The Forest Preserves of Cook County resides in one of the nation’s most culturally diverse metropolitan areas and is home to some of the country’s most biologically diverse flora and fauna. The Forest Preserves inspires a wide array of scientists and students to better understand the natural world and humanity’s relationship to it—offering a unique venue and partnership for exploratory, long-term and multidisciplinary research that can drive action, inspire innovation and create best practices.
On this page:
Featured Research News
Explore recent research highlights in Cook County focusing on regional flora, fauna and human-environment interactions.
Overview
Our Role in Research
The Forest Preserves advances knowledge in three distinct ways:
- Leader: Designing and managing research projects to answer research questions identified by agency staff.
- Partner: Collaborating with academic institutions and regional organizations to create and implement studies together.
- Facilitator: Connecting researchers, community members and field practitioners to turn data into action for conservation, recreation and education.
Why We Do Research
Scientific discovery shapes how the Forest Preserves manages natural resources and engages the public. The Forest Preserves relies on research to advance three core priorities:
- Leading Conservation: Monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches allow the agency to continually refine our management and operations and share proven models with regional partners.
- Guiding Data-Informed Decisions: Field observations generate critical questions and highlight knowledge gaps. Systematic research validates on-the-ground findings, fills data gaps and directly informs operational priorities.
- Engaging Communities: Relying on community participation to create knowledge as well as ensuring that we share back our knowledge with the community through activities, such as community science initiatives, education events and outreach, as well as public engagement.
Research Themes & Ideas
As the largest forest preserve district in the country, located within the nation’s second-most populous county, the Forest Preserves is a complex intersection of natural systems and urban society. Research spans every scale of this dynamic ecosystem from targeted species management to landscape-level socio-ecological studies, including but not limited to:
- Natural Resource Management: Investigating plant ecology, wildlife biology, fisheries management and habitat restoration techniques across diverse habitats.
- Organizational Behavior & Administrative Science: Evaluating management models, employee engagement and operational efficiency in conservation settings.
- Psychology, Society & Culture: Studying environmental psychology, community stewardship, cultural heritage and human behavioral connections to nature.
- Policy, Governance & Economics: Analyzing natural resource policy, conservation economics, land valuation and ecological service benefits.
- Recreation, Parks & Tourism: Researching outdoor recreation patterns, visitor experiences, park accessibility and sustainable tourism.
- Built Environment & Landscape Design: Exploring ecological landscape architecture, green infrastructure, site design and sustainable structures.
How to Do Research with Us
Researchers, academic institutions and community scientists can engage with the Forest Preserves across several levels of involvement:
- Joint Partnerships: Collaborate directly with agency staff to inspire and design your study. Researchers can review current Forest Preserves research agendas or contact a lead researcher to discuss alignment and application.
- Independent Research: Conduct studies on Forest Preserves land. Independent researchers must apply for a Research Access Permit and fulfill all reporting requirements.
- Knowledge Sharing: Present findings from research conducted within the Forest Preserves. Authors may submit reports, deposit datasets or workshop findings to staff and partner networks to translate data into management practices.
Research Access Permit
Unless otherwise under contract, all research investigations on Forest Preserves property require a Research Access Permit. Research investigations include any monitoring, collecting, testing, study, observation, investigation or other related activity that benefits the Forest Preserves, public education or the community.
If these stipulations do not apply, or if the proposed activity includes the installation, repair or maintenance of roads, facilities, or structures, a Construction Access Permit will be required. The Research Access Permit has a maximum term of one year with five additional one-year extensions as approved by the Forest Preserves.
- Research Access Permit (PDF)
- Special Access Permit Waiver- Entity (PDF)
- Special Access Permit Waiver- Individual (PDF)
Contact
Department of Resource Management
708-771-1180
[email protected]
Community Science
The Forest Preserves also recruits community scientists who participate in long running frog, bird, dragonfly and plant monitoring programs.
Ongoing Research Initiatives
The Forest Preserves maintains a long history of field research supported by established partnerships with leading scientific and academic institutions including the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Field Museum, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, the Ohio State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, among others.
Bird Banding
From sparrows to sandhill cranes, Forest Preserves biologists safely capture, handle and band an average of 400 birds per year. But what is bird banding and why do we do it?
Explore an interactive map, videos and photos that tell the story of our ongoing research to track zoonotic diseases (illnesses passed between animals and humans), uncover local environmental issues and measure the success of our restoration efforts all through the amazing birds that live in and migrate through Cook County.
