Planning and Advocacy

Sometimes working to keep nature alive and well in Lake County requires more than just preserving individual pieces of land and encouraging the careful stewardship of individual properties. So when there are opportunities at a larger scale for people and organizations to work together to make things better for Lake County's land and water, we're ready to lead and participate in cooperative planning efforts.

We are also ready to be a voice for land and water when public policies, decisions, or projects will have a sweeping impact on land and water that will in turn impact the health of communities and wildlife. In 2008, for example, we played an important role in promoting the successful referendum that will ultimately enable the Lake County Forest Preserve District to preserve over 2,100 acres of open land.

Illinois Route 53/120 Blue Ribbon Advisory Council established by Tollway in August of 2011

***PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE from the Illinois Tollway Authority***

A design workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 24, to share information and refine design options for the roadway and surrounding land uses in the Central Lake County Corridor.

The workshop will feature a number of nationally recognized experts in the areas of transportation/tolling, land use and environmental issues. These experts and others will speak to the specific challenges and opportunities in the corridor, and guide the group through an interactive process to review and refine potential design options.

The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) in downtown Chicago (233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800). All Council members and members of the public are invited to attend. You will receive a detailed agenda in advance of the workshop.

***Please RSVP to Michelle Graham at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  by Friday, January 13.***

The Illinois Toll Highway authority recently established a Blue Ribbon Advisory Council to work toward consensus for an alternative for the Illinois Route 53 corridor through Lake County. The Advisory Council is to recommend to the Tollway Authority a series of best practices for an integrated, multi-modal corridor that is financially viable, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. The council is co-chaired by County Board Chairman David Stolman and George Ranney, President and CEO of Metropolis Strategies and Prairie Holdings Corporation. The group includes public officials, as well as representatives from business, labor, planning and environmental groups. The council will present its initial recommendations to the Tollway Board by spring 2012.

Representatives of the Liberty Prairie Conservancy are attending the committee meetings and are strongly advocating for sound environmental principles and protection of natural resources. If you would like to learn more please contact Steve Barg or Nathan Aaberg or attend an upcoming meeting. 

Securing the future of farming - Local Food Initiative for Lake County

The Liberty Prairie Conservancy has partnered with five organizations in a planning effort designed to bring more local food production and sustainable agriculture to Lake County. Partners include College of Lake County, the Farm Business Development Center at Prairie Crossing, Lake County Forest Preserve District, Lake County Building Planning Building and Development, OpenLands, and several independent farmers.

The planning effort is being funded through a technical assistance grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). There are two main goals to the plan 1) To help develop local food production opportunities that build on successes in the Liberty Prairie Reserve and 2) To identify barriers to the development of a local food economy in Lake County and begin work on policies and incentives that foster an increase in sustainable, local food production countywide.

Saving open space - Lake County Conservation Partners

The Liberty Prairie Conservancy brought together seventeen partners who have unanimously and enthusiastically adopted a countywide Vision for Land Preservation. With this new collective vision that encompasses private lands as well as lands under state, county and park districts, we are working to preserve at least 20% of the county by 2030. Read more

Read about our other partnerships