The Forest Preserve Foundation dedicates energy and resources needed to connect people with nature in Cook County. This grant builds upon previous work at the Shoe Factory Nature Preserve in Hoffman Estates – funded, in part, by the Oberweiler Foundation. Shoe Factory is one of Illinois’ oldest and most biologically significant nature preserves receiving 15,000 to 20,000 visitors each year. The small site provides habitat for rare plants and insects including little bluestem, northern dropseed, porcupine grass and over 100 other prairie species. Vulnerable to encroachment, the site is in need of care including the removal of trees shading out the prairie and reseeding.