Urban Coyote Research Project
The Urban Coyote Research Project is a partnership between the Forest Preserves, Cook County Animal & Rabies Control, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and the Ohio State University.
Initiated in 2000, the project is an unbiased attempt to address shortcomings in urban coyote ecology information and management. With the help of many key agencies, a continuous subset of coyotes is live captured, collared and released at their capture site. Coyotes are monitored to understand how they live in urban areas and how they interact with other wildlife, domestic animals and humans.
In addition to giving researchers and the public a window into the lives of coyotes in Cook County, the project has provided training and support for multiple young researchers, including postdocs and graduate students.
Vegetation Monitoring
For more than a decade, Forest Preserves ecologists have taken a close look at what’s growing across some of Cook County’s highest-quality natural areas. At more than 700 monitoring points, staff identify and measure vegetation from plants on the forest floor to shrubs and trees overhead, building a detailed picture of the health of these ecosystems.
After completing 10 years of baseline data collection, the project is entering a new phase. Ecologists will return to the same locations to measure how plant communities have changed over time and determine how restoration efforts are working. The findings can show whether invasive species are declining, native plants are returning and additional management is needed, helping the Forest Preserves make science-driven decisions about the future of its natural areas.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Bats
- Gehrt, S. D., & Chelsvig, J. E. (2004). Species-specific patterns of bat activity in an urban landscape. Ecological Applications.
- Gehrt, S. D., & Chelsvig, J. E. (2003). Bat activity in an urban landscape: Patterns at the landscape and microhabitat scale. Ecological Applications.
- White, E. P., & Gehrt, S. D. (2001). Effects of recording media on echolocation data from broadband bat detectors. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
Cats
- Gehrt, S. D., Wilson, E. C., Brown, J. L., & Anchor, C. (2013). Population ecology of free-roaming cats and interference competition by coyotes in urban parks. PLoS ONE.
Coyotes
- Anchor, C. & Gehrt, S. D. (2024). Survival of translocated coyotes in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, USA. Human–Wildlife Interactions.
- Winter, J. M., Anchor, C., Gehrt, S. D., Landolfi, J., & Allender, M. C. (2024). Serosurvey for Canine Influenza in Coyotes (Canis latrans) in Illinois, USA, 2000–23. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Robertson, K. E., Ellington, E. H., Tonra, C. M., & Gehrt, S. D. (2023). Stress in the city? Coyote hair cortisol varies with intrinsic and extrinsic factors within a heavily urbanized landscape. Science of The Total Environment.
- Worsley-Tonks, K. E. L., Gehrt, S. D., Anchor, C., Escobar, L. E., & Craft, M. E. (2021). Infection risk varies within urbanized landscapes: the case of coyotes and heartworm. Parasites & Vectors.
- Wurth, A., Ellington, E. H., & Gehrt, S. D. (2020). Golf courses as potential habitat for urban coyotes. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
- Ellington, E. H., & Gehrt, S. D. (2019). Behavioral responses by an apex predator to urbanization. Behavioral Ecology.
- Gehrt, S. D., Brown, J. L., & Anchor, C. (2011). Is the urban coyote a misanthropic synanthrope? The case from Chicago. Cities and the Environment (CATE).
- Gehrt, S. D., Anchor, C., & White, L. A. (2009). Home range and landscape use of coyotes in a metropolitan landscape: conflict or coexistence? Journal of Mammalogy.
- Gehrt, S. D. (2007). Ecology of coyotes in urban landscapes. In D. L. Nolte, W. M. Arjo, and D. H. Stalman (Eds.), Proceedings of the 12th Wildlife Damage Management Conference.
- Morey, P. S., Gese, E. M., & Gehrt, S. D. (2007). Spatial and temporal variation in the diet of coyotes in the Chicago metropolitan area. American Midland Naturalist.
Disease
The Forest Preserves has done extensive research and data collection on zoonotic diseases, those diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Having collected wildlife blood samples since 1988, the Forest Preserves is the oldest and largest contributors to the Center for Disease Control, with data collection particularly useful during the first outbreaks of West Nile Virus and Lyme disease.
