Commission Meeting 9/1/26

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Agenda

[0:01] Call to Order
[0:10] Pledge of Allegiance
[0:31] Invocation          Pastor Zachary D. Wagner, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Villa Park
[1:31] Roll Call
[1:50] President’s Remarks
[3:42] Public Comment
[3:48] Motion Approving and Placing on File Open Commission Meeting Minutes from 8/19/26
[4:18] Resolution #26-201 Authorizing the Payment of Goods & Services for Payment 9/3/26:  CO (Kuszewski)
[4:54] Motion Approving the Guidelines for the Development of the Fiscal Year 2027 District Budget: PS 8/25/26 (Hebreard)
[5:13] Resolution #26-198 Authorizing the Execution of a Contract for Professional Services between the FPDDC and Lauterbach and Amen, LLP:  PS 8/25/26 (Kuszewski)
[5:50] Motion Authorizing the Execution of Change Order #1 to Professional Services Contract #25-571 between the FPDDC and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for Continuing Remediation Services at White Farm in Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve:  PS 8/25/26 (Villanueva)
[6:35] INFORMATIONAL AGENDA
[24:51] Adjournment

Transcript

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[0:00] I call this forces or district of DuPage County Commission agenda to order. Today, Tuesday, September 1st, 206, right here at District Headquarters.
[0:09] If we lose rise and join us, Stevenson, for the pledge of allegiance.
[0:29] And this morning, we're excited to welcome Pastor Zachary Detake Wagner from the St. Paul, Luther and church in Ville Park for a invocation.
[0:37] Thanks for having me.
[0:39] I made sure to join me in our prayer this morning.
[0:43] We're just God. We give thanks for each day. We give thanks for each passing season.
[0:47] We even give thanks on steamy days like today, trusting that it is all part of your creation.
[0:52] And so we are thankful for the opportunity to be gathered in this space to care for that creation.
[0:57] Locally here to share each other's gifts in each other's wisdom as we seek to do with right with all the gifts that you've given us for all the people that are a part of this community.
[1:07] And so we asked such you would continue to bless us with your spirit of guidance, your spirit of wisdom, your spirit of understanding and compassion, as we share this important work together in DuPage County, to care for all of your creation therein.
[1:19] This, we pray in your name.
[1:30] Will call please?
[1:33] Fisher's Gears?
[1:34] Here.
[1:36] Here.
[1:36] Here.
[1:37] President, he read.
[1:38] Here.
[1:39] Mr. Murphy.
[1:41] Oh, Mira.
[1:42] Painter.
[1:43] Here.
[1:43] Tyson Dan, here. All present, Mr. President.
[1:47] Thank you. As we turn the calendar to fall, I want to remind everybody that a night for
[1:52] nature's only two short weeks away. The annual benefit hosted by the Friends of the
[1:57] Forces of District of DuPage County will take place on Thursday, September 17th from
[2:02] 5 to 830 PM at St. James Farm for Spurserve. A night for nature is always a wonderful evening
[2:09] featuring foods and drinks live music, wagon rides for the preserve, and an
[2:13] aggressive silent auction. This year's auction includes travel packages, tickets, artwork,
[2:18] and several unique forest reserve experiences. From a private tour of the new due page
[2:23] wildlife conservation center, to an opportunity to be among the first to play into the newly
[2:28] redesigned Mabel Meadows Golf Reserve when it reopens. More importantly, the event supports
[2:34] the Friends goal of raising $50,000 for native wildlife and habitat restoration throughout
[2:39] page force reserves. These funds help care for injured and orphan wildlife restore healthy habitats and
[2:45] support important species recovery programs for freshwater muscles, planning turtles,
[2:50] handsomal dragonflies, and other native species. Tickets are 125 per person and I encourage everyone
[2:58] planning to attend to purchase tickets by September 10th at dp4.org slash friends. If you
[3:09] or make a donation and support of this important work.
[3:13] On behalf of the forces of the District, I want to thank the Friends Board, volunteers, and staff
[3:18] for organizing the special event. I also want to recognize and thank all of the community sponsors
[3:23] and donors who generously make a night for nature possible. We hope you will join us
[3:28] for a memorable evening at St. James Farm and help us make meaningful difference for due page wildlife
[3:33] and wild areas.
[3:37] Secretary of Police, my understanding, we have no public comment.
[3:39] That is correct, Mr. President.
[3:42] Thank you.
[3:43] With that, we'll move right into the regular agenda.
[3:46] Mr. President, under R1,
[3:48] we have a motion approving and placing on file the open commission meeting
[3:51] minutes from 819-26.
[3:54] The motion in a second, is there any discussion?
[3:59] Will Club please?
[4:00] Oh, Mira.
[4:02] Hey, Ter.
[4:02] Hi.
[4:03] Hi.
[4:04] Murphy.
[4:09] All eyes, Mr. President.
[4:11] Motion passes.
[4:13] Mr. President, under R2 we have a resolution number 26-201 authorizing the payment of goods and services for payment 9326.
[4:22] Backends.
[4:22] Have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion?
[4:27] Will call please?
[4:29] Oh, Mira.
[4:30] Hi.
[4:30] Hunter.
[4:31] Hi.
[4:32] Tyson Dunn.
[4:33] Here is.
[4:33] Hi.
[4:34] He's there.
[4:36] He read.
[4:36] Hi.
[4:37] Murphy.
[4:39] How eyes Mr. President.
[4:40] Motion passes.
[4:42] Mr. President, under R3, we have a remotion approving the guidelines for the development
[4:47] of the fiscal year, 2027 district budget.
[4:51] The motion in a second.
[4:53] Is there any discussion?
[4:56] Will call please?
[4:58] Omera.
[5:00] Aye.
[5:01] Hunter, aye.
[5:02] Aye.
[5:02] Aye.
[5:02] Hi, Senator.
[5:03] Aye.
[5:03] Yes.
[5:04] Aye.
[5:05] Hezer.
[5:06] Aye.
[5:06] He read.
[5:07] Aye.
[5:08] Murphy.
[5:09] All right.
[5:10] Mr. President.
[5:11] Motion passes.
[5:13] Mr. President, under R4 we have a resolution number 26 to S198.
