Eric Bergman for Forest Preserve

    Eric Bergman (Julia Nephew's husband) is running for DuPage Forest Preserve Commissioner for District 4. To find out more please visit Eric's campaign website www.electEricBergman.com.

    Support Us for Park District Board

    Jay Kinzler, Melissa Creech and Julia Nephew are running for the Glen Ellyn Park District board. The election is on April 7, 2009. As Commissioners, we will bring leadership to the Park District that:

    • is fiscally responsible
    • actively listens to the community, and
    • governs transparently.

    To find out more about us and our vision for the Park District, please visit our campaign website www.Vote3fortheParks.com.

    Park District Votes to stop Project

    • The Park District voted June 3, 2008 to NOT put soccer fields at Ackerman Woods.
    • The vote was 4-1 with Bill Taylor, Keith Schoen, Bill Dallman and Sandy Minogue for, Jeff Jourdan voting against, Ed Hess absent.
    • Ron Aubrey was present in the building but did not attend the meeting.
    • The Village voted unanimously on June 9 to reject all bids for the project. Thank you Village trustees! The Village will reconsider the stormwater project and look at alternate locations.

    Woods Eco-Restoration Day

    Thank you to everyone who came out to Ackerman Woods March 14 for our Eco-Restoration Day! 50 people came to cut buckthorn and other invasive brush. The result was a very large pile of brush and a good start on a path through the woods. Take a look at some of our photos from the restoration day!

    We hope to see you at the next restoration event in the fall!

    First Clean Up a Success!

    A big thank you to everyone who came out to Ackerman Woods November 1 for our first clean up! About 50 people came to remove garbage from the woods. Volunteers dragged lots of garbage out of the woods, sorted it for recycling and loaded it into trucks.Take a look at some of our photos from the clean up!

    We filled Park District's truck with the two and a half loads of garbage. One lucky scrap metal recycler drove by towards the end of the clean up and filled his truck with scrap metal that we had pulled out of the woods. We also had many boxes of cans and glass that we recycled.

    What did we find in the woods? A bike, a mailbox, a lawnmower, several tires, remains of a burned-out cabin, 200lbs of sheet metal from an old pool, 50 ft. of tubing, a giant net filled with a huge amount of upholstery-type foam, a steel barrel, mattress springs, fencing, and lots of odd concrete, building materials and metal scraps.

    Mark your calendars for the Spring clean-up at Ackerman Woods too! The Park District is hosting an Eco-Restoration work day on March 14, 2009. Check here and at the Park District web site for more information on this cleanup.

    The History

    The controversy over Ackerman Woods began early in 2008 and was put to rest, for now, when under intense community and media pressure the Park District board voted to halt the project

    You can learn about the background of the controversy.

    About this Site

    All of the documents listed on this site were obtained by us from the Village of Glen Ellyn, the Glen Ellyn Park District and DuPage County through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We've listed both the requests for information and the responses, along with all of the documents provided.

    If you know of any newspaper articles or letters to the editor that aren't listed here, please let us know and we will link to them.

    Save Ackerman Woods is a grass-roots effort of concerned citizens with no formal organization. We are always looking for more volunteers and suggestions! Please contact us at saveackermanwoods@gmail.com.