- Deppe, K., Winter, J. M., Adamovicz, L., Hucker, E. M., Grochowski, K., Anchor, C., & Allender, M. C. (2026). Positivity Rate of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola in Snake Populations of Cook County, Illinois, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Ready, Z. C., Adamovicz, L., Wellehan, J. F. X., Daleo, M., Simmons, A., Glowacki, G., Graser, W., Anchor, C., Thompson, D., & Allender, M. C. (2025). Detection of Adenoviruses in Free-Ranging Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta), and Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) in Illinois, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Fredrickson, K., Adamovicz, L., Terio, K., Davidson, A., Ryan, M., Waligora, M., Schroder, K., Bradley, S., Lionetto, C., Anderson, K., Engel, A., Graser, W., Anchor, C., Glowacki, G., & Allender, M. C. (2024). Emydomyces testavorans surveillance in multiple free-ranging terrestrial and aquatic chelonian species in Illinois, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Worsley-Tonks, K. E. L., Gehrt, S. D., Miller, E. A., Singer, R. S., Bender, J. B., Forester, J. D., McKenzie, S. C., Travis, D. A., Johnson, T. J., & Craft, M. E. (2021). Comparison of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from urban raccoons and domestic dogs. Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
- Imanse, S. M., Anchor, C. L., Anchor, G. C., Landolfi, J. A., Kinsel, M. J., Levengood, J. M., Delaney, M. A., & Terio, K. A. (2021). Pathologic impacts of contaminants in freshwater fish of Cook County IL. Aquatic Toxicology.
- Worsley-Tonks, K. E. L., Miller, E. A., Anchor, C. L., Bender, J. B., Gehrt, S. D., McKenzie, S. C., Singer, R. S., Johnson, T. J., & Craft, M. E. (2021). Importance of anthropogenic sources at shaping the antimicrobial resistance profile of a peri-urban mesocarnivore. Science of the Total Environment.
- Burrell, C. E., Anchor, C., Ahmed, N., Landolfi, J., Jarosinski, K. W., & Terio, K. A. (2020). Characterization and Comparison of SLAM/CD150 in Free-Ranging Coyotes, Raccoons, and Skunks in Illinois for Elucidation of Canine Distemper Virus Disease. Pathogens.
- Hollis-Etter, K. M., Montgomery, R. A., Etter, D. R., Anchor, C. L., Chelsvig, J. E., Warner, R. E., et al. (2019). Environmental conditions for Jamestown Canyon virus correlated with population-level resource selection by white-tailed deer in a suburban landscape. PLoS ONE.
- Page, L. K., Delzell, D. A. P., Gehrt, S. D., Harrell, E. D., Hiben, M., Walter, E., Anchor, C., & Kazacos, K. R. (2016). The structure and seasonality of Baylisascaris procyonis populations in raccoons (Procyon lotor). Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Gehrt, S. D., Kinsel, M. J., & Anchor, C. (2010). Pathogen dynamics and morbidity of striped skunks in the absence of rabies. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Page, L. K., Anchor, C., Luy, E., Kron, S., Larson, G., Madsen, L., Kellner, K., & Smyser, T. J. (2009). Backyard raccoon latrines and risk for Baylisascaris procyonis transmission to humans. Emerging Infectious Diseases.
- Page, L. K., Gehrt, S. D., Cascione, A., & Kellner, K. F. (2009). The relationship between Baylisascaris procyonis prevalence and raccoon population structure. Journal of Parasitology.
- Pinkerton, M. E., Wellehan, J. F. X., Johnson, A. J., Childress, A. L., Fitzgerald, S. D., & Kinsel, M. J. (2008). Columbid herpesvirus-1 in two Cooper’s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) with fatal inclusion body disease. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Page, L. K., Gehrt, S. D., & Robinson, N. P. (2008). Land-use effects on prevalence of raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis). Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Jobe, D. A., Nelson, J. A., Adam, M. D., & Martin, S. A. Jr. (2007). Lyme disease in urban areas, Chicago. Emerging Infectious Diseases.
- Jobe, D. A., Lovrich, S. D., Nelson, J. A., Velat, T. C., Anchor, C., Koeune, T., & Martin, S. A. Jr. (2006). Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes scapularis ticks, Chicago area. Emerging Infectious Diseases.
- Page, L. K., Gehrt, S. D., & Robinson, N. P. (2005). Measuring prevalence of raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis): a comparison of common techniques. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
- Gehrt, S. D. (2005). Seasonal survival and cause-specific mortality of urban and rural striped skunks in the absence of rabies. Journal of Mammalogy.
- Lednicky, J. A., Meehan, T. P., Kinsel, M. J., Dubach, J., Hungerford, L. L., Sarich, N. A., Witecki, K. E., Braid, M. D., & Pedrak, C. (2004). Effective primary isolation of wild-type Canine distemper virus in MDCK, MV1 Lu and Vero cells without nucleotide sequence changes within the entire haemagglutinin protein gene and in subgenomic sections of the fusion and phospho protein genes. Journal of Virological Methods.
