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Preserves open at 7:00 AM - 30 minutes after sunset. Closing time today is 7:25 PM.
Focusing the Forest Preserves to help people and nature thrive
[page under development]
What is the Comprehensive Plan?
Completed in 2024, the Comprehensive Plan evaluates the Forest Preserves and determines six broad goals for the Forest Preserves to achieve by 2040. The Forest Preserves’ last organization-wide plan was their 2010 Master Plan. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan informs the Forest Preserves' shorter-term strategic plans, which inform annual budgets.
Above: Planning process from research to action
From Chapter 1: A Bird's-eye View
The mission of the Forest Preserves comprises three pillars:
The Champaign County Forest Preserves own 4,000 acres of land, which is about three-quarters of the public nature in Champaign County. However, less than 1% of the county is protected natural area.
Restoring nature supports biodiversity, resilience to climate change, human health, and the economy. Public surveys and state and national direction support an expanded role for conservation agencies through land acquisition, climate change adaptation, education, and expanded trails.
From Chapter 2: Champaign County Demographics and Trends
The Forest Preserves serve the taxpayers of Champaign County and should strive to distribute their services as equitably as possible as the county continues to change. The population of Champaign County is becoming older and more diverse. On the whole, visitors to the Forest Preserves are Whiter than the county average.
From Chapter 3: Community Input
To inform the recommendations of this plan (see below), the Forest Preserves gathered input through in-person discussions, internal surveys, and a statistically representative, county-wide survey. Participants included community members, Board Commissioners, staff, and members of the Citizens Engagement Committee and Forest Preserve Friends Foundation.
The top themes from community input included:
To help the Forest Preserves balance resources among their maintenance obligations, infrastructure upgrades, and improvements for educational and recreational opportunities, the Forest Preserves inventoried each property. Report cards grade the state of facilities and structures, and several important improvements and necessary plans are identified. This inventory complements the shorter-term, 5-year capital planning process by providing a bigger-picture view of the state of infrastructure and improvements to consider at the Forest Preserves.
Financial health is imperative to a tax-funded, public-serving organization like the Forest Preserves. Compared to districts of similar sizes, the Forest Preserves’ operating and capital expenses appear typical. Their operating expenses have consistently risen since 2007, including a large uptick since 2019 reflecting continued investment in staffing. Their capital expenses as a proportion of all expenses have also risen recently, reflecting the Forest Preserves’ expanded capacity to provide services and maintain facilities due to the 2020 referendum.
The recommendations reflect areas where public feedback, internal surveys, and background research aligned to clearly indicate a direction that would benefit the Forest Preserves. This plan recommends the Preserves:
These six recommendations will ensure Forest Preserves achieve their mission and provide the best possible value to the taxpayers of Champaign County well into the future.
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