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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE DEDICATION OF HARMS WOODS AS THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY’S 25TH ILLINOIS NATURE PRESERVE
WHEREAS, on September 10, 2019, at the 233rd meeting of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Harms Woods was approved for designation as an Illinois Nature Preserve; and
WHEREAS, dedication of a site as a Nature Preserve provides the highest level of protection for land in Illinois, and is granted only to natural areas of exceptional ecological or cultural significance; and
WHEREAS, Harms Woods Nature Preserve is an approximately 170 acre preserve partially located in the Village of Glenview in northeast Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the site consists of high quality mesic oak woodlands, mesic upland forest, and floodplain forest along the Chicago River featuring a diversity of wildflowers, and a number of rare state-listed species; and
WHEREAS, ecological management of the site began in the 1980s by dedicated volunteers and Forest Preserves of Cook County staff, and remains supported today by a vibrant volunteer stewardship community; and
WHEREAS, authorization to submit Harms Woods for registration as an Illinois Nature Preserve was granted by the Board of Commissioners on April 23, 2019 pursuant to Section 9 of the Cook County Forest Preserve District Act (70 ILCS 810/9); and
WHEREAS, Harms Woods Nature Preserve is celebrated as the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s 25th dedicated Nature Preserve; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County currently owns and manages a total of approximately 9,870 acres of dedicated Illinois Nature Preserves and Land and Water Reserves, the second largest amount by any landowner in the State after the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County was one of the first participants of the Illinois Nature Preserves program when it began in the 1960s, pioneering formal protection and conservation of the State’s natural areas; and
WHEREAS, dedication of Harms Woods advances the goal set forward in the Next Century Conservation Plan to dedicate eligible lands as Illinois Nature Preserve protected land, and is consistent with the recommendations of the Natural and Cultural Resources Master Plan; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby acknowledge the dedication and protection of Harms Woods as an Illinois Nature Preserve and the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s steadfast commitment to protect and restore our region's significant natural resources.
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