the Des Plaines River, and assist at the Dunn Museum. In 2018, 1,921 volunteers gave 24,910 hours.

Q: The Lake County Forest Preserves receives most of its funding through property taxes. How does the foundation help extend the forest preserves' mission?

A: The foundation receives grants, gifts, sponsorships and donations from individuals, businesses and corporations that help supplement and expand the limited financial resources of the forest preserves. New program initiatives that do not have adequate funding, or large-scale projects that may take many years and millions of dollars to complete, become possible through private donations.

Q: Tell us about a key grant project for which the foundation helped secure funds?

A: The Native Seed Nursery is located within Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve in Grayslake. Staff and volunteers there help collect, clean, process and propagate rare seeds.

In 2018, a Preservation Foundation Annual Fund grant - matched by funds from the Lake County Forest Preserves and Citizens for Conservation - provided for the addition of a full-time seed technician over the next three years in order to scale up this important work.

Q: As 2019 comes to a close, tell us about the end of the year giving campaign.

A: At this time of year, one of our biggest priorities is to meet our goal for the Annual Fund, which provides support for immediate needs that might otherwise go unmet. We are working to raise $162,000 by Dec. 31. Gifts of all sizes are meaningful and help support a variety of important programs.

Previous Annual Fund grants supported projects such as Conservation Explorers, a summer program for rising ninth-graders that focuses on conservation and stewardship; an initiative to reintroduce critically rare plants into various forest preserves; and a study on the health of Lake County's Blanding's turtle populations.

Q: How and when did the Preservation Foundation get its start?

A: Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Lake County Forest Preserves benefited from a steady flow of charitable donations.

The Forest Preserves established the Development Division in 2006 and the Preservation Foundation in 2007 in order to professionalize fundraising. Because development staff is employed by the forest preserves, all donations raised through the foundation can go directly to programs and projects.

Like other charitable organizations, the foundation is governed by a board of directors, which currently has 13 members comprising civic, community and business leaders from across Lake County. They guide the foundation's mission and approve grants, the annual fundraising plan and budget, and other administrative actions.

Q: What is an endowment?

A: An endowment provides an organization with a steady, long-term source of support. When a donor makes a gift to an endowment, the original donation is not expended. Rather, it is invested according to the organization's policies, and only a portion of the investment return is expended.

Q: What is a named endowment?

A: In late 2018, the foundation received its first named endowment in memory of Derek Harms, a Barrington college student who passed away in April 2018. The Winona State University student held a deep passion for the outdoors, so it is fitting that the memorial at Grassy Lake Forest Preserve, featuring a bench and trees, overlooks the Fox River.

The Derek Harms Endowed Fund for Grassy Lake will live on forever, with the proceeds from the gift ensuring the care of Grassy Lake in perpetuity. It is our hope that the location of the Riverwoods Scenic Overlook brings a measure of peace and comfort for all who loved Derek.

Q: Are there upcoming goals for 2020?

A: Recently, the Lake County Forest Preserves established a goal to raise $20 million in endowment funds by the end of 2025. The endowment fund will provide a long-term, sustainable source of funding for annual tree planting and reforestation, and to ensure that the organization has the funding it needs to maintain the tens of thousands of acres of restored lands all across Lake County.

The endowment will also provide a steady source of annual matching funds necessary to securing outside grants and donations in order to further advance projects.

To support this major endowment campaign, and maintain the critical support the foundation provides for programs and through the Annual Fund, we will also focus on attracting new donors at every level, and on recruiting and engaging new members of the foundation's board and committees.

Q: Are there other ways individuals and families can help support the ongoing work of the Lake County Forest Preserves?

A: Donors can support the care of trails and preserves through the Adopt-a-Mile or Adopt-an-Acre programs or give to habitat restoration, wildlife preservation or the Dunn Museum.

Education programs such as Gateways Grants and the Green Youth Farm all depend on charitable gifts at every level.

The Adopt-a-Turtle program helps Blanding's turtles thrive in Lake County. With a gift of $120, Turtle Champions can name a baby turtle, reared in the forest preserves' head-starting program. They're also invited to an annual Turtle Tour to meet their turtle and learn about the program. Turtle Champions also receive updates and notifications when their turtle is released into the wild.

Through the commemorative tree and bench program, donors can create a special memory, celebrate an anniversary, commemorate the birth of a child, or honor the memory of a loved one.

Learn more about giving opportunities at LCFPD.org/donate or call (847) 968-3110.

• Kim Mikus is a communications specialist for the Lake County Forest Preserves. She writes a bimonthly column about various aspects of the preserves. Contact her with ideas or questions at kmikuscroke@LCFPD.org. Connect with the Lake County Forest Preserves on social media @LCFPD.

About Rebekah Snyder

Rebekah Snyder grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by cornfields and very few natural areas. When she moved to the Chicago region for college, she was stunned by the quality and abundance of forest preserves, parks, and public lands along the lakeshore and knew she wanted to work in the field of conservation.

Armed with an undergraduate degree in environmental science from Northwestern and a master’s degree in environmental studies from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, she started her career in philanthropy at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Snyder, of Vernon Hills, joined the Lake County Forest Preserves nearly eight years ago as chief development officer. Snyder and her team are responsible for raising charitable support from individuals, companies, foundations and government agencies.

Snyder also serves as executive director of the Preservation Foundation, an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization and the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves. In this role, she oversees the grant-making process, financial activities of the foundation, and manages the foundation board and committees.

“In my philanthropy career, I have been fortunate to find interesting and challenging positions in conservation,” Snyder said, “and to be a part of what makes this area of Illinois a wonderful place to live.”