Land purchase approved for forest preserves expansion

Purchases of land to expand three forest preserves were approved Thursday by a Lake County Forest Preserve Board committee.

Members of the Land Preservation and Acquisition Committee voted unanimously to buy additions for the Grant Woods, Fox River and Grassy Lake forest preserves.

The full Forest Board is expected to approve the purchase contracts on Tuesday.

One of the parcels is an 11-acre Avon Township tract that will expand Grant Woods to 1,119 acres. The addition was described by district officials as particularly scenic and providing a park-like setting.

"It's beautiful," said district Executive Director Tom Hahn, who showed commissioners pictures of ponds and mature trees on the tract, located off Rollins Road.

That parcel, bordered on the north and west by Grant Woods, had been used as a retreat by its former owner. The purchase price is $535,000.

A 17-acre tract on the south side of Kelsey Road in Cuba Township was also recommended for purchase to expand Grassy Lake Forest Preserve near Lake Barrington.

The committee voted to pay $1,188,000 for the wooded property. Officials said it will add a high-quality oak woodland to the preserve and help buffer the neighboring Flint Creek wetlands.

"This is one of the highest-quality woodlands that we have," Hahn said. "It's been on our priority list for at least 10 years."

The final parcel approved for purchase by the committee was a 10-acre, $28,000 addition to Fox River Preserve and Marina.

That property is north of Roberts Road in Wauconda Township. Officials said the property is being acquired for the relatively low cost of $3,000 per acre because it is not suited for development, but it offers the opportunity for wetlands restoration and sets the stage for additional wetlands acquisition.

Upon final approval, the new purchases would be made with funds approved by voters on Nov. 4, 2008.