Group wants to preserve 20,000 acres in Lake Co.

The development machine is idle but open space advocates in Lake County believe that won't always be the case.

With that in mind and knowing that natural areas are an attraction for county residents, a consortium of preservation groups is considering an ambitious new plan to protect 1,000 acres per year for the next two decades.

While public entities such as the Lake County Forest Preserve District are expected to lead in land purchases, the idea being pitched by the Liberty Prairie Conservancy is to unite private organizations that also deal in land protection.

"We're all trying to do the same thing. Let's get a shared vision, a unified target," said Steve Barg, executive director of the nonprofit group.

Liberty Prairie, based in Grayslake, coordinated the effort over the past six months involving 16 entities. The goal is to have 20 percent of the county preserved as natural areas, parks, trails, farmland and scenic views by 2030.

"We wanted something bold, something that would energize the conservation community. We think it will set Lake County apart," Barg said.

For a barometer, the Lake County Forest Preserve District holdings of about 27,000 acres represent about 8 percent of the land area. The state controls about 8,300 acres in the county.

The plan has been or will be considered by the boards of the various entities. And though it won't necessarily change the way things are done at each organization, Barg and others say having the agreement will emphasize the broader outcome of the individual efforts.

"It stretches all of us to think, 'What can we do better and more effectively to get at this goal?'" Barg said. "It pushes all of us - we're part of something bigger here."

The forest preserve district without question is the big horse in the open space corral, with $150 million in voter approved funds to spend on acquisitions. Forest commissioners on Tuesday, for example, approved three purchases totaling more than $1.7 million pushing the 2009 total to 821 acres for $33.5 million.

The forest preserve board's land acquisition committee last week heard Barg's pitch and will be considering it early next year.

"Having that here in place will only make Lake County a better place to live. We continually hear people want more open space," said Tom Hahn, executive director of the forest preserve district.

"It's always nice to have strength in numbers. It certainly will help us with future grant applications."

Unlike the district, which uses public money, the other organizations focus on securing conservation easements from private land owners. Owners can get substantial tax breaks in return for barring development from their property in perpetuity.

"We really need to create an environment in the entire community that embraces private land protection strategies," said Nancy Schumm-Burgess, head of the Barrington Area Conservation Trust.

"It doesn't necessarily provide a public access but it protects the public good."

About 2,500 acres currently are protected by conservation easements.

Those involved are it will only be a matter of time before development returns as a competitor for open space.

"Most definitely," Hahn said. "It's a great time to be buying property."