Preserving flora and fauna is not simple

Regarding a letter published June 24 about the delay in reopening Mallard Lake Perhaps I should not have been surprised at the perception of the letter writer from Roselle, William Boyer, that the delay in reopening Mallard Lake Forest Preserve, following the project begun about a year ago, is "to serve the politicians, their cronies, and politically connected contractors."

I was surprised, but reflected that we Americans seem to have a feeling that we should be able to bend the natural world to our immediate will. The expenditure on an enlarged parking lot with handicapped access, and improvement of the facilities for enabling people to drive and also to walk or use wheelchairs to get to the water's edge and trails, might be said to be "politically motivated," since easy access is what voters and taxpayers want. The delay is a judicious response to the need for more time for the newly replanted areas to be established, which isn't under the control of either politicians or contractors.

A landscape or horticultural contractor can guarantee a number of things about the plants in a contract, but especially where the area is not one with irrigation systems or other climate controls, the establishment of the plants is subject to the chances of the seasons. The construction of a temporary fence to protect the planted areas would itself cause more destabilization to the area, besides the matter of its cost. The forest preserve's technical staff recommended protecting Mallard Lake by delaying the opening of the new facilities.

The forest preserve's primary mission is to acquire and hold lands for the purpose of preserving their flora, fauna and scenic beauty. It's relatively easy to build bigger parking lots. Preserving the flora and fauna near them is not necessarily simple nor uncomplicated.

Edna E Heatherington

Glen Ellyn