Vision & Stewardship Award
Openlands, Gerald W. Adelmann, President & CEO
Gerald W. Adelmann joined Openlands in 1980 to coordinate a special program that led to the creation of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, the first federal land designation of its kind. Today, there are nearly fifty federally designated heritage areas across the United States.
In 1988, Jerry was appointed executive director of Openlands. Under his guidance, Openlands launched the 21st Century Open Space Plan, which called for expanded parklands, greenways, and trails in northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region. His leadership in creating the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie; in preserving the rare and scenic landscape at the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve for public enjoyment; and many other conservation and preservation accomplishments has earned him numerous honors and conservation awards. In 2012, the Chicago Botanic Garden awarded him the prestigious Hutchinson Medal.
Jerry is chairman of the Center for Humans and Nature and an emeritus member of the National Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He also chairs the City of Chicago's Nature and Wildlife Committee, where he played an integral role in the initiation and recent completion of the Chicago Nature and Wildlife Plan, and is a trustee of the Illinois State Museum as well as the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.
He has served on the boards of numerous organizations and agencies such as the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, The Nature Conservancy's Illinois Chapter, the Hegeler-Carus Foundation, the Liberty Prairie Foundation, and the Governor's Task Force that established the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in 1985.
In addition, Jerry was a founding board member of the Chicago Maritime Society. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Center for United States-China Arts Exchange at Columbia University, the Executive Council of Chicago Metropolis 2020, and the National Council of The Conservation Fund.
He has been active in preservation, conservation, and planning efforts in his hometown of Lockport, Illinois since the 1970's and has been involved in conservation and historic preservation projects in Southeast Asia since the early 1990s. He lectures extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Jerry has received an honorary doctorate from Lewis University and is an honorary member of the American Association of Landscape Architects. He was a recipient of Chicago magazine's 2010 Green Awards, which honor local individuals creating and carrying out innovative projects directed at preserving the earth.
