Forest Preserve Purchases 47.5 Acres Near Hadley Valley Preserve

HOMER GLEN, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County recently purchased 47.5 acres that will enlarge the existing Hadley Valley preserve in Homer Township, a news release from the preserve states.

The parcel is adjacent to the preserve, so the preserve said it fits into its mission of expanding existing holdings.

According to the preserve, the Hadley Valley acquisition was funded with an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant that paid for 80 percent of the purchase price and included $10,000 for restoration work.

The parcel is east of Interstate 355 and south of Bruce Road in the Spring Creek Greenway. It is a key acquisition in an area of Will County facing higher development pressures, said Colleen Novander, the Forest Preserve District’s director of planning and land preservation.

“When land preservation opportunities consistent with the mission of the Forest Preserve arise, we jump at the opportunity to work with landowners and establish partnerships to ensure its preservation in perpetuity,” she said in a release. “It could have easily been sold and converted to another use. Instead, the landowner reached out to the Forest Preserve to inquire about our interest in the parcel.”

The land has frontage along Bruce Road, and because it shares boundaries with Hadley Valley it offers opportunities for land management continuity as well as future opportunities for recreational development, Novander added.

The Forest Preserve District applied for an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant through the agency's Land Acquisition Grant Program.

“This award is the second Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant the Forest Preserve has been presented for acquisitions at Hadley Valley,” Novander said. “Totaling nearly 130 acres, the Foundation provided over $3.11 million towards these acquisitions!”

The site will remain in agricultural production this year and will be seeded with a native prairie species mix after the final crop harvest in fall of 2022.

The Forest Preserve District now owns, leases or manages 23,073 acres.

The quest to add more land will continue, Novander said in a release. Protecting open space is important for ecological reasons and to provide recreational amenities for residents.

“Our Land Preservation Program evaluates opportunities in every area of the county, and it is a goal to have our services and preserves accessible to all. We can all see Will County developing, and through strategic land acquisition, the Forest Preserve can protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage for generations to come.”