From Preservation Online, the online magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

www.preservationonline.org

Dear Preservation 911,

We have a severe emergency in our community and would like any advice you can offer our group, "Save the Timber." There is one of the most beautiful tracts of land located in the West suburbs of Chicago known as Timber Trails. It has been a golf course for more than 75 years, and before that a settler's farm established in the 1830s—and before that documented Native American settlements.

This is not your typical golf course by any stretch of the imagination. The undulating topography is a result of the effect of glaciers many millennia ago; in addition, there are gigantic oak and hickory groves that have been there for hundreds of years. Unquestionably, it is an awesome piece of land where many migratory and indigenous species/wildlife call home as well. Additionally, without surprise, it was named an Audubon Sanctuary.

To our dismay, the owners of the property announced that they intend to sell the property by auction to the highest bidder. Although our group tried to contact the sellers, the property sold for $45 million in September. However, in a short amount of time, our group was able to: obtain thousands of signatures to petition the purchase of a portion of this property through a referendum; and more importantly, PASS the referendum this past election with a 51 percent majority.

Timber Trails contains 105 acres, of which the referendum can purchase up to $10 million of land equating to approximately 25 acres.

The sad thing is that the developer with the winning bid wants to build more than 400 homes on this piece of property. We are against any development because it will destroy so many irreplaceable treasures—the Native American settlement/burial ground, the oak savannahs used by wildlife, the glacial ridges, etc.

The developer is very persistent, however. Can anyone offer any ideas for how to save this piece of land for future generations? This area is already overbuilt, and it would be a shame to lose this last area of greenery.

Sincerely,

Linda Marks
La Grange, Ill.

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Preservation 911 is a message board open to all readers. While National Trust staff will respond to the extent feasible, this will not be possible in all cases. We encourage other readers involved in state or local preservation to respond with advice or assistance. To contact either a regional office of the National Trust, a statewide or local nonprofit organization, or your state's historic preservation office, click here for a state-by-state list.

The National Trust's regional and field offices bring the programs and tools of the Trust to communities across the country. They offer technical assistance through consultations and field visits and financial help through small grants. They hold educational programs for professional preservationists and work to foster policies that help historic places. They also provide leadership on issues that concern entire regions, such as saving historic schools, fighting sprawl, and revitalizing cities.

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