- CDC (2002). Raccoon roundworm encephalitis–Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California 2000. MMWR Weekly.
- Dubey, J. P., Hollis, K., Romand, S., Thulliez, P., Kwok, O. C. H., Hungerford, L., Anchor, C., & Etter, D. (1999). High prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). International Journal for Parasitology.
- Picken, R. N., Cheng, Y., Han, D., Nelson, J. A., Reddy, A. G., Hayden, M. K., Picken, M. M., Strle, F., Bouseman, J. K., & Trenholme, G. M. (1995). Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi isolated from ticks and small animals in Illinois. Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Raccoons
- Page, L. K., Loiacono, A., Edmunds, S., Black, B., Dangoudoubiyam, S., & Anchor, C. (2025). Sensitivity of Methods to Determine Presence of Baylisascaris procyonis Eggs in Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Feces. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- Jacob, J., Kent, M., Benson-Amram, S., Herculano-Houzel, S., Raghanti, M. A., Ploppert, E., Drake, J., Hindi, B., Natale, N. R., Daniels, S., Fanelli, R., Miller, A., Landis, T., Gilbert, T., Johnson, S., Lai, A., Hyer, M., Rzucidlo, A., Anchor, C., Gehrt, S., & Lambert, K. (2021). Cytoarchitectural characteristics associated with cognitive flexibility in raccoons. Journal of Comparative Neurology.
- Graser, W. H., Gehrt, S. D., Hungerford, L. L., & Anchor, C. (2012). Variations of demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across the urban landscape. Journal of Wildlife Management.
- Hauver, S. A., Gehrt, S. D., Prange, S., & Dubach, J. (2010). Behavioral and genetic aspects of the raccoon mating system. Journal of Mammalogy.
- Hauver, S. A., Gehrt, S. D., & Prange, S. (2010). Maternal response to conspecific visits at natal dens in raccoons (Procyon lotor). American Midland Naturalist.
- Bozek, C. K., Prange, S., & Gehrt, S. D. (2007). The influence of anthropogenic resources on multi-scale habitat selection by raccoons. Urban Ecosystems.
- Prange, S., Gehrt, S. D., & Wiggers, E. P. (2004). Influences of anthropogenic resources on raccoon (Procyon lotor) movements and spatial distribution. Journal of Mammalogy.
- Prange, S., Gehrt, S. D., & Wiggers, E. P. (2003). Demographic factors contributing to high raccoon densities in urban landscapes. Journal of Wildlife Management.
- Gehrt, S. D., Hungerford, L. L., & Hatten, S. H. (2001). Drug effects on recaptures of raccoons. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
- Hungerford, L. L., Gehrt, S. D., Anchor, C., Magnarelli, L. A., & Dubey, J. P. (2000). Prevalence of zoonotic infections in suburban Illinois raccoons (Procyon lotor).
Deer
- Potratz, E. J., Brown, J. S., Gallo, T., Anchor, C., & Santymire, R. M. (2019). Effects of demography and urbanization on stress and body condition in urban white-tailed deer. Urban Ecosystems.
- Piccolo, B. P., Van Deelen, T. R., Hollis-Etter, K., Etter, D. R., Warner, R. E., & Anchor, C. (2010). Behavior and survival of white-tailed deer neonates in two suburban forest preserves. Canadian Journal of Zoology.
- Etter, D. R., Hollis, K. M., Van Deelen, T. R., Ludwig, D. R., Chelsvig, J. E., & Anchor, C. L. (2002). Survival and movements of white-tailed deer in suburban Chicago, Illinois. Journal of Wildlife Management.
- Van Deelen, T. R., Hollis, K. M., Anchor, C., & Etter, D. R. (2000). Sex affects age determination and wear of molariform teeth in white-tailed deer. Journal of Wildlife Management.
- Etter, D. R., Van Deelen, T. R., Ludwig, D. R., Hollis, K. M., Warner, R. E., & Chelsvig, J. E. (2000). Overabundant deer: Better management through research. Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings.
- Karmen, M., Anchor, C. L., Chelsvig, J. E., Etter, D. R., Dubey, J. P., Warner, R. E., & Hungerford, L. L. (2000). Radio-telemetry and geographical information systems to assess urban deer zoonoses. Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings.
- Piccolo, B. P., Van Deelen, T. R., Hollis, K., Etter, D. R., Warner, R. E., & Anchor, C. (2000). Variation of white-tailed deer home ranges in fragmented urban habitats around Chicago, Illinois. Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings.
