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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE DEDICATION OF HARMS FLATWOODS AS AN ILLINOIS NATURE PRESERVE BY THE ILLINOIS NATURE PRESERVES COMMISSION
WHEREAS, on January 24th, 2017, at the 225th meeting of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission Harms Flatwoods was approved for dedication as an Illinois Nature Preserve ("INP"); 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 quality; and
WHEREAS, Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve, a 102-acre preserve located in the Village of Skokie in northeast Cook County, consists of high quality northern flatwoods and mesic upland forest and supports a diverse community of native plants and wildlife, including 2 species listed as threatened or endangered in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve exhibits an excellent climax canopy community made up mostly of white oak, swamp white oak, bur oak, and red oak; and
WHEREAS, formal ecological management of the site has been ongoing since the late 1970s, and was conducted primarily by volunteer stewards under the guidance of scientists and Forest Preserve staff; and
WHEREAS, Harms Flatwoods Nature Preserve has benefitted from extensive volunteer participation by the North Branch Restoration Project, whose countless hours of service and dedication have helped make the site what it is today; and
WHEREAS, dedication of Harms Flatwoods as an Illinois Nature Preserve advances the goal set forward in the Next Century Conservation Plan to dedicate 20,000 acres as INP protected land by 2025, and is consistent with the recommendations of the Natural and Cultural Resources Master Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserves of Cook County does hereby acknowledge this momentous dedication and the Forest Preserves' steadfast commitment to protect and restore our region's significant natural re...
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