Community effort to preserve open space

Your recent story about a vision to protect more open space in Lake County was first-rate (An Ambitious Vision to Save Land, November 13).

While Cook and DuPage counties have preserved 11 percent and 13 percent of their landscapes, respectively, here in Lake we're aiming for 20 percent. That's a challenging goal, but success will keep Lake County a great place to live and do business.

Reaching that 20 percent goal will require more than just the forest preserve district preserving land. Local nonprofit conservation groups have already preserved more than 2,500 acres of open space in Lake County and that number continues to grow.

These groups, such as Barrington Area Conservation Trust, Citizens for Conservation, Lake Forest Open Lands Association, Lake Bluff Open Lands, Liberty Prairie Conservancy and OpenLands are working together to do more.

The Liberty Prairie Conservancy, serving all of Lake County, brought together 17 public and nonprofits groups to develop the vision because the open space situation is urgent and success will require a team effort. Projections call for the county to virtually complete its development within 20 years.

By balancing growth with the preservation of roughly 1,000 acres per year in that same period, we can give people and wildlife here a good and prosperous future.

Steve Barg Executive Director Liberty Prairie Conservancy Grayslake