Land Acquistion Plan

Resolution
2000 Land Acquisition Plan
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
As Amended: July 27, 2000

WHEREAS, Cook County planners and political leaders of great foresight planned, for future generations, an urban landscape that preserved the natural character of Cook County’s rivers and streams, its special prairies and forests, and all associated plants and wildlife as a linked system of forest preserves for the public’s benefit; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois (the "District") was formed in 1915 and empowered by the Illinois Legislature to restore, restock, preserve and protect the natural environment for the education, pleasure, and recreation of the public; and

WHEREAS, from the inception of this original vision to the present, the District has made great progress by acquiring and preserving over 67,000 acres of open land, which is approximately 11 percent of Cook County’s land mass, and is authorized to preserve a total not to exceed 75,000 acres of open land; and

WHEREAS, the District provides land and facilities that accommodate people who want to enjoy or study nature, bicycle, hike, fish, cross-country ski, picnic, golf, canoe, and maintain native vegetation, to mention only a few possible activities, or simply relax in a large preserve that leaves urban life behind; and

WHEREAS, each year, the District receives an estimated 40 million visits to its land and facilities including the Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Garden, two world-class institutions located in Cook County’s forest preserves; and

WHEREAS, Cook County has significant ecological resources and is home to extremely rare and endangered animals and plant life, with over 130 species and habitats having global importance; and

WHEREAS, the District organized a Project Team, consisting of the District’s Commissioners, staff, consultants, representatives of environmental groups and governmental agencies to create a comprehensive land acquisition plan; and

WHEREAS, the Project Team sought out and obtained input from policy makers, conservation experts, recreation providers, volunteer groups and the general public; and

WHEREAS, the Project Team did create and recommend a comprehensive land acquisition plan as evidenced by its publication in June of 1994 of a booklet entitled: Land Acquisition Plan Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, the Project team initially identified by map plan land potentially suitable as open space acquisitions by the District and recently updated the map plan in 2000 as the "Forest Preserve Opportunity Map."

NOW THEREFORE, it is hereby RESOLVED that it is the purpose of this Resolution to carry forward a land conservation agenda and policies for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois by implementing a comprehensive method to identify open land, determine its suitability for forest preserve usage, determine the feasibility of land acquisition, find alternative ways to secure open land as future forest preserve, and develop public and legislative support to finance land acquisition, and it is further resolved that the Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County adopt the following, in substance and spirit, as the Forest Preserve District’s Land Acquisition Plan:

INVENTORY OF OPEN LAND: The project team identified over 40,000 acres of land potentially suitable as open space acquisitions by the District. The staff of the District shall immediately commence to evaluate and prioritize properties as potential land acquisitions. General considerations for potential land acquisitions include biodiversity, greenway linkages, and proximity to existing preserves.

As a general guideline, the District favors the acquisition of large scale properties, sites that manifest significant ecological features, lands that provide linkages to other forest preserve or open space properties, sites that are greenways, and open space "buffers" that protect ecosystems in existing forest preserve lands that assist in the management of natural resources. The potential for recreational opportunities that are compatible with the preservation and protection of natural ecosystems is also given consideration. Structures or buildings on acquired properties should be evaluated for their potential use as District facilities and their educational, recreational, cultural or historical value in line with the District’s mission.

FEASIBILITY OF PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS: The District shall implement a property evaluation process to assess properties as potential forest preserves. To evaluate properties as potential forest preserves, the property must meet two criteria: (1) the property must advance the mission of the District; and (2) the acquisition of the parcel must be economically feasible for the District.

The District shall implement procedures to evaluate the feasibility of specific parcels of land under the Land Acquisition Plan and establish a list of high priority properties for acquisition with existing funds. Also, the District shall establish a list of significant land parcels for acquisition as funds become available in the future.

PROTECTION OF OPEN LAND: Fee simple acquisition is the primary method in which the District acquires land for forest preserves. Title to real estate may be acquired by gift, grant, legacy, purchase or condemnation proceedings. However, additional strategies for open space usage, including: leases; public sector partnerships through intergovernmental agreements; public/private partnerships; land banking; conservation easements; managements agreements; and licenses/permits are encouraged. The District shall acquire open space land through purchase, gifts, grant programs, and sale, trade or exchange of property where permitted by law. The land acquisition financing strategies shall include state and federal grant programs, issuance of bonds, raising funds from private donors, sale of surplus parcels and the utilization of funds received from taxation and fees.

The District shall aggressively seek funding for Land Acquisition through State and Federal Grant programs such as: Open Land Trust; The Illinois First Program; Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD); Bicycle Path Fund; Conservation 2000; Land and Water Conservation; and other appropriate programs.

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA: The District, where appropriate, shall take an active role in encouraging state, federal and local legislation and conservation programs that enhance the fulfillment of the District’s mission.

The District shall encourage federal agencies to strengthen their urban conservation agenda and to enhance funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program, the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and other programs that support conservation activities.

COALITION BUILDING: The District shall implement programs and procedures to inform the public of the need to protect Cook County’s remaining natural areas and imperiled ecological resources. For this purpose, the District shall host special events; coordinate a Speaker’s Bureau; develop a coalition of supporters; use the CitySpace Plan as an inspiration to enhance the District’s presence within the City of Chicago and to provide greenways and trail linkages from city to the suburbs; continue Neighborspace for purchase of open space in the City of Chicago; continue support for the Regional Greenways Plan, Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission and Chicago Wilderness; and coordinate and expand cooperative relationships with other forest preserves and conservation districts. The Forest Preserve District and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District being the two largest land owners in Cook County, the Forest Preserve District will continue to pursue common land use interests and goals with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

PUBLIC/OUTREACH: The District shall continue to seek a broad base of public input as to concepts, ideas and recommendations for future land acquisition policies. Included in this outreach is the general public, policy makers, political and community leaders, conservation experts, recreation providers, volunteer groups, civic organizations and the mass media.

The foregoing including the 2000 Forest Preserve Opportunity Map is hereby adopted as the District’s Land Acquisition Plan.

View the Land Acquisition Plan Map, available here in Adobe® Acrobat™ PDF format. (NOTE: A new browser window will open for viewing the PDF.)