[BCNnet] Waterfall Glen restoration project

[Terry Schilling]

It's not really too surprising that this happened. It was presaged by 
the fight we've been having in Cook County at North Branch Restoration 
Project sites.  We're going into the SEVENTH year of a moratorium on 
most work at 4 sites, and we still can't burn at a 5th.

It's the same arguments all over - all trees are good, the "Forest 
Preserves" are only for "forests", "Nature will take care of itself", 
"restorationists" are only interested in prairies and want to cut down 
all the trees - just different people yelling them.

I think one of the biggest problems we as birders have is that many of 
us still "buy" into the idea that certain kinds of habitat restoration 
are "bad" for birds, without ever taking the long term view. I think we 
need to support restoration vocally and get the message out that 
restored habitat will eventually be at least as good for birds as 
whatever it replaced and probably much better for some of our most 
threatened species. We need to acknowledge that birds are just a part of 
the whole ecosystem and not somehow separate, and that preserving native 
landscapes is a necessary and important activity in itself.

Terry Schilling
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BFisher928@aol.com wrote:
> Thanks for your support! We won the battle, but not the war! (see the 
> comments below my signature for more background on the 'war'.)
> The project started Wednesday (another week late because those opposed 
> tried to get the DuPage County Board to intervene; Forest Preserve 
> District President Pierotti politely told the county board to back off).
> I was there today (Friday) and it looks great. The invasive/alien brush 
> and trees are being cut and burned (in small piles) right on the spot, 
> no heavy equipment is being used, and the result is a return to the more 
> open savanna landscape without any major evidence of disturbance
> Those of you who live in DuPage, please call your commissioner and tell 
> them you support of restoration in general and this project in 
> particular. If you live in District 3, it's especially important to call 
> Wally Brown, our Dist 3 Commissioner; he voted against the project.
> If you haven't already done so (and you live in DuPage), I'd still very 
> much like to have your name and town to put on my list of restoration 
> supporters. That list would be put on the record at an appropriate 
> future meeting of the Commission.
> Thanks again for your support.
> 
> Regards
> Bob Fisher
> BFisher928@aol.com
> Downers Grove (DuPage county) IL
> 
> A person who continues to rail against the project has been out at 
> Waterfall Glen the last 2 days, videotaping the brush and tree removal 
> process as 'evidence'. Of what, I don't know. This same person continues 
> to look for, and find, media attention to broadcast his views. The 
> project will take 2 years to complete, as the contractors will be 
> pulling off the site in late March when they see the 1st evidence that 
> the early spring ephemerals' emergence has begun. They don't want to 
> disturb these ground plants. I suspect the opposition will make an 
> attempt to stop the 2nd phase scheduled for next winter. They may also 
> try to block a planned shrubland restoration scheduled for the east side 
> of Green Valley this year. I'll keep you posted, but it is clear those 
> of us who support high quality restoration will have to speak up again 
> and again to counter those who try to stop it.