We have recently received documents from DuPage County through the Freedom of Information Act that detail a history of wetlands violations at Ackerman Park. Dating back to 2005 and then again this winter, the GE Park District has dumped dirt and gravel into wetlands on the northeast and northwest corners of Ackerman Park.

According to the letters we received from the county, it was the opinion of the County wetlands specialist that these actions impacted the functions of the two wetlands. These letters indicated that no permits had been issued for this work, as required by law.

As a full waiver community, Glen Ellyn is responsible for enforcing the DuPage Countywide Stormwater and Floodplain Protection Ordinance. The documents we obtained said that the County had not received any documents at all from the Village about the 2005 violation, let alone a resolution and remediation of the problem. The county said that it is "imperative that this site be brought into compliance with the ordinance." As a full waiver community, the Village is responsible for protecting these wetlands.

These photos show the damage done by the Park District to the northeast wetland in 2007-08. These photos were taken on April 29, 2008. The following three photos show the affected area facing north, east and the south, around the corner.



In addition to the fill and gravel, a large area of vegetation just north of the gravel has been damaged, apparently by heavy equipment.

The photo below shows the road and the wetland area, facing southeast. In this picture you can see that the east side of the road is gravel. The west side of the road is lined with boulders to prevent people from parking on the fields.

Below is a satellite photo taken before this violation, facing north. Notice that in this photo you can see the east side of the road edged in boulders, just like the west side. The area to the east of the road is green. In this photo you can also see the DuPage River winding its way through the Forest Preserve land just east of the road.

The photo below, facing east, was taken after the Park District added gravel and fill to the area. This work was done without any wetland permits, though they are required by law. The DuPage River is also visible in this photo.

A DuPage County wetlands specialist said that when the Park District was asked about this violation they said that people were parking there, so they just added some gravel. Signs around the park specify that parking is limited marked spaces only and barriers prevent people from parking on the fields. At the Village Board meeting on April 28, 2008 Stacy Hulesburg said that this violation was done because snow was being dumped there. It is obvious that neither of those actions would have taken place had the Park District not removed the boulders and provided vehicle access to this corner of their land. The Park District protects the grass at Ackerman Park, but not the wetland.

The photos here show the damage done most recently to the northeast wetland. The wetland in the northwest corner of Ackerman Park was damaged in 2005, but those actions are not photographed here.

The Park District has willfully damaged wetlands just yards away from the DuPage River and now they plan to destroy 342 trees on 2.8 acres in another area of Ackerman Park. These wetland violations demonstrate the Park District's poor stewardship of our land. These documents show a pattern of destruction of the natural areas in our community by our own Park District. These actions show the urgent need for permanent protection for Ackerman Woods.