Naperville Homeowner's Confederation

Last Saturday I went on the Naperville Homeowner's Confederation's (NHC) bus tour of Naperville. It is a tour that they do every year to point out the new developments around town. I go on these trips for several reasons. First, it is an opportunity to contact many of the different communities at one event. The NHC is mainly composed of the presidents of the various homeowner's associations around town. This way I can get a feel for the wants and needs throughout the town. Second, I can find out how various developments will affect the Forest Preserve District by chatting with Naperville's staff. Third, I can speak to points of interest about the Forest Preserve District as we travel around.

Items that I pointed out on the tour: 1) The dam modifications the District is proposing in McDowell Grove. This improvement will be funded by federal grants. What amazed many people was that the removal of dam will actually increase stormwater storage. 2) An update as to what is going on at Country Lakes. This case we won last fall, but it is currently under an appeal. 3) I laid out in detail the meander project at Springbrook Prairie FP. It was truly a wonderful cooperative effort of the District with the City of Naperville, Dupage County, the Naperville Park District, the State of Illinois, and the U.S. governments. It has a very positive environmental effect while providing a significant amount of stormwater storage. Improving habitat is important as we have three protected species in the area. (The Henslow sparrow, the Short-eared owl, and the Northern harrier.)

I am not done with this group. Next Saturday, June 21, I will be back to give a presentation about fun things to do in and around Naperville in our preserves. If you are interested, come on out. The meeting starts at 8:00 a.m. at the Naperville City Hall in Rooms A & B.