Lake Co. forest preserve want to protect investment
The push for change may never arise, but just in case, the Lake County Forest Preserve District wants to add another layer of protection to its multimillion dollar investments.
Resolutions winding their way through various committees would apply special designation to portions of six preserves to ensure they would never be developed.
"The concern is that through the Intergovernmental Transfer Act, the forest preserve and another entity, say a municipality, could transfer land between them," said Tom Hahn, the district's executive director.
While there is nothing pending or imminent, Hahn said the district periodically fields such questions and it wants to button up holdings for the future.
"It's a long-term plan to protect what we have," he said.
Six resolutions being considered apply to about 1,700 acres of property. They involve the designation of Illinois land and water reserves, buffers to existing nature preserves or expansion or creation of new nature preserves that are considered to have high quality natural features.
The agreements with the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission would involve conservation easements of designated properties, which would prevent development of registered areas.
Land and water reserves are being suggested for nearly 19 acres at Berkeley Prairie Forest Preserve in Highland Park and for 782 acres at Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve near Barrington.
Berkeley Prairie is an example of historical prairie and savanna with several rare plant species.
Cuba Marsh is a collection of savanna, prairie and wetlands and is the breeding ground for a number of threatened and endangered species of birds. Railroad tracks owned by Canadian National Railway run diagonally through a corner of the site, and the company owns enough land to add another track. The land and water reserve designation would give the district greater control over what can be done, district officials say.
Buffers of 115 acres to the Middlefork Savanna Nature Preserve in Mettawa and Lake Forest and of 607 acres to the Wadsworth Prairie and Savanna Nature Preserve also are being suggested.
The Middlefork buffer would provide habitat for six endangered plant species. The Wadsworth buffer would provide protection for a population of the eastern prairie fringed orchid.
The district also wants to add 41.5 acres to the MacArthur Woods Nature Preserve near Mettawa. The area previously had been developed but has been restored.
A 84-acre portion of the Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve is being proposed as the Elm Road Nature Preserve with another 56 acres as a buffer.
The forest preserve district's planning and restoration committee already has recommended approval. The finance and land preservation and acquisition committees will consider the measures on Thursday with a full forest board vote expected July 14.