Cook County Board must
protect forest preserves

On Oct. 7, I went to a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. I was one of nearly 90 people who turned out to show support for protecting the Cook County Forest Preserves by voting no to a proposal by the Village of Hinsdale to use forest preserve land for recreational sports activities for its constituency.

Unfortunately, in violation of its own land policy, most of the commissioners present voted to “continue talks” with Hinsdale on an intergovernmental agreement that would allow the village to lease long term (30 to 40 years) for nearly 30 acres for ball fields. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is against giving up this land.

The stated mission of the FPDCC is “to establish the Forest Preserve District of Cook County as the most sustainable forest preserve system in the nation.” FPDCC’s first principles have stated that remnant natural lands within the forest preserve district are irreplaceable and that a beautiful and healthy forest preserve is fundamental to the economic health of Cook County and the region.

It is obvious the commissioners who voted for this “discussion” have little understanding of their responsibility. Anthony Peraica was one of those who voted against the statutory duty to protect the forest preserves. I find this particularly confusing, given his appearance at the Daniel Burnham Sustainability Conference earlier this month.

Apparently, what is important to him is appearance rather than substance. The three-day conference, which I attended in full, emphasized the importance of ongoing examination of what changes might permit a transition to ecologically sustainable practices fostered by input from both the natural sciences and the social sciences and to explore how our own values relate to environmental sustainability.

Participants emphasized that these strategies must be science based and quantifiable. Long-term resource commitment is necessary to avoid the loss of conservation gains already achieved.

I urge you to contact the County Board commissioners and ask them to step back on this proposal while it is still in the “discussion” stage. If Cook County commissioners do not understand sustainability principles, then perhaps it is time to separate the two boards and allow the FPDCC to make decisions.

Mary Cray, Riverside

Groups concerned about
use of word in article

Community Nurse Health Association has always considered the Suburban Life to be an important community partner. However, I write this letter to express our disappointment with the Suburban Life’s poor choice of words in the Sept. 16 article “Rocktoberfest given special booze permission.”

On Sept. 19, ROCKtoberfest was hosted by the Park District of La Grange and the proceeds of the event will support the provision of health and dental services to low-income, uninsured patients of Community Nurse Health Association. About 1,250 persons attended this event and enjoyed the beautiful weather and great entertainment. Channel 7 news closed its 10 p.m. newscast with video from the event, noting the event will help provide health care to low-income, uninsured residents of the western suburbs.

However, the use of the word “booze” in the article, the headline and the first paragraph of the article imparted a falsely negative picture of this event. I don’t know about the reporters who contributed to this article, but everyone I have spoken to understands the implication of the word “booze” as does Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary: “To drink intoxicating liquor especially to excess — often used in the phrase booze it up.” As two organizations that share a mission of promoting good health, neither the Park District nor Community Nurse would sponsor an event where “booze will now flow,” as stated in the article.

Yes, Community Nurse is the first group to whom the Park District permitted an exception to its ordinance. But that permission was granted only after Community Nurse demonstrated to the Park District (1) that responsible controls would be in place to serve beer and wine only, and (2) that there would be a wide community benefit not only for the Park District and the patients of Community Nurse, but also to promote the Village of La Grange outside our immediate community. We similarly had to prove these matters to the village to obtain a special beer and wine license for the event. Other groups that wish to obtain similar permission from the Park District and the village would have to demonstrate similar benefits and controls.

I am not alone in my criticism of this article. The Community Nurse Board and staff and the Women’s Auxiliary, who worked hard to present this event, join me in this letter. Park District officials are similarly disappointed. In addition, dozens of agency volunteers, community residents and guests who attended ROCKtoberfest expressed similar disapproval of the word choice and connotations of this article and urged me to respond with this letter.

Angela Curran, executive director, Community Nurse Health Association, La Grange