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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING SUE GORR AND ANNE STAKE FOR RECEIVING AN OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION OFFICIALS
WHEREAS, in May 2026, Sue Gorr and Anne Stake were honored with an Outstanding Volunteer Award from the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials, which recognizes excellence in parks and recreation and is presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution of personal time and talent; and
WHEREAS, Sue and Anne have served as Site Stewards for more than two (2) decades at Jens Jensen and Deer Grove West, an 1800-acre forest preserve complex located in northwest Cook County, and through their stewardship they have helped restore this important habitat and protected critical migratory bird pathways and breeding sites; and
WHEREAS, for nearly thirty (30) years they have also served as co-leaders of the Deer Grove Natural Area Volunteers, a group of dedicated volunteers working to restore native plant communities and foster community support for conservation; and
WHEREAS, Sue and Anne organize, supervise and train new and experienced volunteers and lead weekly stewardship workdays, which collectively contribute thousands of hours of volunteer work to the Forest Preserves each year; and
WHEREAS, Sue and Anne volunteer not only as stewards but also as community scientists, monitoring rare plants and butterflies and contributing valuable data to the Plants of Concern program and the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, with Sue also leading a successful pilot for a bumblebee monitoring program with the United States Geological Survey that led to the identification of the federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee at Forest Preserve sites; and
WHEREAS, Anne developed and manages the Weed Watcher program, through which she trains volunteers to identify and map invasive plants to a database she manages, helping volunteers form a deeper connection to and...
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