Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:38:06 -0500WeeblyFri, 20 Mar 2026 15:38:19 GMThttps://www.lwvcookcounty.org/forest-preserve-board-observer-reports/chicago-botanic-garden-ceo-announces-retirementCook County Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners Meeting
March 10, 2026 

Board Business and Action:

• Jean M. Franczyk, who led the Chicago Botanic Garden since 2016, retired as of  3/13/26. Also retired last December, Irene Flebbe, former naturalist at Trailside Museum of Natural History after 32 years of service to the Forest Preserves.
• The FP accepted a grant of  $709,500 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity ("DCEO") for Conservation Corps programming for the period of  1/1/2026 (retroactive) to 6/30/2027.
• The board agreed to purchase 2 properties: 324 Sutton Road #A, Barrington Hills ~ 5 acres for $520,000 (plus closing costs) and 59 W. Schaumburg Road, Streamwood and 253 Sutton Road, Unincorporated Hanover Township of ~  28 acres for $5,650,000.
• The commissioners also approved ordinances to create a forest preserve near Spring Lake  and another near Polar Creek Land and Water Reserve.
• As part of the superintendent’s reports, Adam Bianchi presented the 2025 Concessions Annual Report. Since approving an ordinance in 2022 the FP wanted to  increase and improve visitor engagement by providing the public with access to concessions, opportunities for recreational activities, amenities and services while also generating revenue to support the mission of the Forest Preserve. Juiced by Shic, a concession provider at the Swallow Cliff facility near Palos Park, received recognition during the meeting. Due to their strong performance, their contract has been extended until 2028. During the comment period a woman representing Juiced by Shic thanked the commissioners for their continued support.
• The annual report of the Resident Watchman was given; it provides  names, job titles, and salaries of employees who occupied property in addition to other program information for fiscal year 2025. The district currently maintains 35 Resident Watchman residences. There are currently seven vacancies, which are anticipated to be filled before the year concludes. The district did not add or remove any properties from the program in 2025. 

Observer - Valerie Krejcie]]>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:50:36 GMThttps://www.lwvcookcounty.org/forest-preserve-board-observer-reports/cook-county-forest-preserves-board-authorize-funds-for-advertising-and-promotional-servicesCook County Forest Preserve District Board of  Commissioners meeting 
February 3, 2026

Item #26-0015  Advertising and Promotional Services Fiscal Impact  

• The Forest Preserves of Cook County requested authorization for the General Superintendent to have discretionary spending up to $300,000 per year for up to two years for advertising and promotional services with a variety of media vendors to promote and showcase the amenities, programs and natural areas of the Forest Preserves. 
  
• The promotions include focused geographic and demographic outreach to communities that have been underserved. 

Commissioners asked about efforts to reach out to school educators, local tourism offices, seniors and veterans. Some commissioners mentioned the value of the forest preserve calendars to promote the Forest Preserve.  Part of the activities will include tabling at Farmer’s Markets.  

General Superintendent Bianchi shared updates about restoration and the value of the Green Corps in restoration and seed gathering work.  The Green Corps is a paid job training program for individuals with barriers to employment. A goal of the Cook County Forest Preserves is to be a national model for conservation. Lastly, the upcoming calendar of events was shared with a focus on Black History month and lunar events. 

Observers:  Laura Davis and Sabine Scholz]]>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:49:31 GMThttps://www.lwvcookcounty.org/forest-preserve-board-observer-reports/january-21st-2026Forest Preserve DIstrict of Cook County Board Committee Meetings
​January 13, 2026 (9:15 to 10:15 am) 

Real Estate Committee - Approved partnership with Pike House Foundation and Beverly Art Alliance for preservation, restoration and operation of the Eugene S. Pike House (1826 W. 91st St., Chicago). Also approved road improvements. 

Finance Committee on Litigation - Approved legal fees in the amount of $24,000.

Finance Committee - Revenues exceeded expenses by 2.9 million for 1st 3 quarters of 2025. 

