The Chicago metropolitan region contains complicated trail systems which start and stop in haphazard ways. These Green Legacy Projects took steps in the Centennial year toward closing the critical gaps in key trails throughout the region:
Burnham Greenway Gap
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Of all the Green Legacy projects, perhaps none could be more productive in bringing together unconnected green infrastructure than closing the Burnham Greenway gap—the missing link in a crossroads of several trails of regional, state and national significance. [MORE]
Calumet-Sag Trail
Federal, state and local intergovernmental collaboration and community support crystallized for the 26-mile Calumet-Sag Trail during the Burnham Plan Centennial. [MORE]
Des Plaines River Trail/Liberty Prairie Reserve Connection
Lake County Forest Preserves
Planning efforts by the Lake County Forest Preserve District are focused on fixing a key gap in the regional trail system by creating a new trail connection linking the 32-mile Des Plaines River Trail with the 5,800-acre public-private Liberty Prairie Reserve in the Grayslake area. [MORE]
Fox River Trail
City of Aurora
One of the Burnham Plan Centennial principles for green infrastructure is to connect us to our rivers and streams. Another Green Legacy goal is to complete our region’s trail system. [MORE]
Marquette Greenway Trail
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission
The 50-mile Marquette Greenway Trail will eventually link communities, major parks and a wide variety of cultural, natural and economic assets. [MORE]
Old Plank Road Trail
Forest Preserve District of Will County
In the works for years, the 21-mile Old Plank Road Trail into Joliet was finally completed during the Centennial by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. [MORE]
Rock Run Greenway
Forest Preserve District of Will County
Theodore Marsh—the last unprotected gap in the nine-mile Rock Run Greenway in the Joliet-Lockport area—was acquired during the Centennial by the Forest Preserve of Will County. [MORE]
View All Green Legacy Projects
The Centennial was a catalyst for realizing Burnham’s vision for a region-wide system of parks and open space.
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Openlands took the lead in working with land management partners to advance a series of Green Legacy Projects that celebrate the lasting influence of Burnham Plan principles and provide a new set of directions.
[View All Openlands Projects]
Watch video by Clarion New Media for more information on Green Legacy projects
The Burnham Blog
To read all blog postings by Patrick T. Reardon related to the Green Legacy projects, click here.
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