$350 million invested in nature over 25 years

_{|  Story by Cindy Wojdyla Cain |}

_3/4/2025

In the past 25 years, the Forest Preserve District has invested $350 million in Will County to preserve land, extend trails, enhance amenities and create recreational opportunities for residents.

That total includes bond issues approved by voters and the Forest Preserve’s Board of Commissioners as well as matching grants, partnerships and investment earnings.

The money funded Capital Improvement Programs that enhanced the quality of life in Will County for both humans and native flora and fauna.

The most recent Capital Improvement Program, a $25 million plan approved in 2019, is winding down now. And a new $50 million CIP approved by the Board in 2024 is ramping up.

“These two programs, combined with all past Forest Preserve investments in Will County, will continue the District’s mission to protect the environment and to build places and spaces where Will County residents can recreate and soak in the rejuvenating and healing powers of nature,” said Cindy Wojdyla Cain, the Forest Preserve District’s public information officer.

By the end of this next CIP in 2030, the dollars invested in Will County within a three-decade period will total around $425 million.

As the previous five-year plan ends and a new one is launched, it’s a good time to review the latest expansions and improvements as well as the projects to come for the next five years.

The 2019-2024 CIP

The 2019-2024 CIP set aside $13 million for preserve, facility and trail improvements and $12 million for land acquisition.

The CIP funded the acquisition of 22 properties in 18 preserves for a total of 1,737 acres. This total includes around 520 acres that were donated.

The last two property acquisitions of the 2019-2024 program were a 1.18 acre-property adjacent to Hickory Creek Preserve, near Wolf Road and Route 30, and 10.5-acre property near Sugar Creek Preserve.

Larger acquisitions Included:

• 471.87 acres in Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve (Illinois Department of Natural Resources transfer)
• 362.5 acres in Jackson Creek Preserve (three separate purchases). Enlarging Jackson Creek helps provide flood control for the region. This acquisition also will help the District establish a foundation for a Jackson Creek Greenway with future regional connections to the Old Plank Road Trail and the Wauponsee Glacial Trail.
• 201.74 acres in Moeller Woods Preserve. The land is directly south of the existing Moeller Woods. This acquisition fills in a gap within the greenway and it brings the District one step closer to connecting Plum Valley Preserve to Moeller Woods.
• 199.92 acres in Plum Valley Ravines (formerly Longwood Country Club property). Surrounded on two sides by the existing Forest Preserve, the property is now part of the nearly 3,800 acres of protected land within the Plum Creek Greenway in Will and Cook counties.
• 160.78 acres in Forked Creek Preserve. This acquisition removed a critical gap in the Forest Preserve’s existing holdings at the preserve. Acquisition allowed for protection of a portion of Forked Creek, continuity in greenway management and development opportunities for the future Forked Creek Greenway Trail.
• 57 acres in McKinley Woods. This acquisition makes it easier for the Forest Preserve to maintain and restore portions of the preserve that were almost impossible to reach in the past.

Major projects included:

Lake Chaminwood Phase II: Additional parking and an accessible canoe/kayak launch were added, and the internal preserve trail was linked to the I&M Canal State Trail via a new bridge.

Four Rivers Environmental Education Center: Interior museum improvements and interpretive campus improvements were made, including relocation of office space, creation of exhibit space, interpretive exhibits and outdoor improvements.

Plum Creek Greenway Trail Phase III: The project will break ground in late summer or fall 2025. Once completed, it will extend the trail from Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve to Plum Valley Preserve – Burville Road Access.

Hidden Oaks Preserve: Construction of a new bait shop and associated amenities at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center: Interior architectural renovations and the design, development, fabrication and installation of exhibits at the nature center. (A spring 2025 opening is scheduled.)

CIP funds were used as matching funds for federal grants in some cases, as they have been for decades of improvements in the District, said Colleen Novander, the Forest Preserve’s director of planning and land preservation.

“The amount of success we’ve had with outside funding to assist with this Capital Improvement Program is a testament to the value of the Forest Preserve,” she said. “Whether it be from local, state, or federal partners, the importance of their contributions is not solely financial, but a reaffirmation of the shared belief in the importance of conservation and recreation.”

The beat goes on

Here is a summary of the goals of the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program, which earmarks $25 million to preserve land in perpetuity; $12 million for critical regional and local trail connections, new preserve access areas, and enhanced visitor centers; and $13 million to restore 2,500 acres of habitat to provide clean water, clean air and increased biodiversity.

The land preservation component of the plan could protect up to 1,200 acres or more. By adding to existing preserves, the plan would maximize management efforts and promote equitable access to nature.

The land acquisition program would emphasize current and past preservation efforts in these preserves: DuPage River Confluence, Jackson Creek, and Spring Creek and Plum Creek greenways along with the Braidwood Sands Area, an area rich in natural resources, in southwestern Will County.

Trail, Access and Facility Improvements will include these sites:

• DuPage River Trail, Weber Road connection
• Wolf’s Crossing Road trail connection
• Riverview Farmstead loop trail and amenities
• Veterans Memorial Trail, 159th Street to 135th Street
• Veterans Memorial Trail, Spring Creek to Route 6
• Forked Creek Greenway Trail, Wauponsee Glacial Trail to Forsythe Woods
• Jackson Creek Greenway Trail and access
• Wauponsee Glacial Trail improvements, Laraway Road to Hoff Road
• Plum Creek Nature Center renovations

Habitat restoration

A total of $12 million has been earmarked for habitat reconstruction and natural area restoration. Preserves involved in this program include:

• Riverview Farmstead Preserve, 250 acres
• Jackson Creek Preserve, 250 acres
• Forked Creek Preserve, 160 acres
• Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve, 200 acres
• McKinley Woods, 350 acres
• Plum Valley Ravines, 550 acres
• Sand Ridge Savanna Nature Preserve, 400 acres
• Hammel Woods, 200 acres
• Various preserve habitat restoration projects, 150 acres

Decades of investment

These investments and those of the past have had a profound impact on Will County. From the first land purchase in 1930 of Messenger Woods to the most recent additions as part of the 2019-2024 CIP, the Forest Preserve has grown from 144 acres to more than 23,000 acres today.

The District has 71 preserves (40 improved, 31 unimproved), 135 miles of trails, six dog parks, five campgrounds, more than 30 picnic shelters, 31 miles of equestrian trails, multiple fishing and canoeing/kayaking locations, four boating lakes and two sled hills.

Beyond the tangible improvements, there are also benefits there are less visible. Open space assists in flood control, stores carbon, provides habitat for wildlife, helps threatened and endangered species survive and enhances the planet’s diversity.

“Overall, the last quarter of a century has led to a greener Will County, which has been crucial especially as the area continues to see development and population increases,” Cain said. “The Forest Preserve’s work is crucial, and it will continue for the benefit of all.”