​AT EASE: Art & Nature for Veterans and the Military Community is an innovative approach to empower military Veterans’ and Military Personnel's wellbeing through nature-based art, music, and photography workshops.

Join us in restoring Oriole Grove! This forest preserve is the “secret garden” of the county that very few people get to explore. Learn about the site, why buckthorn is invasive, how to tell an oak tree from an elm, and help us bring back the native plants.

After you register, James Gilson or Jessica Klinge will send you the exact location to meet for the workday.

Parking is not available at Oriole Grove Forest Preserve. Parking and trail access is available only from the Skokie River Prairie on Route 176, west of Green Bay Road in Lake Bluff, or the Skokie River Nature Preserve on the west end of Laurel Avenue, west of Green Bay Road in Lake Forest.

• No experience necessary
• Please dress for the weather
• Closed-toe shoes are required
• Work gloves, long pants, long sleeves are recommended all year (thistles & ticks), and water bottles
• Hardy clothes for dragging buckthorn or potentially working around a brush pile burn are recommended
• Please be aware that some preserves do not have facilities

Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods is committed to enabling the participation and enjoyment of our programming and events for all visitors. At Brushwood Center, you will have open access to accessible parking and entrance to the house, a gender neutral bathroom, and changing tables. If you require certain accommodations in order to observe or attend our events, or have questions regarding accessibility of our facilities, please contact our Director of Public Programs and Music, Parker Nelson, at pnelson@brushwoodcenter.org or at (224) 633-2424 ext. 1. Programming and events at Brushwood Center are available to everyone, including but not limited to age, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation.