Cook 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

Forest 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