County has rare chance at Olympics

I read with interest recent letters decrying the use of forest preserve land for the equestrian events of the proposed 2016 Olympics.

Let's correct something first regarding: "building hundreds of acres of stadiums, paddocks and other equestrian infrastructure." Hundreds of acres? Where did that come from? The "legacy" buildings will be situated on the site of the old dairy barns currently being dismantled at Raven Glen -- and will be a great use of this site.

Now, let's get real. Using a literal interpretation, the Forest Preserve Commission is charged with preserving forests. Now I don't pretend to know what's going on in every one of its holdings, but in those I am familiar with, that's exactly what is being done. The commission is preserving any "forests" or fragments of forests that it acquires. It is also protecting sensitive areas -- including the nesting site of the blue heron.

But by no stretch of the imagination are the forest preserves wilderness areas. Most of the land the Forest Preserve Commission obtains is farmland -- land that had been cultivated year after year -- and golf courses. The "mission" of the Forest Preserve Commission includes (and I'm quoting now from one of its brochures) preservation, restoration, education and recreation. All four goals are important, and in a mostly urban county, education and recreation cannot be overlooked (e.g., independence Grove and the Museum at Lakewood).

Back to the "legacy" buildings; they must be available to the public (not too many private landowners are willing to agree to that) and will be used not only for riding lessons and horse shows but for an incredibly important Handicapped Riders program. If you are not familiar with this program (which is under the umbrella of the North American Handicapped Riders Association), I urge you to visit Equestrian Connections on Bradley Road in Lake Forest to see the wonderful work they do in providing therapeutic riding programs for disabled individuals in our area (and recently expanded to include disabled Iraq war vets).

Whether the equestrian portion of the Olympics is in Lakewood or Raven Glen, I for one hope we don't give up this historic opportunity. To paraphrase a neighbor's comment, if Chicago wins the Olympics and Lake County does not host the equestrian events, we will regret it for the rest of history; in other words, we will be forever thought of as the county that lost this exceptional opportunity. Now there's a "legacy" for you.

Marianne Guy

Antioch