Elections often connect the past to the future.
The Champaign County Forest Preserve Referendum is no different.
CCFPD has not had a voter-approved tax increase in its 72-year history. Yet, Champaign County forest preserve lands have increased from 260 acres to the 4,000 acres of forests, prairies, wetlands, and waterways that are protected today.
Perhaps the value of six forests preserves in Champaign County had not been totally realized until April 2020 when stores, schools and restaurants were closed. Residents found respite in the paved trails at Buffalo Trace and the Kickapoo Rail Trail while others navigated their kayaks down the Sangamon River and in lakes located at Lake of the Woods, Riverbend, Homer Lake and Middle Fork River Forest Preserves.
“I think it’s been a real saving grace for a lot of families and kids when they were getting cabin fever,” Executive Director Mary Ellen Wuellner said.
Bill Goodman, Treasurer for the Board of Commissions for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, said those grounds also host the first and only Dark Sky Park in Illinois (Middle Fork River Preserve), the accredited Museum of the Grand Prairie (Lake of the Woods), the Lake of the Woods Golf Course which was certified with the National Audubon Society in 2004 and the largest lake (Sunset Lake at Riverbend).
Aside from providing outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, kayaking and picnics for visitors, Goodman said that the forest preserve’s commitment to natural environments is protecting drinking water and air quality through the district’s commitment to continually planting trees.
Dave Leak, retired director at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College, said that he will be voting yes to the referendum because of the Dark Sky at Middle Fork River Preserve. He first visited in 2004.
“They value the sky out there as a natural resource, and it’s something that we need to preserve out there too,” Leak said.
Roger Digges, the Chairman of the Champaign County Forest Preserve Citizens Advisory Committee said that providing access to the natural areas of Champaign County is work that the district has been committed to.
For Digges, the experiences the forest preserve provides are best shared with friends. Each December, Digges goes to the Christmas bird count with his 90-year old friend. He also visits the Homer Lake Natural Playscape with a friend who is 4-years old.
“I thought, here we are, six months, and 90 years apart in age, enjoying the same place that no television or video game can match,” Digges said.
“I’ve learned a lot in my three years (on the CAC) about how the Champaign County Forest Preserve District operates. But the most important lesson that I’ve learned that I really want to share with you is that these people are really good stewards of your tax dollars and my tax dollars.”
“I don’t like property taxes increases normally, but this one is so small, and it can accomplish so much in places that we tend to take for granted that I am solidly behind it.”
The referendum asks voters to increase the Forest Preserves’ property tax limiting rate by 1.6 cents per $100 of Equalized Assessed Value of taxable property. Put simply, the owner of a $100,000 home in Champaign County would see a $5.33 annual increase if the referendum is approved by voters. That equates to about 45 cents a month.
The tax increase is needed to address a $3.7 million backlog of infrastructure and facility repair needs that cannot be addressed with current revenues.
“If you spend the afternoon there, they may look pretty good, but if you look just a little bit closer, you can see that that some of this infrastructure and some of these buildings some of the some of these facilities are really starting to age,” Goodman said.
This increase would add about $700,000 to the Forest Preserve’s annual budget and would allow it to address such five-year capital projects as Middle Fork’s Willow Pond restoration, improvements to the interpretive center at Homer Lake, roofs on Izaak Walton Cabin and the iconic covered bridge at Lake of the Woods, dam and spillway repairs at several lakes, accessibility improvements for individuals with mobility limitations, and restroom, playground and trail upgrades throughout the preserves.
“Failure of our referendum will have a definite impact on the already stressed infrastructure of the Forest Preserve District,” Goodman said. “The nearly $4 million of required maintenance and capital improvements will continue to grow.”
Marianne Lippi said that the tax dollars needed to operate CCFPD provide “little treasures” throughout Champaign County.
The Michigan transplant said that she was discouraged when she moved to East Central Illinois because all she could see was corn and beans as far as the eye could see.
“I thought there’d be very little to do outside,” she said.
“It seems like yesterday when I signed up to help with grade school field trips to Lake of the Woods and Homer Lake,” she said. “I kept coming back because I could not forget the excited and enthusiastic faces of the children as they got off the bus to take nature walks, learn about bugs, plants, animals; the instructors were just as enthusiastic and made every minute of the field trips fun.
“The kids were filled with questions and curiosity and quite frankly so as I.”
As a volunteer, Lippy has seen continued smiles and connections through programs like Homer for the Holidays and Eco Adventures Day Camp.
“I feel honored being part of this wonderful group of talented and committed professionals who introduce the wonder of nature to so many young minds. There is no doubt that children will remember, and carry the lessons throughout their lives,” she said.
“But we cannot forget all that goes on behind the scenes, the planning and dedication to keep the preserve safe, clean and well maintained for the best experiences for everyone. The lakes and trails and facilities are cared for in a way that allows generations of families coming back year after year.”
CCFPD knows that many throughout the county have stories about how the forest preserves have impacted their lives. As Nov. 3 approaches, CCFPD asks that the community shares those stories, the work CCFPD has done and what the referendum will mean for the community.
