Over a thousand acres of rolling, glacier formed landscape in northwest Cook County has been set aside as Crabtree Nature Center.

Before 1830, this land was clothed in forest, prairie and marsh, but settlers brought rapid change to the landscape. Farming and homesteading practices led to prairies being plowed, marshes drained or dredged, and timber cut for building material. Since its purchase in the mid-1960 ²s by the Forest Preserve District, Crabtree has been slowly returning to its natural state through restoration by Forest Preserve staff and volunteer efforts.