Lake County Forest Preserve District

Lake County Forest Preserve District, a local government entity headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, functions as a federal grant recipient focused on habitat restoration, invasive species management, and ecological stewardship across northeastern Illinois. The District operates as a prime recipient on 86% of its recent awards and holds secondary sub-recipient roles on 14%, with twelve of fourteen total awards issued as federal grants rather than contracts.

The District's customer concentration is narrow and concentrated in environmental and natural-resource agencies. The top five customers, accounting for 64% of recent awards, are led by the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 (four awards), the Department of Agriculture Forest Service (two awards in Region 9 and one at the Washington Office), and the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (one award). Combined dollars obligated across all fourteen awards total $2.8 million, reflecting grant-based funding rather than contract volume.

Capability work centers on invasive species removal, native habitat restoration, and ecological resilience enhancement. Representative prime-recipient work includes a $150,000 cooperative agreement with EPA Region 5 under the Geographic Programs – Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (CFDA 66.469), effective through August 2028, to conduct mechanical and chemical invasive species treatments across approximately 150 acres at Hosah Prairie, Illinois Beach State Park, Spring Bluff Forest Preserve, and Waukegan Dunes in the Illinois Lake Plain RAMSAR ecosystem. A $489,897 cooperative agreement with DOI Fish and Wildlife Service under the Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) running through December 2026 supports habitat restoration and native vegetation establishment across 112 acres of upland, wetland, prairie, and oak savanna at Greenbelt Forest Preserve, targeting state and federally listed species including the rusty patched bumble bee and smooth green snake. A prior cooperative agreement with DOI FWS Region 3 (January 2022 through December 2024) supported habitat restoration across 43 acres of Greenbelt Forest Preserve and stewardship outreach to a regional population of 120,000 residents.

The District also receives project grants from cultural and heritage agencies. An Institute of Museum and Library Services project grant (September 2024 through August 2026) supports the Bess Bower Dunn Museum's integration of Latino history and culture into permanent exhibitions and Spanish-language audio guides through partnership with the College of Lake County. A National Endowment for the Humanities project grant (September 2023 through December 2023) funded datalogging technology for environmental monitoring of museum collection storage and exhibition spaces.

As a sub-recipient, the District partners with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as prime grantee. A May 2025 sub-award called for woody invasive clearing and herbicide treatment at Greenbelt, restoring 96.81 acres and generating 1,000 volunteer stewardship hours. A December 2023 sub-award targeted restoration of 67 acres of wet prairie and management of invasive woody plants across 164 acres of sedge meadow and oak savanna. Award volume has remained modest and sporadic — one award in 2022, two in 2023, two in 2024, one in 2025, and one in 2026 — with no recompete cliff in the near term beyond the expiring Great Lakes Restoration Initiative award in August 2028.