In Hegewisch, the
neighborhood I grew up in which is located in Chicago, IL, an issue that is
near and dear to my heart took place several years ago and may have a
possibility of resurfacing.
In the Fall of 2007,
during my return to the University of Illinois to finish my undergraduate
degree, the professor of the Fish and Wildlife course I was enrolled in stated
during a class lecture that Illinois is lucky because of the number of Forest
Preserve areas that it has. He further stated that because of the forest
preserves, Chicago is considered to be "green" and that in terms of
"green" areas; other places would like to be like Chicago or have
what Chicago has. Unfortunately, the lecture was ended with a grim comment, "there's
no way that the Forest Preserves would be possible today." I often think
of that lecture and the professor's ending comment when I think of Hegewisch
and what it has been going through for the past several years.
In Hegewisch, my
family and I live on 135th and Avenue "K," the last block of houses
in the City of Illinois; and the last block of houses in that part of the State
of Illinois. Other than a small mobile home park, the only thing that literally
separates the city of Chicago from the cities of Gary and Hammond, Indiana is a
forest preserve and the wetlands that are located in-between.
The wetland area is
located behind the block of houses where I live--behind the alley--and is home
to various wildlife species such as, owls, turtles, swans, geese and even deer.
There is no other alley unique like it in the area. The residents have deep
appreciation for what they have and have learned to live with the land, taking
a great deal of care for it.
In 2007, the wetland
area behind the houses became completely surrounded with a plastic-lined metal
chain link fence that was at least 6-feet high in length. Apparently, a
Peoria-based company had bought the mobile park that was located on the other
side of the wetland area to build condominium-type dwelling in its place. Representatives
of the company in charge of construction reassured the residents that the area
would remain the same and was fenced off because it would be undergoing
"beautification" however, building the condominiums truly meant that
the wetland area would be razed or would serve as the sewer draining area for
the condominiums, especially since the wetlands are not an extension or a part
of the Powderhorn Forest Preserves that is found adjacent to it.
Residents of the
area came to believe that the land was sold and bought "under the
table" through a deal that was struck between the Peoria-based company,
then-Mayor Daley, the ward's Alderman and other politicians that were in office
at the time. To save the land from destruction, the residents banded together
and scrambled for help in order to save the wetland area; doing everything
possible, including but not limited to setting up town hall meetings, writing
letters, visiting the mayor's and alderman's office. Unfortunately,
construction vehicles eventually moved into the area and started to dig up the
land. It seemed that we were all at a loss and would have to face the
inevitable.
Soon after the
situation which threatened the "Avenue K wetlands" began, the housing
market crashed and all construction and de-construction ceased. About two years
ago the plastic-lined, chain link fence was taken down; nonetheless, a
construction crane or two remain in the mobile park area and the damage to the
wetland is highly noticeable.
Even if for the
moment, development has ceased in the "Avenue K wetlands," the
current threat to Hegewisch is a proposed landfill expansion. In May, a cook
county judge ruled that 86-acres of land found on the edge of the city limits
would no longer considered as being a part of Chicago and could therefore be
used to build, reopen and/or expand existing landfills in the Lake Calumet
Area—the area in which Hegewisch and other neighborhoods in the Southeast area
of the city are located.
Whereas destroying
the "Avenue K wetlands" would tamper an ecosystem and affect a
segment of the community, the landfill threatens to impact the whole
neighborhood and its surrounding areas being detrimental to both wildlife and
humans by being a hazard to the land, the water supply and more significantly,
harmful to the health and well-being of all in the area.
Like before, the
residents banded together to fight for the land and through everyone’s
collaborative efforts and applied pressure to the state’s legislators, a bill
aimed at prohibiting any new landfills or expansions of already existing ones
in Cook County, HB 3881, was presented before the Illinois State House and
passed in May of 2012. Then on July 22, 2012, Governor Pat Quinn signed the
bill into law. However, by no means does this mean that the landfill fight is
necessarily over, since prior to HB 3881 being signed into law, the landfill
companies were lobbying to reverse a landfill moratorium which had been enacted
in 1983 and that had been recently extended until the year 2025.
As the landfill
issue occurs in the present time, the final outcome remains to be foreseen. As
for the “Avenue K wetlands,” one can only hope that the Millennium Reserve
Initiative, which is a part of President Obama’s “America’s Great Outdoors
Initiative,” and as announced by Governor Pat Quinn in December 2011, is
designated to increase the amount of “green” space in Chicago and will include
over 15,000 acres of land in the Lake Calumet area, can serve of great benefit
to the “Avenue K wetlands.”
Keeping in mind what
my professor stated several years ago, perhaps forest preserves may not be
possible today, but there may be hope yet for the unique ecosystem that has
finally been recognized to be home to various wildlife, as well as exotic flora
species.
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