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On the cover: Joel Sartore, award-winning National Geographic photographer, speaker, author, conservationist and founder of the Photo Ark, took this spectacular photo of our education hawk. She was the wildlife model for a photography workshop Sartore conducted at Ryerson Conservation Area in 2010. nearly
31,000 acres are
protected by the lake county forest preserves .
A MESSAGE from ANN B. MAINE PRESIDENT LAKE COUNTY FOREST PRESERVES AMAINE@LAKECOUNTYIL.GOV
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7 LAKE COUNTY FOREST PRESERVES BOARD of COMMISSIONERS PRESIDENT
Ann B. Maine, Lincolnshire VICE PRESIDENT
Linda Pedersen, Antioch TREASURER
S. Michael Rummel, Lake Forest ASSISTANT TREASURER
In the year 2018, we mark two milestones: the bicentennial of Illinois statehood, made the 21st state in the union in 1818; and the 60th anniversary of the Lake County Forest Preserves, founded by public referendum in 1958. Next time you are in one of our beautiful forest preserves, I invite you to think about what Lake County looked like 60 years ago and 200 years ago, and what it might look like 100 years from now, if we are careful and loving stewards of the land. In 1818, Lake County was significantly more forested than it is today. At that time, over 187,000 acres of the 300,000 total acres in Lake County were forested, which represented nearly two thirds of the land. Today, forest covers less than 23,000 acres. That difference translates to an 88 percent reduction of oak-dominated woodland acres in Lake County in those 200 years. It would be 25 years after Illinois became a state, in 1833, that the signing of the Treaty of Chicago opened Lake County and the surrounding region for purchase. Settlement was quick and the landscape of Lake County began to change significantly as towns were established and large tracts of land were cleared for farming. In our forest preserves today, you can still see remnants of what Lake County looked like so long ago. Thanks to careful forest management, these are among the highest quality wooded natural areas in the region. Reintroduction of fire through controlled burns, removal of invasive plants, strategic thinning of the forest canopy, and other land management methods are ensuring the health of these woodlands. Here are some of my favorite spots for you to visit this fall. Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods) provides one of the best remaining examples of a northern flatwoods forest. If you walk to the top of the loop trail at Rollins Savanna (Grayslake) and look to the south, you will see countless oak trees, several as old as 200 years. And in the first Lake County Forest Preserve, Van Patten Woods, created in 1961, you can visit one particular ancient white oak tree, standing tall near Sterling Lake. If you sit under the cool shade this tree provides, you just might be able to transport yourself back two centuries.
Jeff Werfel, Grayslake Chuck Bartels, Mundelein Carol Calabresa, Libertyville Steve Carlson, Gurnee Mary Ross Cunningham, Waukegan Michael Danforth, Lake Barrington Bill Durkin, Waukegan Paul Frank, Highland Park Sandy Hart, Lake Bluff Diane Hewitt, Waukegan Aaron Lawlor, Vernon Hills Judy Martini, Fox Lake Sidney Mathias, Buffalo Grove Brent Paxton, Zion Craig Taylor, Lake Zurich Tom Weber, Lake Villa Terry Wilke, Round Lake Beach Vance Wyatt, North Chicago EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ty Kovach
HORIZONS
VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 Fall 2018 EDITOR
Susan Hawkins, Horizons@LCFPD.org DESIGN
Jeanna Martinucci CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS
Brett Peto, Allison Frederick, Jeanna Martinucci, Jackie DeMasi PHOTOGRAPHY
Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark (cover, page 6), Carol Freeman, Jeff Goldberg, Dahai Zang, Peter Schulz, John Weinstein, Tim Elliott, Jess Smith, Kimberly Kingen, Thomas James Caldwell, Chip Williams, Phil Hauck, Tamima Itani, Steve H., Chris Evans SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, UPDATE ADDRESS: 847–968–3335 | Horizons@LCFPD.org Photo and videos are periodically taken of people participating in Forest Preserve District programs and activities. All persons registering for Forest Preserve District programs/activities or using Forest Preserve property thereby agree that any photo or video taken by the Forest Preserve District may be used by the District for promotional purposes including its website, promotional videos, brochures, fliers and other publications without additional, prior notice or permission and without compensation to the participant.