Lake County forest district tries new approach to upgrade unique preserve

In a sign of the times, when every penny is being pinched and money for new projects is scarce, a new approach is underway to improve a Lake County forest preserve.

Rather than the traditional method of budgeting funds and then creating a master plan, Lake County Forest Preserve District officials are first creating a new vision for Oriole Grove, a uniquely situated area straddling Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, and then seeking to fund it solely through donations and grants.

“An approved plan and cost estimates provides our Preservation Foundation with the tools needed to promote the project and generate interest,” said Randy Seebach, director of planning and land preservation.

This is the first time development of a forest preserve has been approached this way. Because there appears to be interest in private investment for Oriole Grove, it's a route worth pursuing, district officials say.

“We want to test that out,” Executive Director Ty Kovach said.

Oriole Grove is the site's official name, but locals refer to it as Jensen Woods, after a renowned landscape architect from a century ago. In 1917, Jens Jensen designed and created the 4.4-acre kidney-shaped pond that remains a notable feature on what was then part of a private estate stretching from Green Bay Road to the Skokie River.

Today, visitors hike on trails of bare earth, grass or sections of decomposing asphalt in the 86-acre preserve.

While volunteers and contractors have restored portions of the site, there is no formal system or public improvements.

In a sense, the property has remained offline since 1980. However, since the district assumed full ownership about a year ago, actions have been taken to change that.

Sandwiched between high-quality natural areas along the river corridor, Oriole Grove is considered a “keystone” property. The idea is to restore the land to its original state, improve access and enhance connections with adjoining properties.

The public can comment and offer suggestions as part of the master planning process. If or when anything will be built depends on donations and grants.

In its 10-year capital plan, the district approved staff time to create a master plan for Oriole Grove, but doesn't have the funds to build or maintain anything at the site.

“It's really about raising money for it because we don't have the capital dollars,” Kovach said.

Two master plan concepts were shared at an in-person open house Sept. 22. For those who didn't attend, a virtual session for comment and feedback is set for Monday, Oct. 26. Visit https://www.lcfpd.org/.

Both concepts call for old drain pipes to be disabled, invasive species removed, wetlands reestablished and native plant seeds sown. Pati Vitt, the district's manager of restoration ecology, estimates that will cost about $1.4 million, including engineering.

That doesn't include the cost of building a formal trail system or potential associated elements, such as boardwalks, she added.

A main decision is whether the trail would go out and back or be built as a loop.

“We're looking for input from the public of how they would like to use the preserve and what their preferences are,” Vitt said.

Oriole Grove is regarded as a central link among a much larger collection of properties: 35 acres to the north managed by the Lake Bluff Open Lands Association; 119 acres to the south managed by Lake Forest Open Lands Association; and 42 acres of private property dedicated as Illinois State Natural Areas.

“Oriole Grove provided a real unique opportunity to become a high-quality connector between two existing natural areas that are of high-quality,” Vitt said.

The quality is such that a no-bicycle policy on all trails will continue.

The property that includes Oriole Grove was settled and farmed beginning in the 1840s. It later was purchased by William V. Kelley, a wealthy manufacturer and financier, as 130-acre Stonebridge estate.

In 1980, the Oriole Grove acreage was acquired by the forest district and the Illinois Department of Transportation for potential stormwater storage. The area proved unsuitable and has remained unimproved.

“It has essentially been tied up in sort of a dual ownership for decades,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart of Lake Bluff, said during a recent discussion.

“It was one of the first things people brought to my attention when I came on the board in 2012,” she added.