“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”                   

- Ansel Adams                        

                         

 

SMOKE AND MIRRORS, LAKE COUNTY STYLE:

CONNECT THE DOTS

 

DOT 1 - “Forest Preserves have the power to acquire and hold lands containing one or more natural forests or parts thereof, or capable of being restored to a natural condition, for the purpose of protecting and preserving the flora, fauna, and scenic beauties within such district and to protect and preserve the natural forests together with their flora and fauna, in their natural state and condition, for the purpose of education, pleasure, and recreation of the public.”[1] 

DOT 2 – On January 9, 2007 Bonnie Thomson Carter, President of the Lake County Forest Preserves, and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Exploratory Committee announced this: 

  

 

[1] 70 I LCS 805/5

 

 

DOT 3 – On April 5, 2007 Bonnie Thomson Carter, President and Tom Hahn, Executive Director, representing the Lake County Forest Preserve, sent an URGENT request to the Lake County Chambers of Commerce asking members and their employees to URGENTLY fax letters of support for the proposed Lakewood Olympic Equestrian Center to the United States Olympic Committee by April 14th. The Wauconda Chamber of Commerce titled this effort BRING THE GOLD TO LAKE COUNTY & WAUCONDA.

DOT 4 – DO SOMETHING NOW.

WHO  WE  ARE

 

VOTERS  FOR  PRESERVATION  is a new organization of concerned citizens who were shocked by the arrogance of our Lake County politicians -- and we have had enough.

 

OUR  BELIEFS  AND  GOALS

 

1.                  FOREST PRESERVES WERE PURCHASED BY THE TAXPAYERS TO BE PRESERVED, AND WE WILL NOT LET OUR POLITICIANS TURN THESE FEW REMAINING LANDS INTO DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

 

2.             WE KNOW OUR WILD PLACES, FLORA AND FAUNA DON’T VOTE,  BUT WE DO.

 

3.                  WE HAVE SPOKEN TO MANY HUNDREDS OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, AND MOST AGREE WITH US. 

 

4.                  WE ARE GOING TO EDUCATE THE RESIDENTS OF LAKE COUNTY, AND ILLINOIS, ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.

 

5.                  WE ARE GOING TO WORK TO CHANGE BOTH OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND BAD LAWS.

 

6.                  WE ARE GOING TO ARGUE OUR CASE TO THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA,  INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, ATHLETES OF THE WORLD AND THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

 

7.                  WE ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN DOING IT.

 

 

To paraphrase the immortal words of Wyatt Earp to Ike Clanton

“…You have called down the thunder, well now you’ve got it! So run and tell the others who support development of forest preserves and other protected  places that the voters are coming --  and Hell’s coming with them. “

 

 

OUR  LEGACY  TO  FUTURE  GENERATIONS:

THE  LAKEWOOD  FOREST  PRESERVE  ECOSYSTEM

 

The Lakewood Forest Preserve ecosystem is made up of 3,000+ acres of preserves and greenways.  The citizens of Lake County approved the purchase of these and all Forest Preserve Lands to be preserved restored and enjoyed by us and those who will follow.  We believe these lands should be restored and we believe this LAKEWOOD FOREST PRESERVE ECOSYSTEM should remain one of Lake County’s last remaining wild places – a place of protected habitat, the last refuge for the wildlife which shares this land with us.

Lakewood is “Lake County’s largest forest preserve at 2,602 acres, it is also one of the region’s most popular Preserves. It supports pristine natural areas and 17 endangered species. The Lakewood Forest Preserve is part of a 3,000-acre greenway which includes oak and hickory woodlands, nine Advanced identification (ADID) wetlands containing high-quality sedge meadows, and two open water ponds.  The site’s wetlands serve as important bird habitat for the Least Bittern, Black Tern, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Black-crowned Night Heron, Sandhill Crane and Pied-billed Grebe.[2]

This is a fight we must win; contact us at:

voters4preserv@sbcglobal.net