New off-leash dog area to open in Bartlett
A new 34-acre off-leash dog area opens this week at Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve in Bartlett.
The area features four separate and fully enclosed fields (one just for dogs under 25 pounds), an enclosed 1.2-mile limestone trail, and a 60-vehicle asphalt parking lot off Bittersweet Drive just south of Stearns Road. It replaces the off-leash dog area at Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve in Wayne, which will remain open until Dec. 31, 2015.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony opens the Hawk Hollow dog area at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1.
To use the off-leash area, dog owners must have valid permits from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The permits are available weekdays by calling (630) 933-7248 or at Visitor Services at 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton.
A key feature of the new facility is its rotating activity fields, which will allow the district to close one area to give the turf a rest while keeping a second area open for use.
"The Hawk Hollow area is a hybrid design of a lot of the best elements of all of the district's off-leash dog facilities," said Kevin Horsfall, forest district manager of planning.
The area is the result of a 2012 cooperative agreement between the forest district and CN, which allowed the railway and transportation company to use five acres at Pratt's Wayne Woods for track improvements in exchange for roughly $3.1 million in forest preserve improvements, including habitat enhancements, a new model airfield at Pratt's Wayne Woods and the new off-leash area at Hawk Hollow.
"This is a win-win situation not only for the district but, more importantly, for the environment, wildlife, businesses and homeowners in this corridor," said Forest Preserve District Commissioner Al Murphy, District 6.
"Collaborative projects like this help us be mindful stewards of our natural lands," said Joe Cantore, president of the DuPage forest district. "By working together we were able to meet the needs of CN while also providing improved amenities, habitat and flood protection for DuPage County residents."
At more than 1,100 acres, Hawk Hollow features rolling grassy meadows accented by mature woodlands and wetlands. It is one of the largest unbroken tracts of grassland habitat in DuPage County, with the West Branch DuPage River running through its middle.
In addition to Hawk Hollow, the district has off-leash dog areas at Blackwell in Warrenville, East Branch in Glendale Heights, Springbrook Prairie and Greene Valley in Naperville, and Mayslake in Oak Brook. Work is also under way to open an off-leash dog area at Oldfield Oaks in Darien.
For information, contact (630) 933-7200 or dupageforest.org.