Forest preserves, like the trees, other plants and wildlife they are home to, need proper sustenance to thrive.
Yet since the visionary creation of the Cook County forest preserves more than a century ago, there never has been a referendum to provide more resources for the preserves, even as the collar counties have done so repeatedly for their own natural spaces. Voters can remedy that in the Nov. 8 election, when a county referendum will appear on the ballot.
A nominal increase in the forest preserve property tax — less than $1.66 a month for most homeowners — would allow for the restoration of 30,000 acres, acquiring 27,000 acres over the next 20 years and boosting year-round engagement programs.
It also would provide much-needed money for the Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Garden, which sit on forest preserve land and are partly funded by the district. Both the zoo and garden have pressing infrastructure needs. Without a referendum, the forest preserve district cannot raise a nickel of taxes on its own.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave many people a tremendous appreciation for having nature and its psychic healing powers close by. With more natural land in a heavily populated area than anywhere else in North America, the preserves are almost like having a national park right here at home. They are accessible for a pleasant ramble without having to get on an airplane.
During the pandemic, more than 100,000 people a year visited the forest preserves, whose cumulative acreage is larger than almost 20 national parks. Cook County’s preserves had more than eight times the 14.1 million visits to the Great Smoky Mountains, the nation’s most popular national park.
On pleasant weekends, cyclists enjoy trips on bike trails, and many people gather for cook-outs in the numerous groves. Nature lovers can spot a wide variety of stunning wildlife, including migrating birds that visit the preserves in the spring and fall. Hikers turn out in every kind of weather.
The forest preserves make Cook County the most ecologically diverse county in the state. Yet many of the district’s trails and facilities need a facelift. Scenic shelters and bridges built decades ago have crumbled away. Some stretches of the more than 350 trails need significant improvements. Roadways, pollution and invasive plants continue to cause ecological damage. The district needs upgrades to its central warehouse, fleet garage and other support facilities to efficiently provide maintenance.
It is also becoming ever more clear how the forest preserve district’s 70,000 acres of woodlands, savannas, prairies and wetlands are a nature-based ally in addressing climate change. The millions of trees and other greenery in the preserves provide wildlife habitat, filter the air, store carbon, restore oxygen to the atmosphere, filter pollutants from surface water and reduce the amount of storm water runoff that floods waterways and basements.
The forest preserve district already has dipped into its rainy day fund to keep going. Without money from the referendum, it will run into crises, including a pension shortfall that will grow exponentially without a fix now. But with the new money, the district will be positioned to succeed for the next generation.
Residents of many other areas of the country would gladly have a system of forest preserves like Cook County’s. The small tax increase that would be authorized by the referendum would ensure residents here protect what they have.
Less than 1% of the property taxes levied on an average home goes to the forest preserve district. It’s not just an amazing value, but also a wise investment in one of the county’s jewels — and in ourselves.
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