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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN MEMORIAM OF THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY CONSERVATION ADVOCATE VALERIE SPALE
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale is recognized for being a tireless advocate for nature, a highly effective conservation leader, and a positive force for conservation within the Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Forest Preserves”); and
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale led a decades-long charge to conserve Wolf Road Prairie, an 80-acre Illinois State Nature Preserve located in Westchester, in western Cook County which contains the state’s largest black-soil prairie remnant, and is owned in part by the Forest Preserves and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (“IDNR”); and
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale was an early member and served as Director of the Save the Prairie Society, and through that group assembled a coalition of conservationists that began saving Wolf Road Prairie in the 1970’s and continues to this day to collaborate with the Forest Preserves and IDNR on managing and enhancing this remarkable site; and
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale held many leadership positions which influenced conservation and land protection in Illinois, including serving for a decade on the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, as President of the Salt Creek Greenway Association, Director of the Westchester Historical Society, and Director of the Fullersburg Historical Society, thereby cultivating inter-agency collaboration; and
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale helped organize and sponsor public educational opportunities which celebrate the geology, paleo-history, and current biodiversity of Wolf Road Prairie; and
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale created a robust network of organizations to deliver effective conservation activities and resources to Wolf Road Prairie to restore and spark interest in the site; and
WHEREAS, Valerie Spale’s tireless advocacy for the protection of Illinois’ natural heritage will continue to benefit the people, animals and plants of Cook County for generations to come; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Toni Preckwinkle, President, and the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby offer its deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of Valerie Spale and join them in sorrow for their loss. Valerie Spale will be greatly missed within the Forest Preserves and larger conservation communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be presented to the family of Valerie Spale as a token of appreciation for her service to the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the residents of Cook County.end
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