Conservation and Policy Council
Cook County Forest Preserves District
Environment
Parks
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Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Maggie Macpherson
Forest preserves police force, Volunteer recruitment, Mental health in the preserves
Live reporting by
Avani Kalra
Forest preserves police force, Volunteer recruitment, Mental health in the preserves
Avani Kalra
@avanidkalra
Hi everyone! I will be live-tweeting today's meeting of the Cook County Forest Preserves District Conservation and Policy Council starting right now! #chidocumenters @CHIdocumenters
09:33 AM Apr 22, 2021 CDT
Here is a link to the meeting's agenda. chicago.documenters.org/documents/agen…. The meeting will be held on Zoom. Alan Bell goes right into approving the last meeting's minutes.
Eileen Figel is taking a roll call vote. The minutes are approved. We move into the public comments period. Today there are no speakers, just a written note. Figel reads out the note, which commends the Council for holding a place to discuss Anti-Asian hate in their agenda.
The note urges the committee to work with the Forest Preserves to work toward solutions and emphasizes the need for these conversations.
Chairman Alan Bell takes us through the Strategic Priorities for the Council, speaking to a significant heavy lift and overhaul of the Council's policies. He expects this work will take the Council through the end of the year.
The group is working on a step to better align with and support staff work.
Mark Templeton commends Alan Bell for his extensive work on the Chairman's Report that better clarifies the Council's position and outlines an approach for the future.
Arnold Randall speaks to the importance of certain equity points, like bringing rail access to communities that have not historically had it in forest preserves.
Laurel Ross talks about the committee's advisory capability. Arnold Randall adds its important to have a third party to help establish the Council's authority.
Chairman Alan Bell adds that it's not just about acreage, it's about equity. He thanks Arnold Randall and Laurel Ross.
The next item is a Resolution in Support of the Forest Preserves Police. Michael DeSantiago goes through the resolution, but are having some technical issues. He starts by explaining the context, a guest berated a woman with a Puerto Rican flag on her shirt.
Officers did not help the woman, and a video was the fuel for this Resolution.
Chairman Bell says it's not necessary to read the whole resolution, but Mark Templeton has a proposed amendment. The Resolution eliminates the Forest Preserves Police force and assigns jurisdiction of the Forest Preserves to the Cook County Sheriff's Department.
Maria Pesqueria wants to clarify that the Forest Preserve Police Force's role is to preserve the land, and they don't really have the same job description as CPD for example.
Benjamin Cox says that the group worked to write letters in support of the police back in 2009, and it's important to understand their work in conservation, not just patrolling picnic areas and parking lots.
Historically, Arnold Randall said, the preserves were the "Wild West." There were huge parties and illegal campouts. The force was established in response, since people didn't feel safe going to the preserves.
Now, Randall says, people feel save and use the preserves to venture out in the nature. "All that's going on in the world is not lost to us either." Randall says there's value in having sworn officers.
"You don't always hear that from conservation-focused environmental agencies," Chairman Bell says. Randall says there's real work going on right now to examine and improve the police force.
The next agenda item is suicide prevention/wellness in the preserves. Chairman says there have been situations in the past where people have used the preserves as their "last refuge."
Michael DeSantiago and Maria Pesqueria speak to ongoing conversations with the National Association on Mental Illness, DeSantiago speaking briefly to the preserve police's role in handling some of these difficult situations.
Pesqueria discussed resources for preserves staff and community with NAMI. She calls it "PRE-vention"
Eileen Figel adds that the forest preserves can be an asset and a tool for mental health. She would like to do some sort of workshop in collaboration with NAMI for the staff.
Figel says there are four suicides in the preserves a year, according to the data. That is 1% of the county's suicides.
DeSantiago says it's remarkable the number of people who flock to the forest preserves to help with mental health during this pandemic, as well.
Cathy Geraghty shares this link: Nature Culture and Human Health activities for May
nch2.org/may-mental-hea…
nch2.org/may-mental-hea…
We move into a conversation about violence against the AAPI community. Bell says "we are not immune to it."
Terry Guen, who is Chinese-American, says that she does not want to speak for an entire community, but shares some personal anecdotes and insight, in addition to general programming like Asian American month.
She advises the preserves look at different age groups, specifically youth, and find activities that can draw everyone in. She emphasizes the importance of speaking to a group as motivated and open as young people.
Guen also says she doesn't encounter too many Asian Americans in the park service. There is a national support group because the numbers are so few.
The last item is a partnership with the Alliance to End Homelessness, specifically with regard to preventing suicide and violence.
Arnold Randall talks about the preserves' responsibility to confront these issues around Asian hate, especially since they have the power fo file reports and encourage accountability.