Law Enforcement Committee - Forest Preserve Police presented a biannual report. Mission statement, code of ethics, goals, recruitment plans, career exposure and professional growth objectives were presented. 7 drones were purchased for search and rescue missions along with training. 79 officers have been hired and they have been recruiting for 27 open positions. Discussed vetting of officers. 

Capital Development and Ecological Committee - 63 million budgeted for 2026 to focus on trail improvement, restroom/facility improvements and reducing electrical demands. Grant funding to be reviewed to keep levels current ($19,000). 

Forest Preserve DIstrict of Cook County Board Meeting
January 13, 2026 (10:15 - 10:45 am) 
Adam Bianchi (Forest Preserve Superintendent) highlighted the Chicago Wilderness Awards of Excellence in Ecological Restoration for Busse Woods Nature Preserve restoration and Powderhorn Lake Habitat restoration. Michelle Parker from the Audubon Society thanked the Forest Preserve for their assistance in adding 100 acres of wetland from Powderhorn Lake to Wolf Lake. 
Discussed parking agreement approvals, agreement with Willow Springs stable for parking/trail entrance, Lakeshore recycling/trash agreement for $900,000, auditing, workers compensation approval, and proposed calendar of events. E-mails will be sent to commissioners regarding Forest Preserve events with zoned events for their constituents. 
Also highlighted 5.1 million for land acquisition, Busse Woods restoration in conjunction with Brookfield Zoo and popularity of the Elk herd, nature express bus which allowed 1800 people to access the Forest Preserves and 7800 hours of service provided by volunteers. Upcoming events include Dr. Martin Luther King service events and Black History/Underground Railroad events in addition to winter activities such as winter birding and photography. 

Observer: Linda Bareis]]>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 21:57:13 GMThttps://www.lwvcookcounty.org/forest-preserve-board-observer-reports/more-community-education-needed-from-forest-preserves-regarding-controlled-burnsForest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting 
December 16, 2025 

The Forest Preserve Environmental and Sustainability committee presented a report on the Chicago Wilderness Alliance Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan (CWPP) [25-0331].  Led by the Cook County Forest Preserves,  the report was presented by John McCabe and covered August 13, 2013 to June 2024. The plan was developed to guide mitigation and facilitate fire adapted communities in Lake, Cook, McHenry, Kane, DuPage and Will counties.  
The purpose of the plan is to:

1. Reduce loss due to wildfires
2. Promote effective wildfire response
3. Bring awareness to land management in the wildland-urban interface
4. Promote effective fuels management
5. Educate the public on wildfire prevention and mitigation

This plan reflects the collaborative effort and input of numerous community members, emergency responders, local organizations, and stakeholders from each of the six represented counties.  It is a comprehensive strategy with the use of GIS for spatial data to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire risks in the region.
Key findings are:

• Since the prior report only 2% of the area in 6 counties, or 100,000 acres, is classified as high risk.
• The 6 county area has lost over 400,000 acres of open space due to development. 
• The biggest risk factor is smoke. Within one mile of a wildfire, eight million people can be impacted. 

Action items are:

• Improve accuracy and consistency of reporting
• Create defensible spaces in high risk areas
• Implementation of fuel reduction measures
• Promotion of interdisciplinary training for fire departments

Questions and comments from commissioners revolved mainly about how the Forest Preserves communicates to a community regarding controlled burns.  Tactics include education at local libraries, knocking on doors, door hangers, working with local fire departments, and with the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. The Cook County Forest Preserve is educating local departments on the importance of reporting each forest preserve burn that they may respond to. This is important for tracking and accuracy. The report was received and filed.

Observers:       Laura Davis and Marge Pearson
]]>Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:27:51 GMThttps://www.lwvcookcounty.org/forest-preserve-board-observer-reports/cook-county-forest-preserve-district-2026-budget-approvedCook County Forest Preserve District Board Meeting
November 18, 2025

​The Cook County Forest Preserves (CCFP) Commissioners unanimously approved the fiscal year 2026 budget. 

