Forest district gets grant for archery program

Funds will expand facility

WHEATON -- Apparently the state thought the forest district's plans for an archery range are on target.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County recently was awarded a $252,000 grant from the Open Space Lands Acquisition Development program, which is overseen by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The grant covers half the cost of building a recreational complex at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville that expands archery range offerings and adds new amenities.

"Archery is becoming more and more popular in the area," said Justin Frederick, director of land management for the district.

To say the interest in archery has grown in the four years since the existing range was created at Blackwell may be an understatement. Two years ago the district began offering educational programming for archery. The first year, 300 people registered for sessions. Last year the number jumped to 1,200, Frederick said. At peak times, participants can wait up to an hour for use of the range, he said.

"The targets we've had to replace daily sometimes because of the use," he said.

Currently the archery range, on a former parking area west of the Butterfield Road entrance, has 10 static targets featuring shooting lengths from 20 to 60 yards. The new range will feature three separate areas: two static ranges over open turf, along with an interactive range. The facility will be able to accommodate 28 archers - using target tips - and offer shooting lengths from 10 to 100 yards, Frederick said.

"What we're trying to do is build an archery community," he said.

Forest officials are envisioning a place where families can come to shoot at the archery range, eat a picnic lunch and perhaps fish at the pond. Such scenarios will be made possible with the addition of other amenities at the site, including a wheelchair accessible fishing pier on Sand Pond, a 3-acre picnic area with a shelter for 50 people, a new trail head to connect to Blackwell's existing trail system, restoration of a swimming beach area to native vegetation, portable restrooms and 140 parking spaces.

Work on the complex will begin after the forest district secures the necessary permits from DuPage County, said Andrea Hoyt, director of planning for the district.

"There's enough public interest, so we're going to get started pretty quickly," Hoyt said.