[BCNnet] BCNnet Alert: Stop Tree-cutting along DuPage Prairie Path

[Birdchris@aol.com]

Here are some quick, simple actions you can take to urge DuPage County to stop cutting edge habitat along its trails.

Christine Williamson
Chicago/Cook
birdchris@aol.com

Protect "Edge" Habitat Along DuPage County Trails:
Calls/ Letters Needed to DuPage County Commissioners to Stop Trailside Clear-cutting

The DuPage County Board has proposed cutting down wide swaths of trees, bushes and native plants - as wide as 15 feet on each side - along the edges of trails in the county. No satisfactory explanation for the removal has been provided by County officials. The Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail are two well-known and popular trails that have been targeted for vegetation removal that are heavily used by bird watchers, cyclists, hikers, runners, cross-country skiers and horseback riders.

What You Can Do:
Calls, letters and emails are needed to stop DuPage County Transportation Department crews from carrying out more tree cutting. A sample letter follows. Customize it! Put it in your own words! Use it as background information if you decide to call DuPage County Commissioners!

If you are a DuPage County resident, contact your own Commissioner today and ask him or her to put a stop to the vegetation removal. You can find out who your DuPage County Commissioner is by contacting the DuPage County Board of Elections by phone or checking its web site.

Calls and emails are also needed from County residents and non-residents to County Board Chairman Schillerstrom (rschillerstrom@dupageco.org), and to Commissioner Mike McMahon (mmcmahon@dupageco.org), who is the new Chair of the County Environmental Committee. Non-County residents should stress how popular DuPage County trails are to non-residents, who come from all over the Chicago metropolitan region to spend money and enjoy the natural beauty of DuPage County's extensive trail system. 

You can contact all DuPage County Commissioners at 630/682-7440 or check the County's web site for email contact details at http://www.dupageco.org/cobrd/members.asp. You may also mail letters to Commissioners at DuPage County Administration Building, 421 N County Farm Rd, Wheaton, IL 60187.

For More Information About the Issue:
To read some letters to the editor click on this site and read three letters that were recently published in the Glen Ellyn Sun. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/glenellyn/letters/
Additional letters have been in the Lombardian and other papers. 
Also checkout trail related websites www.ipp.org and http://hometown.aol.com/frndsgrtwstntrl/myhomepage/business.html 

To talk to a live person about the issue, contact Don Kirchenberg of Friends of the Great Western Trail at his home office at 630/682-9297 or by email to FrndsGrtWstnTrl@aol.com 


Sample letter - Customize it!!! 

Date

Dear Commissioner ___________:

I am writing to urge you to stop the recent decision by the DuPage County Board to cut trees, bushes and native vegetation from along the edges of public trails throughout the county. 
There has not been a satisfactory explanation from DuPage County officials for clear-cutting swaths of vegetation as wide as 15 feet on either side of a trail. The action not only seems completely unnecessary - the Illinois Prairie Path, for example, has been tree-lined for years without any adverse effect - but also will be very damaging to wildlife. 
As a bird watcher, I walk the trails in DuPage County and know that the vegetated edge of public trails is an important source of food, shelter and nesting sites for migrant, breeding and wintering birds. The vegetated edges of DuPage's trail system have a dual function: not only do they provide a haven for wildlife, they also act as a wildlife corridor, helping animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects expand their ranges in throughout the County.
The many hikers, cyclists, runners, cross-country skiers and horseback riders who use DuPage's trails do so because they love the natural beauty of the treed and vegetated fringes of the trails. The native flora provide a sanctuary for human trail users, as well as for animals.
In a time when many municipal governments around the country are suffering a severe budget crisis, it is irresponsible of DuPage County to put its Department of Transportation staff to work on completely unnecessary vegetation removal.
Rather than clear-cut DuPage County's trail edges, I urge you to manage them responsibly to preserve native plant and animal species, increasing bio-diversity in the County, as well satisfying the desire of many human trail users who want to travel the paths and byways in a natural, beautiful setting.

Yours sincerely,


Your name, address, phone number