"The preserves are for everyone. I am hopeful we are moving in the right direction."
He says that with respect to law enforcement, they are doing a deeper dive with a consultant. The Police Chief, Chief Bush, is leaving, but Randall says he has made a lasting impact with his ten principles.
Those principles encourage accountability and reflection among force members.
Will Abberger is up next. He is speaking to a feasibility study and has spent a few years working to develop dedicated funding for the forest preserves.
83% of their supported ballot measures have passed. Abberger goes through key steps for successful ballot measures, which begins with feasibility research, which is what the group has been working on.
The steps are as follows: feasibility research, public opinion survey, program recommendations, and ballot language.
Then the group moves into campaigning to educate voters in Cook County and win their approval for a ballot measure. Right now, we are in the first step.
Andrew du Moulin speaks to the feasibility research the group has done so far.
There are a lot of questions from Chairman Alan Bell about ballot question language and the feasibility of the measure. Du Moulin says the estimated impact on a given household is somewhere between $17 and $30 dollars a year, which is usually the sweet spot.
Conservation measures typically do better during a high turnout election, so the Council should shoot for 2022 or 2024.
Benjamin Cox says the forest preserves are doing better than ever before, and politics are leaning toward being supportive of a ballot measure.
Chairman Bell asks a couple questions about the specifics of polling.
The Council is skipping the break included in the agenda, and are moving into the Nature-Compatible Recreation Update.
Terry Guen goes over progress on the nature-compatible position paper, which staff have begun to implement.
Research is completed on relevant models and best practices for community engagement. Right now the Council is working on finding a consultant to analyze past work and develop strategy for equity moving forward.
The Council is looking to identify areas to reach baseline equitable programs, identify areas that are underserved by FPCC nature programs, identify geographical/cultural/socio-economic/educational barriers and constraints, identify gap to goal program funding, and more.
They have not initiated their goal to develop a donor-equity program which encourages donors supporting investments in higher-income communities to match their support in an impacted community.
Guen says they are also looking to improve many of the already existing opportunities to reach more people. (Like camping and lending library opportunities).
The group opens up for follow-up questions on the position paper update.
Next we turn to Jane Balaban, who is going to talk about the initiative to scale up volunteers in 2021.
Balaban takes us through progress so far. Emails are regularly going out with available trainings. They are looking to have a basic plan in place and begin implementing it at the end of 2021. The goal is 500 volunteer leaders but the Council is considering reducing to 250.
The group has examined zip code and volunteer relationships, to determine where more community engagement is needed.
A lot of volunteers come from the city, and volunteers are needed from the Southeast region of Cook County.
Henrietta Saunders wonders if there is opportunity for increased community building as we come out of quarantine.
She also asks about engaging external groups on referendum work, which volunteer work can be key in advancing, Balaban says.
Chairman Bell starts talking about in-person opportunities as we move out of the Pandemic. Perhaps a socially-distant hike would be possible to connect people back to the preserves.
Although the meeting itself doesn't need to be held in person, Council members agree that a socially distant meet-up would be exciting!
Since it's Earth Day, Terry Guen shows us a photo of the Morels in her Oak Park yard.
She walks us through her "origin story" with nature, thanking Normal Harris, a Boston Museum of Science official who taught her about different species found in Boston.
Guen shows us several photos by Lake Michigan, showcasing Chicago's beauty and small urban projects that are as beautiful as the preserves.
She adds that preserves staff are regional experts when it comes to nature in the area.
The Council moves onto Mike DeSantiago, who also decides to get personal in telling his story about nature. His parents struggled with heroin addiction.
They moved to Chicago from New York to get away from their situation, and started visiting forest preserves. They visited by bike and on foot, and used the preserves as solace, as an escape.
DeSantiago grew up and got married, and he and his wife made the conscious decision to raise their son next to the forest preserve.
DeSantiago's children grew up climbing trees in same forest preserve that DeSantiago used to bike to at six years old. Now, he takes his five year old grandson there frequently.
Chairman Bell thanks the council, and specifically Eileen Figel, for their hard work and leadership. Figel asks for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
We move into a roll-call vote to adjourn the meeting. It is adjourned! Thank you all for following along.
What a great meeting of the Cook County Forest Preserves District Conservation and Policy Council on this Earth Day! #EarthDay #chidocumenters @CHIdocumenters 🌺🌻🌿🪴💐🍂🌵
Agency Information
Cook County Forest Preserves District
The Forest Preserves District acquires, restores, restocks and manages lands for the purpose of protecting and preserving natural communities including, prairies, forests, wetlands, rivers, streams, and all their associated flora and fauna for the purpose of providing educational, leisure and outdoor recreation opportunities for Cook County residents now and in the future.