Dundee bird sanctuary receives $1.3 million from state

Plans to turn a former Dundee Township gravel pit into a recreational destination will pick up steam this spring, after the township recently was awarded almost $1.3 million in state grants.

The township received a $897,735 grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and another $400,000 from the state's Department of Natural Resources for the Jelke Creek Bird Sanctuary.

The funding will help pay for improvements on about 160 acres of the 264-acre site north of Boncosky Road, near the intersection of Sleepy Hollow Road.

The township will contribute $600,000 to the project from remaining bond funds from the initial purchase, bringing the total cost to $1.9 million.

The work will improve water quality of the Fox River by reducing runoff, flooding, erosion and pollution, as well as creating recreational areas and programs, Dundee Township Supervisor Sue Harney said.

Plans also include fishing ponds, a regional bike path connection, a parking area and shelters.

"The funding includes one of the largest single grants ever awarded to Dundee Township," Harney said. "We think this is the ideal adaptive reuse of a disturbed parcel."

One of eight open space properties in the township, Jelke Creek was purchased in April 2000 with funding assistance from the Illinois Open Lands Trust Program.

"The township will create a wonderful natural area within a million-dollar vista we can all enjoy while enhancing groundwater quality and cutting down on pollution," Harney said.