• The 2026 budget is $194.1 million dollars. This includes $31.3 million dollars to fund Brookfield Zoo Chicago and the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Corporate budget which funds the day-to-day operations of the Preserves is $92.6 million which also funds capital improvements, real estate acquisition and self insurance.
  
• This budget was completed by the new CCFP Superintendent Adam Bianchi with the help of the CCFP commissioners and many staff members. The total budget increases by 2.5 percent, and the corporate budget by 3.7 percent over last year.
  
• Fiscal Year 2026 will be the fourth Forest Preserves budget since the Referendum was overwhelmingly passed by the voters of Cook County, providing more than $40 million annually to invest in nature. Its impact is foundational for this year’s accomplishments.
  
• September revenues exceeded $13.2 million.
  
• One amendment was approved to the 2026 budget which will reallocate $51,000 for expanding the Underground Railroad project at several CCFP sites.

Additional items discussed:

• Beaubien Woods: A state-of-the-art accessible canoe and kayak launch are completed. This is only the 4th accessible boat launch in Illinois. Also approved was the purchase of a small parcel of land from the Chicago Housing Authority from the Altgeld Gardens housing development for connections to Beaubien Woods.
• The CCFPs partnered with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to provide a completely accessible camping experience for some of their patients. This was very successful and is planned again for 2026.
• A long standing lawsuit involving the CCFP and the care of a coyote was dismissed in a detailed 30 page document.
• The Sauk Trail Woods is now the first CCFP property that is 100% zero net energy.
• CCFP received four different awards recently for the planning and improvements to the Des Plaines River Trail.
• November 18 (day of meeting) was also the first day for people to make reservations for events in the CCFP and almost 1000 people called and booked over 700 events on just the first day.
• Andrew Johnson, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, spoke to thank the CCFP commissioners for always recognizing the Land Acknowledgement of the Native People at all meetings. He talked about how meaningful that is to all Native People.
  
  Observer - Deborah Halpern
  

]]>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:40:15 GMThttps://www.lwvcookcounty.org/forest-preserve-board-observer-reports/forest-preserves-grant-to-support-greencorps-chicago-conservation-corpsForest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting 
October 21, 2025 

Board Action:

• The Cook County Forest Preserves accepted a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (25-0326).  The funding of $220,200 will provide additional support to the Greencorps Chicago Conservation Corps program. Greencorps Chicago is Chicago’s green-industry employment program which provides job skills training for individuals with barriers to employment, including prior involvement in the criminal justice system. The Corps training prepares individuals for employment through practical field experience and technical training in environmentally related jobs. 
• An ordinance was approved to create a forest preserve near Beaubien Woods (25-0359). The ordinance is designed to connect lands which are part of Altgeld Gardens subdivision with Beaubien Woods and access to the Beaubien Woods Boat Launch. Forest Preserves will pay CHA five thousand dollars plus closing cost up to $10,000.00. This land acquisition advances the goals of the Forest Preserve’s Southeast Cook County Land Acquisition Plan.
• The Cook County Forest Preserve commissioner’s board will continue to hold its regular meetings in 2026 on Tuesdays at 10am. 

Public Speakers:

• A couple of public speakers talked about the importance of the Greencorps and its role in changing lives. 
  
• Four public speakers advocated for a resolution supporting the Chicago Botanic Garden Workers (25-0377) and their bid to unionize. The speakers talked about safety issues and lack of attention by management. Commissioners supported the resolution.
  
• A few public speakers asked for the Forest Preserves to allow stand up paddle boarding in the forests. It was shared that Lake County, DuPage and McHenry counties all allow paddle boarding in their forest preserves. The stated reason that the CC Forest Preserves do not allow paddle boarding is due to poor water quality and concerns with public health if boarders fall in the water. 

Observer:   Laura Davis and Marge Pearson
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