Forest preserve trying to dodge regulations

The Lake County Forest Preserve is likely going to give a big boost to the expansion of Waukegan Airport at its planning committee meeting on Monday. It is considering a “de minimis” letter — to tell the FAA that the airport’s plan will have little effect on the Waukegan Savanna forest preserve. That encourages the FAA to approve the project without looking any closer at the details. Well, not true:

There are 18 acres at the end of the runway that are home to 1,411 trees (lots of oaks) that will be cleared to provide a safe landing approach for the planes.

The wetlands and stream filled in the north will limit or eliminate water flow in a stream through the Savanna to the wetlands and open water in the southern part of the Savanna. Those impacts have not been addressed.

There is habitat for the federally endangered rusty patched bumblebee. There may be state endangered birds, but nobody studied them. There are noise impacts on nesting birds, but nobody studied that, either.

The de minimis letter is premature, as the airport’s study has not been officially released and no public comment has been accepted. The forest preserve is doing an end run around all the regulations designed to protect the forest preserve and the public.

Tell your forest preserve commissioner to vote no on this abominable action.

Susan Zingle

Wadsworth