Another of my resolutions for 2008 is to get more outdoors time into our schedule. We already do a lot with weekend hikes and my twice a month Roots&Shoots schedule. In the winter especially it is easy to stay huddled up indoors. This isn't healthy for our family, we need to get out and breathe the air, soak up the sunshine, explore.
To that end, we went snowshoeing twice last week, when it was still cold. A little too cold for my littlest, but we discovered Toasty Toes foot warmers to stick onto his socks and he's very happy. I also got him some smart wool socks at REI, but it has strangely warmed up over the past few days and we haven't had an opportunity to get out. From a chilly 18 degree snowshoe expedition on Thursday, we had a 65 degree muddy hike on Sunday. In between those two, I took my R&S group to Fullersburg woods where these ducks, among many others, learned that the snow the kids were plunking into the water was not bread crumbs and they had to fend for themselves.
The family hike on Sunday was fun, but a little creepy too. Black Partridge Woods is tragically close to the highway and the traffic noise completely ruined a beautiful, scenic place. There were steep ravines to climb, a creek to follow, much mud to squish in, a wonderfully tended section with no buck thorn and many brush piles. Unfortunately, there was also ample evidence of underage drinking (why can't they bring a garbage bag like we did?) or maybe even of age drinking. Bottles broken everywhere, cans strewn about, signs posted about it being and alcohol free zone, but ample evidence of no enforcement.
It's supposed to be a wonderful place for wildflowers in the spring and we'll probably go back for that. But between the traffic noise and the litter, it's not going to be favorite haunt. I just couldn't relax and found myself peering at the cars pulling into and out of the parking lot, worried about drug deals happening under our noses. The children had a wonderful time, we didn't have to carry our youngest at all, he wanted to climb up and down, jump the creek and have fun with the big kids. Unfortunately, he only has one pair of sneakers, now very muddy.
To that end, we went snowshoeing twice last week, when it was still cold. A little too cold for my littlest, but we discovered Toasty Toes foot warmers to stick onto his socks and he's very happy. I also got him some smart wool socks at REI, but it has strangely warmed up over the past few days and we haven't had an opportunity to get out. From a chilly 18 degree snowshoe expedition on Thursday, we had a 65 degree muddy hike on Sunday. In between those two, I took my R&S group to Fullersburg woods where these ducks, among many others, learned that the snow the kids were plunking into the water was not bread crumbs and they had to fend for themselves.
The family hike on Sunday was fun, but a little creepy too. Black Partridge Woods is tragically close to the highway and the traffic noise completely ruined a beautiful, scenic place. There were steep ravines to climb, a creek to follow, much mud to squish in, a wonderfully tended section with no buck thorn and many brush piles. Unfortunately, there was also ample evidence of underage drinking (why can't they bring a garbage bag like we did?) or maybe even of age drinking. Bottles broken everywhere, cans strewn about, signs posted about it being and alcohol free zone, but ample evidence of no enforcement.
It's supposed to be a wonderful place for wildflowers in the spring and we'll probably go back for that. But between the traffic noise and the litter, it's not going to be favorite haunt. I just couldn't relax and found myself peering at the cars pulling into and out of the parking lot, worried about drug deals happening under our noses. The children had a wonderful time, we didn't have to carry our youngest at all, he wanted to climb up and down, jump the creek and have fun with the big kids. Unfortunately, he only has one pair of sneakers, now very muddy.
3 comments:
Black Partridge Forest Preserve is located off Bluff Road in Lemont. Black Partridge is part of an area in the corner where Cook, Du Page, and Will Counties all come together. To the west is Will County's Keepataw Forest Preserve, and to the northeast is Du Page County's Woodridge Preserve. Black Partridge and Keepataw preserves maintain wetland habitat in the Des Plaines River Valley where the federally endangered Hines Emerald Dragonfly lives. Black Partridge also contains an expanse of upland wooded river bluff and ravines. This section is designated as an Illinois Nature Preserve. All of these factors came into play when the alignment for the Interstate 355 south extension was plotted. The chosen alignment bisects the eastern end of Keepataw preserve, and my cynical mind tells me this was chosen for political expediency. Most of the unprotected land in the area is either already industrial or undergoing development, either for housing or industrial parks. It was therefore deemed "necessary" to impact the open land of one of the preserves. Black Partridge has the state Nature Preserve designation that carries additional protection, and Will County has the most to gain from the new highway, so the route through Keepataw was the choice. Sadly Black Partridge cannot be isolated from the highway noise either, and the ultimate impact of the greatly increased salination of the Des Plaines wetlands on the Hines Emerald Dragonfly is something we may not know for years.
I just looked up the Environmental Impact Statement for the 355 extension. For the section past the forest preserves the study projected sound level increases of around 17 dB due to the highway, but under the law there is no "sensitive receptor" in the preserve (i.e., no one lives there). Thus noise abatement for this part of the route was not considered. Will County was compensated for the loss of acreage in the Keepataw Preserve by the purchase of additional land near Dellwood Park in Lockport. Under the law, everything is fine... but the ambience in this area is changed forever as the sound of 18-wheelers intrudes on the gentler sound of Black Partridge Creek.
The 18 wheelers, the air brakes, the horns, the speeding cars, it all adds up. "No sensitive receptor" obviously means they didn't take into account anything other than human ears. It's a shame.
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