South Cook News

Cook County Forest Preserve District Environmental and Sustainability Committee met Sept. 11.

Here is the agenda provided by the Committee:

PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Authorization as a public speaker shall only be granted to those individuals who have submitted in writing, their name, address, subject matter, and organization (if any) to the Secretary 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Duly authorized public speakers shall be called upon to deliver testimony at a time specified in the meeting agenda. Authorized public speakers who are not present during the specified time for public testimony will forfeit their allotted time to speak at the meeting. Public testimony must be germane to a specific item(s) on the meeting agenda, and the testimony must not exceed three minutes; the Secretary will keep track of the time and advise when the time for public testimony has expired. Persons authorized to provide public testimony shall not use vulgar, abusive, or otherwise inappropriate language when addressing the Board; failure to act appropriately; failure to speak to an item that is germane to the meeting, or failure to adhere to the time requirements may result in expulsion from the meeting and/or disqualify the person from providing future testimony.

18-0313

Sponsored by: TONI PRECKWINKLE (President), Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

ADOPTION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE RESILIENCY PLAN

WHEREAS, over one hundred years ago, visionary leaders had the foresight to create the Forest Preserves of Cook County (hereafter the “Forest Preserves”) with the mission “to acquire, restore and manage lands for the purpose of protecting and preserving public open space”; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has experienced a one-degree Fahrenheit increase in average annual temperature since the beginning of the 20th Century; and

WHEREAS, recent climate projections published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other scientific organizations, predict that if global emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise, historically unprecedented warming is anticipated in the Midwest region in the next few decades; and

WHEREAS, along with a projected rise in annual temperatures, studies also project that the Midwest region likely will experience increased events of extreme precipitation during winter and spring, and intense summer droughts; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves is one of the most important assets of Cook County, and ensuring that its lands, along with its associated ecosystems and wildlife, thrive in the coming century is critical to the success of our entire region; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves’ mission drives it to consider the impacts of a changing climate on its own lands, on the communities of which the Forest Preserves is a part, and the planet; and

WHEREAS, the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Plan was developed to harness the various strengths within the Forest Preserves to address the pressing environmental issues of our time, such as climate change, pollution, invasive species, and habitat loss and fragmentation, all of which are threatening the health of our natural spaces; and

WHEREAS, the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Plan was created by the University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, along with the support and collaboration of key stakeholders, content experts, climate experts, and Forest Preserves staff; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves believes that integrating sustainable practices across all operations, going above and beyond direct environmental stewardship, is fundamental to fulfilling our mission and directly advances the work described in the Forest Preserves’ Next Century Conservation Plan; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves is dedicated to implementing responsible practices to mitigate environmental stressors; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves commits to ensuring that our native landscapes, home to a remarkable diversity of plant and animal life, continue to thrive for generations to come; and

WHEREAS, the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Plan calls for the Forest Preserves to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050; and

WHEREAS, the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Plan also calls for the Forest Preserves to implement a roadmap that will allow the Forest Preserves to be resilient in a changing climate; and

WHEREAS, in 32 years, with the successful implementation of the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Plan, the Forest Preserves aims to have thousands of acres of healthy savannas, woodlands, wetlands, and prairies filled with thriving native plants and animals; and

WHEREAS, visionary and innovative leadership will successfully manage one of the world’s largest metropolitan nature preserves in a sustainable and environmentally conscious manner.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Forest Preserve Board of Commissioners do hereby adopt the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Plan.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the President and Forest Preserve Board of Commissioners extend their appreciation to the University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center for their contributions to the plan.