District Acquires 1,465 Acres to Expand, Create Forest Preserves

kanecountyconnects / November 21, 2018 / Comments Off / Communities, Development, Education, Environment, Events, Government, Kane County Forest Preserve District, Parks and Recreation, Taxpayers, WK-Features

At the Nov. 13 Forest Preserve Commission meeting, outgoing Kane County Forest Preserve commissioners were given plaques commemorating their service, each of which includes a photo from the commissioner’s district. From left to right are Philip Lewis, Ron Ford Sr., Maggie Auger, Don Ishmael , Rebecca Gillam, Kurt Kojzarek and Thomas (T.R.) Smith.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is 1,465 acres larger — and still growing — thanks to residents’ support of the 2017 land acquisition and preserve-improvement referendum.

Click this link to see the 2018 Progress Report.

Forest Preserve District staff reported new land totals at the Nov. 13 Forest Preserve Commission meeting. The new acreage brings total preserve holdings to 22,284 acres. Thirteen forest preserves have been expanded, and the District has invested in land to create three new preserves.

In total, more than $19 million of the $50 million referendum proceeds have been invested so far. Roughly 80 percent of referendum funds will go toward land acquisition, with the remaining 20 percent to go toward preserve capital improvements.

With 1,465 new acres, the district is closing in on the goal of acquiring approximately 2,000 to 2,500 additional acres of open space.

“We’re following through on exactly what we said we would do when we put the referendum before the voters last year in April,” said Forest Preserve Commission President Mike Kenyon. “We’ve added 1,465 acres and have other acquisitions in the works. We’ve also begun work on key capital improvements that will improve habitat for wildlife and recreational amenities for the public. It’s great to see. I’ve often said that the referendum was about legacy and leaving Kane County a better place for future generations. We’re working to do just that,” he said.

Maggie Auger chairs the district’s Land Acquisition Committee. She touched on some of the reasoning behind the acquisitions made thus far.

“We’ve focused on enlarging the size of existing preserves to grow our woodlands, wetlands and prairies. We’ve made multiple investments to increase the size of Muirhead Springs Forest Preserve in Elgin. The addition of 325 acres creates a now 1,011-acre preserve. We’ve been able to protect land along creeks at Big Rock Forest Preserve in Big Rock, Ferson Creek Forest Preserve in Elgin and LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles.

“These riparian areas are hot spots for biodiversity. We’ve also invested in a beautiful woodland in Big Rock township, that will create a new 85-acre preserve. It’s amazing to see what we’ve been able to accomplish with the support of our residents, and we’ve still got more in the works,” she said.

Land investments to date include: