Deer Grove East restoration project to begin
Government surveyors first took detailed notes of existing vegetation and landmarks of what's now the Deer Grove East Forest Preserve back in the 1830s, cataloging the northern dropseed, coneflowers and numerous other species that have since disappeared from the Palatine sanctuary.
A large-scale, five-year project about to get underway may not revert the county's oldest forest preserve to Illinois' early settlement era, but conservationists are going to try.
Later this summer, the Cook County Forest Preserve District and not-for-profit Openlands Land Preservation will begin to restore Deer Grove East, which makes up more than 600 acres of land east of Quentin Road.
"We're aiming to bring back native plant communities and increase biodiversity," said Joseph Roth, restoration programs director for Openlands. "That should attract more diverse birds and various wildlife."
Openlands has committed up to $4.5 million to the restoration, which was one of two wetland mitigation projects chosen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the O'Hare Modernization Mitigation Program. Tinley Creek in southern Cook County is the other. The program seeks to offset environmental damage from O'Hare expansion by funding projects elsewhere in the Des Plaines River watershed.
The public is invited to learn more about the effort at an open house, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Walter R. Sundling Junior High, 1100 N. Smith St., Palatine.
Roth said the project will retain groundwater by disabling countless drain tiles installed decades ago by farmers. That could reduce the risk of flooding to nearby communities.
"This is not a flood control project, but the tile disablement will immediately keep more water on site," Roth said.
Neither nearby properties nor existing improvements within the forest preserve - such as the trail system, picnic shelters and access roads - will be affected.
Ultimately, the forest preserve district would like to restore Deer Grove West, which is nearly three times as large as Deer Grove East.
Environmentalists and neighbors have been closely watching the entire forest preserve as discussions continue over the proposed widening of Quentin Road between Dundee and Lake-Cook roads. Opponents say the expansion means cutting down hundreds of trees and reducing acreage. Cook County Commissioner Gregg Goslin said widening has been indefinitely delayed.
"It's in limbo," Goslin said. "It's been a part of the (Cook County) Highway Department's strategic plans for years, but they're hesitant to do anything given it's such a contentious issue."