 The
Downers Grove Park District is
developing a long-term master plan for
its Walnut Park property. Walnut Park is
a 19.6-acre parcel
of land on Walnut Avenue adjacent to the
Belmont Prairie Buffer in the northwest
corner of Downers Grove, just south of
Ogden Avenue. The Park District conducted an online Community Survey to obtain public input and has posted a summary of responses. Members of the Heritage Alliance participated in the survey and are encouraged by the following Park District statement in a WALNUT PARK PROPERTY Q & A:
PDHA Chair Ken Lerner wrote to explain the organization's thinking about planning for Walnut Park. Ken's letter emphasizes PDHA's advocacy for protection of the Belmont Prairie, a dedicated Illinois Nature Preserve, and its dedicated Buffer. The letter begins as follows: "Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance appreciates the Park District’s commitment to seeking public input as part of long-term planning for this property. "We have a few recommendations as detailed below. The unifying theme is that in developing plans for its Walnut Ave. holdings, the Park District balance active and passive recreation priorities. "Since the Walnut Park area is adjacent to the Belmont Prairie Buffer, planning and any eventual construction should be conducted with that in mind, to avoid any hydrological or other adverse impact on the buffer and prairie." To read the letter from Pierce Downer's Heritage Alliance in full please click here. A
visit to a
local park or
forest
preserve can
be a nice
break during
the COVID-19
emergency. A
brisk walk or
run can be a
good way to
get your steps
in. Local
outdoor
recreation
areas are
generally open
for hiking,
walking and
running, with
some
exceptions.
Downers Grove Park District –– The Park District has announced TIER 4 MITIGATION MEASURES beginning Thursday, February 4. Information and updates at dgparks.org/news/together-again DuPage County Forest Preserves –– The preserves are open including parking lots, trails, and off-leash dog areas. Buildings and restrooms are closed. At some facilities, the buildings are closed but grounds and surrounding areas are open: Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, Mayslake Peabody Estate, and St. James Farm. Information and updates at dupageforest.org/coronavirus *
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Public
tours inside the 1846 Blodgett House started on
Saturday, December 14, 2019 during the Merry
and Bright celebration at the Downers
Grove Museum, 831 Maple Avenue.
 Thanks
to
community-wide support the 1846 Pioneer Blodgett
House has come a long way during the past
decade, well beyond its initial journey from
Randall Street onto the Park District's Museum
Campus. Substantial progress toward completion
of the building's interior has been achieved in
2019 as a result of two major grants. The house
now looks really great
Come see the 1846 Blodgett House before long. Starting June 25, 2022 tours are again being offered on the third Saturday of the month. The tours had been suspended since mid-2020. Please consult the Park District's registration page for information about 1846 Blodgett House tours and other interesting activities. Many
organizations
and individuals
joined forces to
honor Betty M.
Cheever (1928 -
2021) and Wallace H.
(Wally) Brown (1928
- 2019) with tribute
benches in Lyman
Woods Preserve. A
celebration of Betty
Cheever's and Wally
Brown's community
leadership took
place on Sunday, May
21, 2017 at the
Lyman Woods
Interpretative
Center. Please
click here to
learn more about
this event and the
tribute benches
honoring Betty
Cheever and Wally
Brown.
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  The village council candidate conversation on March 19th addressed historic preservation and tree preservation policies among other issues of interest. You can view the conversation by clicking here. Absent Friends Jane Amorosi 1923-2021 Pierce
Downer's
Heritage Alliance n
 otes
with regret the passing of one of our
founding directors, Jane
Amorosi. Jane was always a
strong advocate for preservation
of open space. We are grateful
to Jane for her role in
safeguarding Lyman Woods as a
publicly-owned Forest Preserve,
a beautiful and high-quality
natural area in Downers
Grove. The Lyman Woods
Preserve today serves as a
recreational and
nature-education destination for
the entire region. Please
click here to read Jane's
obituary.We also gratefully remember several other past champions of our community's natural heritage. Betty
Cheever 1928-2021
Nan Newlon 1959-2021 John Banaszak 1941-2020 Wally Brown 1928-2019 Al Rouffa 1919-2017 Bill Runyon 1929-2009 Rita Martin 1927-2007 *
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Please consider a charitable donation to support educational activities of Pierce Downer's Heritage Alliance. |