Books
- Gehrt, S. D., & Luft, K. (Eds.) (2024). Coyotes Among Us: Secrets of the City’s Top Predator. Seattle, Washington, USA: Flashpoint.
- Rothrock, P. E. (2021). Sedges of Indiana and the Adjacent States: The Carex Species (Vol. II). Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: Indiana Academy of Science.
- Wilhelm, G., & Rericha, L. (Eds.) (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: Indiana Academy of Science.
- Gehrt, S. D., Riley, S. P. D., & Cypher, B. L. (Eds.) (2010). Urban Carnivores: Ecology, Conflict, and Conservation. Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Other
- Fetterly, E., Braum, A. S., Kim, C., Wenzell, K. E., Ashley, M. V., Steger, L., & Fant, J. B. (2025) Selection maintains floral color polymorphism in scarlet paintbrush, Castilleja coccinea, reflecting combined ecological factors. American Journal of Botany.
- Winter, J. M., Moorhead, K., Grochowski-Grum, K., Anchor, C., Landolfi, J. A., Adamovicz, L. A., & Allender, M. C. (2025). Health assessment of non-native red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) and their impact potential on native species. PLoS ONE.
- Ready, Z. C., Adamovicz, L., Daleo, M., Simmons, A., Glowacki, G., Graser, W., Anchor, C., Thompson, D., & Allender, M. C. (2025). Epidemiology of Sulawesi Tortoise Adenovirus in Free-living Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta), and Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) in Illinois, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
- King, R., Anchor, C., Anthonysamy, W. J. B., Denham, S., Dreslik, M., Dunham, N., Glowacki, G., Golba, C. K., Graser, W., Jablonski, C., Janzen, F., Kessler, E. J., Kuhns, A. R., Ludwig, D. R., McCabe, K., Phillips, C., Thompson, D., & Towey, J. B. (2025). Archival data reveals human impacts on Blanding’s turtle population persistence. Journal for Nature Conservation.
- Landolfi, J. A., Kinsel, M. J., Anchor, G., Feldmann, M., & Anchor, C. (2024). Parasitism and branchitis in various fish species from 4 Cook County, Illinois inland freshwater lakes, 5 year survey, 2017-2021. Journal of Veterinary Diagnosis.
- King, R., Anchor, C., Jablonski, C., Jaeger, C., Ludwig, D., Roloff, A., & Thompson, D. (2023). An ad hoc assessment of Blanding’s turtle translocation success. Herpetological Review.
- Dosmann, M. S., & Thomas, E. (2023). A certain type of place. Arnoldia.
- Rericha-Anchor, L. (2022). A diagnostic key to ants ecologically affiliated with the genus Carex. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science.
- Vitt, P., Finch, J., Barak, R. S., Braum, A., Frischie, S., & Redlinski, I. (2022). Seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration under climate change: A review of the current literature. Frontiers in Conservation Science.
- Guilfoyle, M. P., Farrington, H. L., Lance, R. F., Hanson-Dorr, K. C., Dorr, B. S., & Fischer, R. A. (2017). Movement of Hypophthalmichthys DNA in the Illinois River Watershed by the Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus). Waterbirds.
- Thieme, J. L., Rodewald, A. D., Brown, J., Anchor, C., & Gehrt, S. D. (2015). Linking grassland and early successional bird territory density to predator activity in urban parks. Natural Areas Journal.
- Engeman, R. M., Guerrant, T., Dunn, G., Beckerman, S. F., & Anchor, C. (2014). Benefits to rare plants and highway safety from annual population reductions of a ‘native invader’, white-tailed deer in a Chicago-area woodland. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
- Kilbourne, B. M., & Hoffman, L. C. (2013). Scale effects between body size and limb design in quadrupedal mammals. PLoS ONE.
- Prange, S., & Gehrt, S. D. (2007). Response of skunks to a simulated increase in coyote activity. Journal of Mammalogy.
- Gehrt, S. D., & Prange, S. (2007). Interference competition between coyotes and raccoons: A test of the mesopredator release hypothesis. Behavioral Ecology.
- Prange, S., Jordan, T., Hunter, C., & Gehrt, S. D. (2006). New radiocollars for the detection of proximity among individuals. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
- Prange, S., & Gehrt, S. D. (2004). Changes in mesopredator-community structure in response to urbanization. Canadian Journal of Zoology.
- Gehrt, S. D., & Clark, W. R. (2003). Raccoons, coyotes, and reflections on the mesopredator release hypothesis. Wildlife Society Bulletin.