#forest preserves

[kodachrome-net]

Winter scene, Forest Glen Woods, Chicago, January 6, 2024

[shutterandsentence]

Looks like our April showers brought us some nice May flowers!

Photo: Illinois

[rjzimmerman]

Activists preach vigilance when forest preserves sell public land

Neighbors and advocates are worried about the sale of 52 acres of savanna to the Waukegan airport to create a buffer zone for a new runway.

Excerpt from this story from the Chicago Tribune:

Susan Zingle often walks among the oaks, wildflowers and wetlands in the 774-acre Waukegan Savanna near her home. It’s a place to reflect, rejuvenate and commune with nature.

But she worries about a proposal by the Waukegan National Airport to buy 52 acres of the savanna from the Lake County Forest Preserves.

“The whole area is going to have to be cleared,” said Zingle who lives in Wadsworth near the airport. “It will take away the complete character of the forest preserve.”

The airport plans to replace an outdated runway with a new one and needs the additional property for a buffer. Although airport officials said nothing would be built on the 52 acres, some trees and wetlands will be removed.

The region’s forest preserves were created, starting with the first one in Cook County in 1914, to protect open space for the public in perpetuity. Since then, they have become symbols of wilderness in a bustling region, beckoning people to trails that wind through a haven of trees, prairies and wetlands, away from traffic and hectic lifestyles.

As the region grew, individuals, organizations, corporations and other government entities began to covet those lands. In the Chicago region, some preserves are under constant pressure to sell or swap land, which has led to controversies, including the latest one at the Waukegan airport.

Environmental advocates say the land should be protected for the public and as habitat for native plants and animals. Forest preserve officials say they need to remain open to potential land swaps and sales that could benefit the districts and neighboring communities.

“The ecological value of land is what our business is. We have concern for every square inch,” said Ty Kovach, executive director of the Lake County Forest Preserves. “We hate to see anything lost, but at the same time, we’re reasonable and we understand something has to happen one place, so we can improve in another place.”

In Lake County, the forest preserve owns roughly 31,000 acres, including the Waukegan Savanna.

“Every other week, someone is talking to me with a great idea for land use that we had saved for perpetuity. We don’t just say no. We listen. We try to make an informed decision,” Kovach said, adding it can take years of negotiations before an agreement to sell or swap land can be made.

[gkar56]

2011-10-01 Openlands Lakeshore Preserve 2 by JanetandPhil Via Flickr: White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) - Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, Fort Sheridan, IL - 1 October 2011

[untoastedravioli]

French Canyon, Starved Rock, Illinois. Late May, Early June 2019. Gorgeous

[netbros]

You Can Now Hike Around the Entire City of Chicago on One Awesome Trail

You Can Now Hike Around the Entire City of Chicago on One Awesome Trail

Last summer, a group of intrepid local hikers discovered a way to hike around the entire Chicago metro area in one go. It’s called the Chicago Outerbelt, an uninterrupted 210-mile nature trail that pieces together existing forest preserves and park land into one contiguous loop. With highlights along the trail ranging from scenic lakes and rustic campsites to forested woodlands and lakefront…

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[happilydelightfulphilosopher]

Crime in River Forest and Oak Park, IL

Crime in River Forest and Oak Park, IL

Ah so there has been an uptick in crime in River Forest the area that is usually not touched by crime as Oak Park, Il usually is but now is getting the brunt of its isolationist policies. Both suburbs are linked together in more ways than one, and unfortunately, both are bordered heavily by poor black areas. Oak Park, Il has the Chicago Austin area and River Forest has the suburb of Maywood, I…

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[earhustle411]

EarHustle411 Funny Bone: Boulder, Co Deputy & An Owl Face Off; Score: Owl 1 - Deputy 0

EarHustle411 Funny Bone: Boulder, Co Deputy & An Owl Face Off; Score: Owl 1 – Deputy 0

BOULDER, Colo. — A Boulder County sheriff’s deputy got into a face-off with an owl with an attitude, and the owl won.

Deputy Sophie Berman came across the raptor on a dirt road on Tuesday as Berman patrolled an area near a campground west of Boulder.

Berman crouched down to take video of the owl and spoke to the owl, which answered…

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