Openlands's Greenways Division is focused on accomplishing an extensive greenways and trails network throughout northeastern Illinois with connections into Wisconsin, Indiana, and other nearby regions of Illinois. The Greenways staff have three primary activities:

• accomplishing regional and subregional plans for greenways, off-road trails and watertrails
  
• advocating for greenways and off-road trails as opportunities arise, and
  
• organizing local governments to create greenways and trails.
  

Greenways are linear open spaces that can serve a number of different roles, including:

• preservation and expansion of habitat for flora and fauna,
  
• storing, cleansing and absorption of stormwater,
  
• environmental education,
  
• and a place for all age groups and levels of physical ability to enjoy life away from the noise, motion, and crowdedness of urban and suburban built landscapes.
  

Currently, the Greenways staff are focused on the following areas amongst others:

• The Prairie Streams Watershed in Will County
• The Kishwaukee River Watershed in McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, and DeKalb Counties
• The Northeastern Illinois Water Trails Plan throughout the 6 county area and linking to adjoining counties
• The Calumet area in the South Suburbs and the City of Chicago
• The Grand Illinois Trail, a 500-mile loop in Northern Illinois

The Northeastern Illinois Regional Greenways and Trails Plan, first proposed by Openlands in the late 1980s, is in its second generation. The first plan, co-authored and formally adopted by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) in 1992, was revised in 1997 and currently identifies 4,300 miles of greenways and almost 2,000 miles of trails for the region. In 1998, a new effort was initiated to identify and coordinate a 480 mile Water Trail Plan for Northeastern Illinois. This plan was adopted by NIPC and released to the public in 1999.

As part of its emphasis on water trails, the Greenways division has also helped develop a corps of stream volunteers. The StreamLeaders program is a hands-on course designed to encourage and promote community participation in local stream habitat conservation. The course is targeted at experienced volunteers and professionals and covers such topics as the fundamentals of stream ecology, stream preservation and restoration techniques, environmental advocacy and volunteer stewardship. It also includes an emphasis on biological surveys and volunteer stream monitoring techniques. StreamLeaders is intended to supplement and enhance the skills of experienced volunteers and facilitate the formation of project-oriented partnerships between volunteer stewards and natural resource professionals.

Sponsoring partners of StreamLeaders include Openlands, Illinois EcoWatch Network, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Friends of the Chicago River.