Lake County forest preserve ponders big land buy

The proposed name may be obscure but that won't be the case for the Dutch Gap Forest Preserve, an expansive tract in the Antioch area considered to have potential for significant trail and recreational uses.

Lake County Forest Preserve District officials are considering the purchase of four properties totaling more than 773 acres for nearly $33 million as a major addition to district holdings.

Unrelated purchases to be discussed Thursday, in a joint meeting of the district's land preservation and finances committees, would boost the total sought to more than 864 acres at nearly $38 million.

If approved by the committees and ultimately the full board, the acquisitions would be the second largest single day pick up since the district was established more than 50 years ago.

The previous peak was about 1,020 acres acquired in 1967 for what became a portion of the Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda, the district's largest.

"Certainly, it will be a historic day for the district if approved," said Executive Director Tom Hahn.

The centerpiece of the acquisitions will be Dutch Gap, named after the Dutch Gap Canal that winds through the property. It begins in Bristol, Wis., and ends at Mill Creek north of Edwards Road in Antioch Township.

Farmers in the late 1800s straightened and deepened an existing water way and a "proper" canal was built in 1916, according to the district.

The name Dutch Gap is unknown, though speculation is it was to honor Dutch settlers in the Bristol area or because the task was seen as similar to the Dutch draining their land and reclaiming it from the sea.

Dutch Gap consists of the: Nasr property (541 acres); Mendelson property (186 acres); Brighton Farm property (37 acres); and, Schroeder property (9.5 acres).

Because of its other holdings nearby, the district regards the acquisition as an opportunity to connect a vast and diverse area in what over time could be become a "Lakewood North" of sorts.

A loop trail system connecting Dutch Gap with the Pine Dunes, Prairie Stream, Raven Glen and Ethel's Woods preserves is a future possibility.

"There's a lot up there that will be so fantastic on so many levels," said Commissioner Ann Maine, who has chaired the land acquisition committee for eight years. "This is long term."

Aside from extensive trail connections, the properties will allow the district to recreate wetland communities, protect and expand stands of trees and provide trail links.

A horse barn and stable complex on the Nasr property would be leased from the district for two years, with the possibility of using it as a public amenity at some point, Hahn said.

Like many other buys in the past two years, money for the purchase will come from a pool of $150 million in voter-approved funds. And it has been a buyer's market. The cost of the proposed acquisitions is in the low $40,000 per acre range.

"Two years ago, you couldn't have touched this land for that amount of money," Hahn said.

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