All wet is all good for DuPage County forest district

Plans for the new Dunham Forest Preserve are all wet, and that's fine with commissioners.

DuPage Forest Preserve District leaders Tuesday heard details of a master plan for one of their newer properties and found it satisfactory.

The 374-acre site near Wayne cost $25 million to acquire last year; it's named after a family that farmed the land for generations.

About 150 acres of Dunham Preserve are wetlands and provide a habitat for water fowl such as sandhill cranes. Trails will be built around the site connecting walkers and equestrians with points of interest such as nature lookouts and a pioneer cemetery.

"It's very much in keeping with what people in the area would like to see," said Commissioner Roger Kotecki of Warrenville.

"The only construction contemplated is a small parking lot."

That parking lot would be next to Wayne's historical train station on land owned by the municipality.

Much of the land has been farmed and will be for a few more years. But gradually, the district plans to restore wetlands dried up by drainage tiles and to replant acres of prairie with species such as bur oak, switchgrass, sunflowers and big bluestem.

While recognizing that building trails is costly, the district might be able to actually generate revenues from the property.

"The wetland restoration might pay for itself with wetland banking credits," Kotecki said, referring to a program that allows developers to purchase open space to offset paving over land.

The district held an open house in February explaining its plans and had a favorable reception from the public.