POB 5012 Vernon Hills, IL 60061 March 4, 2003
	Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Group

Summary

Comments on Draft Lake County Framework Plan

Chapter 4: Environmental Resources, Open Space, and Farmland

Chapter 4 of the draft framework plan contains a substantial amount of useful reference information, and displays a clear intention to preserve the environmental resources, open space, and farmland of Lake County. We appreciate the significant groundwork that it provides, and many of the goals and policies which it informs.

However, our analysis shows that the chapter’s intent is undermined by pejorative language, contrary perspective, and misleading data. The resulting draft goals and policies are thus poorly founded and insufficient to achieve the intent.

Our detailed review of this chapter seeks an improved representation and characterization of our present understanding of the county’s natural resources, reveals and corrects systematic errors in thinking, and offers information to support successful preservation of our communities in this rich environment. Our primary findings include:

I.          This draft reflects a continuing adoption of failed land and water management traditions. Vast areas of drained wetlands are forgotten. Waterways are characterized as drainage for further development. Drainage is overlooked as the reason for the poor quality of our waters. Open space is characterized by its development potential and condition. And the benefits of natural ecosystem components to support our rich wildlife and to retain water are ignored. We propose language that recognizes our ecosystems as resources, names impervious surface, drainage and unwise development as the true causes of flooding and degradation of our waters, prescribes recovery of buffers for our waterways, and recommends preservation of our absorbent soils as an essential part of a successful management strategy.

II.         This draft overstates the amount of open space that remains, and relegates two thirds of it (Limited Priority and Moderate Priority Open Space) to development without justification. In order to preserve the county’s character and quality, at least half of the remaining open space should be preserved. We suggest ways to encourage this to happen. We also request policies to retain the open space presently considered “protected.” The sacrifice of open space to spread out development leads to sprawl. Instead, transit oriented development and mixed use development, both conspicuously absent, should be primary factors in planning the use of our urban and open spaces.

III.       This draft selectively presents data that portray our poor air quality better than it really is, and lacks any goals or policies to improve it. We provide the data and suggest goals and policies that could generate immediate improvements.

Please review and accept these recommendations

Evan L. Craig  Chair
Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet