Bill to Eliminate DuPage Forest District Commissioners' Salaries Passes House Committee

Salaries and benefits of up to $80,000 per commissioner may be nearing an end.

By Amanda Luevano, Downers Grove Patch Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Deb Conroy (D-46th, Elmhurst) to eliminate the salaries and benefits of DuPage Forest District commissioners and chairman won the approval of a key House committee last week.   The House Counties and Townships Committee approved House Bill 2377 with a 3-2 vote. The bill will head to the full House for consideration. Who are the DuPage County Forest District commissioners? The proposal eliminates the salaries and pension, dental and medical benefits given to the forest preserve’s chairman and six commissioners. In DuPage County, commissioners meet once a week and receive a base salary of $53,500. With benefits, each commissioner costs the taxpayers up to $80,709.50. …

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Your Volunteer Guide for Glen Ellyn

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Willowbrook Wildlife Center searches for wildlife lovers.

If you were not among the 115 people who attended the DuPage Forest Preserve Open House, you haven’t lost your chance. On Saturday, January 15 115 people walked in off the street to learn more about volunteer opportunities within the DuPage Forest Preserve District, including the Willowbrook Wildlife Center,525 S. Park Blvd. Other programs included were the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton, Fullersburg Woods Nature Center in Oakbrook, Klein Creek Farm in Winfield, Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, and St. James Farm in Warrenville.  The Open House event takes place once per year every January, and is aimed at getting potential volunteers through the door to educate them on opportunities within the district. “We aim this particular …

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Human, Meet Wildlife; Wildlife, Meet Human

The Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn brings wildlife up-close to the center's visitors and teaches about the delicate balance between humans and animals.

"Sometimes we get the birds to sing to us," explains Kristen Stringer, a Lombard resident who brings her 4-year-old son, Ryan, to the DuPage County Forest Preserve's Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn every Sunday before attending church across the street. It's a ritual they have enjoyed since Ryan was a baby. Like most of the center's visitors, Stringer brings her son here to teach him how wildlife intersects with the everyday human experience. "We love to learn the animals' stories, how each one got here," she says. The center, located just east of the College of DuPage on Park Boulevard, is one-part education center and one-part rehab clinic. Its mission is also two-fold: to treat injured or sick wild animals native to the area—…

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