Citizens Rally Land Acquisition Votes

With bond referenda to acquire natural land and open space on the ballots on April 5, voters in Kane and Will Counties and in Campton Township will have the chance to vote their conservation values.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County seeks $95 million for land acquisition, the Forest Preserve District of Kane County is asking for $75 million for land acquisition, and Campton Township seeks $28 million. (Similar referenda — for $70 million each — passed in 1999 by 57 percent of the vote in Will and 67 percent in Kane County.)

According to Fred Norris, who served as mayor of Saint Charles for 20 years and is now co-chair of the Kane County campaign, “If we don’t protect land now, there won’t be any left to save....Nature, existing as it did even before our time, is probably the most important thing we can give to the future.”

Supporters in both counties are following a simple recipe to win approval for the referenda: motivate the base and concentrate on getting “yes” voters to the polls. Each county has an acting committee of several dozen organizers.

In both counties, water quality has been identified as a chief concern. Poll respondents recognized that open space helps to protect sources of drinking water and that protection is much less expensive than cleanup. Flood control ranked second among the respondents’ priorities.

The Conservation Foundation is providing administrative support and advice to the campaigns. To obtain further information, contact Brook McDonald at bmcdonald@theconservationfoundation.org or (630) 428-4500, ext.12.

— Barbara Hill