Northwest Cook County Group

Northwest Cook County Group of the Illinois Sierra Club

The NWCCG is an all-volunteer local group of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club. When you join Sierra Club you are automatically a member of the local group. The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. We have approximately 2,000 members in the northwest suburbs of Cook County. The boundaries for our group include Arlington Heights, Barrington, Bartlett, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Mt Prospect, Palatine, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, South Barrington, Streamwood and Wheeling. Please consider joining us on an outing or attending one of our programs or events to find out how you can become active about something you care about.

June Program Meeting: Annual Sunset Hike

Time: 6/13/2024 @ 7:00 PM

Location: Spring Valley Nature Center; Heritage Farm, 1111 E Schaumburg Rd, Schaumburg, IL (In-Person Only)

With warm weather setting in join us for a hike at Spring Valley. The hike will be a casual 1-mile stroll through Spring Valley to take in the beauty of early summer— the wildflowers, the birds, and all of the other natural beauties at the nature center. As the walk takes place near dusk, there is always the chance to observe more elusive wildlife, like deer, as well.
Dave Brooks, the manager at Spring Valley, will be leading the hike. He is an avid outdoorsman. Whether camping, canoeing, or hiking, Dave takes pleasure in sharing the beauty of the natural world and teaching others about the fascinating and intricate relationships that exist among plants and animals.
Come enjoy beautiful nature in the evening at our local park. This will be NWCC group's last monthly program meeting until our regular schedule resumes in September. Hope you all will join the trips and outdoor activities hosted by Outings Group for the summer!

Upcoming Event:

Climate Action Lobby Day 2024

On May 9th, over 300 people from all over Illinois gathered at the state capitol in Springfield to advocate for positive environmental change.
Groups of activists met with their representatives, and encouraged them to support and even co-sponsor four promising environmental legislation:
The Clean and Reliable Grid Act (SB3637) - This act focuses on improving transmission infrastructure, and working toward making our energy both more renewable and affordable.
The Clean and Equitable Transportation Act (HB5829) - This act works toward proposing solutions to reduce greenhouse gases and emissions caused by transportation, while also implementing transportation restructuring to benefit low-income and other vulnerable populations.
The Clean and Healthy Buildings Act (HB5835) - This act aims to reduce hazardous emissions produced in our homes by gas appliances, which are both a hazard to the environment and to the health of our families.
The Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage Protections Act (HB5814) -This act calls for regulations, safety measures, and oversight for the CO₂ pipelines that are going to be built in Illinois.
We encourage you to look up and educate yourself on these acts and others like them, and to contact your representatives to voice your opinion on these or any other pieces of legislation you believe in!

Backpacking & Outing Events

North Manitou Island Backpack Trip
Date & Time: Thursday, June 6th, 9pm - Monday, June 10th, 2pm
Location: VXR4+MV DHD Group Campground, Glen Arbor, MI 49636
Join us for a 4-day leisurely backpack and swim in the pristine wilderness of North Manitou Island part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Minimal, recent backpacking experience required. Notable features include ruins, eagles, deer, sandy dunes and orchards. Limit: 15. Deposit is the cost of the trip $75, which includes most meals, park & camping fees and other trip expenses. Call the assistant leader Scott Etienne 847-269-3143. The leader is Erik Sander.
For more information or registration, go here.
Backpacking Kettle Moraine Northern Unit
Date & Time: Friday, October 4th, 6pm - Sunday, October 6th, 2:30pm
Location: VXR4+MV DHD Group Campground, Glen Arbor, MI 49636
This backpack will be a moderate to vigorous hike through a section of the Ice Age Trail through Kettle Moraine State Forest - North Unit (KM-N) from Butler Lake to the trailhead to the north.
For more information or registration, go here.

Looking for Volunteers!

Want to help us out?
If you're interested in working with us at the Sierra Club to make what we do possible, we're currently looking for a social media / digital marketing manager to volunteer with us!
As this is a nonprofit organization run primarily by volunteers like me (and potentially you), this is not a paid position, but instead a volunteer opportunity.
If interested, contact us at nwccsierraclub@gmail.com

At Risk Natural Spaces

Do you know of any local (NW Cook County) natural space- prairie, wetland, marsh, or similar- that is at risk? Please let us know by emailing nwccsierraclub@gmail.com