Forest Preserve Acquires 161 Acres In 2022, Including In Homer Glen

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County has passed the 23,000-acre mark with its acquisitions in 2022, according to a release in the district. Almost 161 acres were acquired this year, including in Homer Glen.

“We’ve had great success with acquiring critical lands as part the 2020-2024 land preservation program,” Colleen Novander, the Forest Preserve’s director of planning and land preservation, said in a release. “It is truly a team effort thanks to willing sellers throughout Will County and our staff.”

Since 2020, the Forest Preserve has purchased 1,678 acres with proceeds from a bond issue approved by the Board of Commissioners in November 2019. Around $3 million remains of the $12 million earmarked for land acquisition. As the land preservation program continues, the focus remains the same, Novander said

“We want to add value to our existing holdings, assist with community partnership opportunities, and focus on lands previously included in prior Forest Preserve Land Evaluation Programs,” she said in a release.

In February, the forest preserve took ownership of 33 acres in Bolingbrook, including the Hidden Oaks Nature Center and Hidden Lakes Trout Farm. The preserve said the land is contiguous to the Forest Preserve’s Whalon Lake Preserve and it serves as a local and regional trail hub. The purchase included a 6,972-square-foot nature center, four fishing ponds, a large pavilion with fireplace, an outdoor amphitheater, a maintenance garage and yard, hiking trails, and historical and nature exhibits.

In Crest Hill, 6 acres was acquired, the preserve said. The property holds value to the Forest Preserve for continuity with resource management along with the opportunity to preserve open space in an area facing development pressures, according to the preserve. This donation, in combination with Lockport Township Park District’s property and the existing Kraske Preserve, will preserve a block of approximately 80 acres of land, protecting the natural resources of the area including wetlands and floodplain.

In May, the preserve acquired 47 acres near Hadley Valley Preserve in Homer Township. This Spring Creek Greenway parcel buffers and protects the Forest Preserve’s existing holdings at Hadley Valley, the preserve said. The Forest Preserve was awarded an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation Grant to assist with this acquisition.

Lastly, in August, the preserve acquired 74 acres adjacent to the Black Walnut Creek Preserve in Crete. The preserve said the acquisition of this property will protect high quality hydric soils, in addition to wetland and marsh habitat.

Various factors are used to rank parcels as the District seeks to acquire land, the preserve said. Parcels are ranked higher if they were previously included in a Forest Preserve land evaluation program. Property is also ranked higher if it expands or buffers an existing preserve or greenway because that allows for continuity in maintenance and restoration activities.

“Adding to existing preserves makes it easier for property management and the protection of natural resources,” Novander said in a release. “You can better control invasive species and perform larger restorations, especially when the parcels are connected and there are no gaps in the greenways.”