Residents decry Dundee Twp. tree removal

Buzz about restoration work being done to the Jelke Creek Bird Sanctuary has been almost as loud as the offending chain saws.

About two dozen Sleepy Hollow residents attended a 7:30 p.m. village hall meeting Monday with Dundee Township Supervisor Susan Harney about the work that began in mid-June.

"I'm concerned about the trees," longtime resident Carol Beckley said. "I didn't expect trees to go down in a place birds call home."

The site is being updated with 31/2 new miles of trails, sledding hills and 115 acres of restored prairie. The site will also have a new entrance leading to a 30-car parking lot.

Funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the restoration work will also increase water absorption and produce cleaner groundwater.

The work included reclaiming the sanctuary's gravel pit area by cutting down trees that buttress residents' yards. The tree cutting, Harney said, was necessary to redistribute topsoil.

While the trees weren't on their property, residents say they paid premiums for a view that's been dramatically altered.

Before beginning the restoration work, Harney arranged several meetings with the village board and homeowners association, explaining what work would take place. Still, residents said Monday they were shocked by the number of trees that were removed.

"Nowhere did I hear anything about as many trees. Never was I aware of the devastation of trees over in the Bluffs (neighborhood) and by the retention basin. I'm just not sure that a whole lot of planning went into this," George Hoffman said.

Three and a half years of planning have gone into the project, Harney said. The project was approved by numerous environmental agencies, as well as Kane County. "It's obvious we can't move dirt if we've got trees on it," she said.