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What Lake County Forest Preserves teams do behind scenes to make visits enjoyable for you

Cindy Smith is a regular at the Lake County Forest Preserves, taking pictures and walking five days a week.

“I never leave disappointed,” Smith said as she shot pictures of American white pelicans flying over the water at Fox River Forest Preserve in Port Barrington.

“The forest preserves are kept up beautifully. The employees do a fabulous job in keeping them picturesque,” she said from the riverwalk. Smith's opinions echo the results of the forest preserve's most recent countywide attitude and interest survey which shows the aspect people like most about their forest preserves is the level of attention given to cleanliness, maintenance and upkeep.

As the second largest forest preserve district in Illinois, how does the organization - which today protects and manages 65 forest preserves, 204 miles of trails and nearly 31,000 acres of natural lands - earn and sustain this positive reputation? It's rooted in the daily and vigorous behind-the-scenes maintenance and operations work most preserve visitors never see or think about.

<h3 class="leadin">Pride of ownership

“It is not hard for us to articulate the value of our contribution toward preserving open space and offering beautiful places in nature to recreate and relax,” Executive Director Ty Kovach said. “We've been in the business of caring for and providing access to forest preserves in Lake County for 61 years. Our employees take pride in what they do and they know how to do it well, and more importantly, they believe in why they're doing it. Creating a memorable first impression is crucial.”

In order to make that immediate positive impression, the operations and infrastructure and facilities departments work in tandem to keep things looking great and running smoothly. Most preserve visitors don't think about what it takes to keep their forest preserves clean and operational, and they rarely see the interwoven system of people who make it happen. It's like flipping on a light switch; most of us don't think about where electricity or its energy source comes from. The power grid behind the organization is a team of men and women who care for the land and maintain everything the public sees and enjoys. Without the power grid, employees couldn't sustain the standard of operational excellence visitors have come to expect when they enter a preserve or facility.

<h3 class="leadin">A day in the life

An operations and infrastructure crew repairs a section of the Millennium Trail at Singing Hills Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Courtesy of the Lake County Forest Preserves

To ensure the preserves are prepared when visitors first arrive, about 27 full-time maintenance workers and 20 seasonal employees start their day at 6:30 a.m. They open preserve gates and spend the bulk of their morning maintaining and cleaning the preserves. Teams collaborate to improve the look and condition of preserves and trails, but much of it is done quietly and out of sight of the public.

“Our operations crews are the heart and soul of our organization. They really want to give preserve visitors the best experience with as few distractions as possible as they go about their work. That's how good they are,” Chief Operations Officer Mike Tully said.

Maintenance worker Joe Sisk, like others on the team, has a list of preserves to tackle. He empties garbage cans, checks for litter, makes sure bathrooms are clean, keeps an eye open for vandalism, looks for split rail fence logs that may be down and clears or reports any trees or branches blocking trails or waterways.

“I look for anything out of place,” he said as he stopped his truck to pick up a White Castle bag blowing next to the trail at Hastings Lake in Lake Villa. “It's like an eye-spy game out here,” Sisk said as he stopped the truck again to pick up an empty bottle and candy wrappers. “Everything needs to look presentable,” said Sisk, who started about six months ago after graduating from Carthage College.

Angel Blanco, a maintenance crew chief based out of Independence Grove in Libertyville, holds the same philosophy and has 30 years of experience under his belt. After checking the trails, Blanco and his team have a host of other duties including preparing for and cleaning up after concerts, weddings and picnics. Blanco often partners with Joe Schmitz, a crew chief handling Greenbelt Forest Preserve and the Greenbelt Cultural Center in North Chicago.

Maintenance worker Laura Smith, who handles preserves in the southeast section of the county, agrees that trail cleanliness and safety are top priorities. Removing fallen branches and litter, filling deep ruts, clearing tall grass so bikers can see around corners and trimming trees so they don't whip horseback riders in the face may seem small, but they are important details.

One of crew chief Frank Volm's responsibilities is to make sure the Lakewood Dog Park in Wauconda is clean, safe and secure for its canine visitors. He says it's common for employees to go above and beyond.

To avoid scaring dogs, crew chief Frank Volm uses a small utility vehicle instead of a truck to empty garbage and make sure fencing is intact at the Lakewood Dog Park in Wauconda. Courtesy of the Lake County Forest Preserves

For example, maintenance worker Will Akin was plowing snow at the end of winter when a lost dog approached him. The black-and-white dog was cold and frightened and jumped in his truck. Before taking the dog to the shelter, Akin checked the lost dog page on Facebook and spotted its owner.

“I contacted the owners from Wauconda, returned their dog and they were ecstatic. That was a great day,” Akin said.

Superintendent of Natural Resources David Cassin and his team of 14 are dedicated to restoring the preserves to their natural beauty. Planting about 2,500 native trees each fall, clearing invasive plants, conducting controlled burns, trimming trees and removing jams from rivers and lakes are among their assignments.

“We are able to see the return on our investment and that's rewarding,” he said.

Mechanics repair and maintain the fleet of 64 trucks and 28 passenger vehicles used by employees across the organization. They also repair tractors, power saws and an array of other industrial equipment and specialty tools. Mechanical Services technician Mike Lech works out of the operations facility in Lake Villa. He welds and repairs gates at various preserves while also fixing and maintaining equipment.

A team of five heavy equipment operators tackle major trail repairs, fix water lines, handle demolition projects and oversee an impressive range of other projects.

“We get a sense of satisfaction in maintaining the preserves,” said heavy equipment operator Jeremy Tekampe as he removed an asphalt lot at Almond Marsh in Grayslake in preparation for that area to be restored and covered with native wildflower seeds.

“The ultimate why behind what we do is to give preserve visitors an exceptional experience so they can feel pride of ownership in these resources and want to care for them in the same way we do,” said John Nelson, director of operations and infrastructure.

Kim Mikus is a communications specialist for the Lake County Forest Preserves. She writes a bimonthly column about various aspects of the preserves. Contact her with ideas or questions at kmikuscroke@LCFPD.org. Connect with the Lake County Forest Preserves on social media @LCFPD.

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