The Lake County Forest Preserves Board approved two land purchases totaling nearly 90 acres Wednesday, expanding the county’s largest forest preserve and nearly doubling the size of its newest conservation preserve.
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Jessica Vealitzik, president of the Forest Preserves, said the two expansions were “exciting” acquisitions, falling “right in line” with their overall mission of protecting and restoring land. Both purchases will likely be finalized by this spring, she said, and will be made using short-term bonds from last year — not funds from a recently passed $155 million referendum.
“There’s so many facets to why we do that and this just fits right in there,” she said. “We like to look at key acquisitions.”
The benefits of nature preserves go beyond something to be enjoyed by residents, Vealitzik said, although that is something that “can’t be discounted.” They also provide “ecosystem services,” ranging from flood and erosion control to carbon sequestration; things with “actual economic value.” Lake County’s expansive preserves also help attract people to the area, she said.
The larger of the two parcels — 55 acres located on Gilmer Road in Fremont Township and sitting less than a mile north of Route 176 — is known as the Steffenhagen property and will cost $1.4 million.
The acquisition expands the Lakewood Forest Preserve, the largest in the county with more than 2,900 acres of trails, woodlands, prairies, wetlands and lakes according to a county press release. Last spring, the board approved two other land acquisitions for Lakewood — 74 acres on Gilmer Road southeast of Fairfield Road, and 1.6 acres on the west side of Fairfield Road between Bonner and Route 176.
During Wednesday’s meeting, another $960,000 was approved for 34 acres on Rena Avenue, about a quarter mile south of Grass Lake Road — known as the Elliott W. Frank LLC property — nearly doubling the size of the Lotus Country Conservation Preserve.
Lotus is a fairly new acquisition. The Forest Preserves purchased it last summer for its “valuable ecological features,” according to the release, including wetlands, wooded areas and most notably the largest heron and egret rookery in the county.
Vealitzik said the rookery had previously “bumped up” against agricultural land, something the expansion will help address.
“It’s not the worst thing in the world, but we always like to provide a buffer for nature around our preserve, so this helps protect that fragile ecosystem,” she said.
Lotus is designated as a “conservation preserve” rather than a forest preserve and doesn’t have public access, which could damage the “fragile ecosystem” and the rookery, the release said.