[5:18] Authorizing an execution of a contract for professional services between the
[5:22] fourists who serve district of DuPage County and allow a lot of a box and amen LLP.
[5:28] Second.
[5:28] If a motion has second, is there any discussion?
[5:34] Will couples?
[5:36] Oh, Mira.
[5:37] Hunter.
[5:38] Hi.
[5:39] Tyson Dan.
[5:40] Iris.
[5:41] Hi.
[5:41] He read.
[5:43] Hi.
[5:44] Murphy.
[5:45] Hi.
[5:46] Mr. President.
[5:47] Motion passes.
[5:49] Mr. President, under R5, we have a motion authorizing the execution of change order number
[5:55] 1 to professional services contract number 25-571.
[5:59] Between the Forest Reserve District of DuPage County and Stantec Consulting Services Incorporated,
[6:05] we're continuing remediation services at White Farm in Hawke Hall of Forest Preserve.
[6:12] Seconds.
[6:12] Have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion?
[6:17] Will Koppos?
[6:19] Onlyera.
[6:20] Hey, Ter.
[6:21] Hi.
[6:22] Tyson Dan.
[6:22] Hi.
[6:23] Here is.
[6:23] Hi.
[6:24] He's here.
[6:25] Hi.
[6:25] He's here.
[6:26] Hi.
[6:27] Murphy.
[6:28] All eyes from his present.
[6:30] Motion passes.
[6:31] would do have an informational agenda item today. I1 is the Butterfly Monitoring Program.
[6:46] Morning commissioners, President Hibriard, Executive Director Dorgon. My name is Jennifer Zouski,
[6:51] ecologist in the Natural Resources Department. Thank you for the opportunity today to present
[6:56] about the district's Butterfly Monitoring Program. Today I'll share some general details about the program,
[7:02] or the district monitors butterflies, and how data collected through this program have been applied with the district and beyond.
[7:12] The district's butterfly monitoring program is part of the Illinois butterfly monitoring
[7:16] at work, which is a community science program.
[7:19] Community science is a form of research in which community members, members contribute meaningful
[7:24] scientific data to better understand key issues.
[7:28] One benefit of community science is that it can collect a large amount of data over a larger
[7:32] geographic region in a much shorter amount of time than just a small group of researchers
[7:36] alone.
[7:37] Engaging in community science benefits an individual's wellness through opportunities for social connection and continuing education.
[7:46] In 1987, the Nature Conservancy initiated the Northern Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network to explore the effects of habitat management on invertebrates.
[7:54] Dr. Doug Terran became the head of the program in 1989, when he joined Peggy Notabart in
[8:00] each museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences in 1997, the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring
[8:07] Network became the Institution's flagship Community Science Program.
[8:11] Initially, the program monitored just seven sites across the Chicago land area, as the number
[8:16] of volunteers has grown, today over 100 community scientists collect data on butterfly populations
[8:21] on over 100 routes across the state.
[8:25] Since its inception, the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network has served as a model for community
[8:30] science programs, duplicated across the country, including Dragonfly, damsel flying, calling
[8:36] frog surveys in Illinois, programs in which the district also participates.
[8:42] While I monitor Butterflies, unlike other more difficult to study insects, Butterflies are
[8:48] documented, their care is medic, and relatively easy to find and identify with some training.
[8:53] Butterflies are considered indicators species, their presence or absence in the landscape
[8:58] can tell us valuable information about ecosystem health.
[9:02] And this is because butterflies have short life cycles, they're sensitive to temperature and weather patterns,
[9:07] and many species rely on specific host plants to complete their life cycle.
[9:12] Data collected about butterfly species, population numbers, and diversity of species,
[9:16] Help paint a picture of where butterflies are thriving or declining and how habitats are changing over time.
[9:23] Therefore, the goal of monitoring butterflies is to identify and evaluate long-term trends of habitat health.
[9:30] This information aids land managers such as the district and conservation planning and action.
[9:36] How do we monitor butterflies?
[9:39] The district's butterfly monitoring program is coordinated by natural resources and volunteer services staff,
[9:44] working with the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network.
[9:48] Interested volunteers applied for to the program,
[9:51] and attend training workshops in early spring
[9:53] to learn data collection protocol
[9:54] and how to identify common species.
[9:57] Train monitors are then assigned to route and make...
[10:00] Take at least six site visits between Memorial Day and the first week of August. During these visits, monitors follow a standardized protocol and use a standardized form to record the species and counts of butterflies they visually observe on their route.
[10:14] These observations are then submitted to an online database called Pollard Base.
[10:20] Here's an example of a Dynata butterfly monitoring route on collar base.
[10:24] Monitor is upload their survey data to the online database and the district has access to that data.
[10:31] This online database connects over 35 butterfly monitoring programs across the country through the North American butterfly monitoring network.
[10:40] Therefore monitors, researchers, scientists have access to large butterfly monitoring data sets from different regions across the country.
[10:50] The district has been monitoring butterflies using this protocol since 1989.
[10:56] Over that time, 67 monitors have engaged with the program, the majority of which are volunteers, along with several ecology staff.
[11:04] 33 preserves have been surveyed for at least one year. Over 4,000 surveys have been completed, yielding 33,800 recorded observations of butterflies in our database.
[11:16] Over this period, 102 unique butterfly species have been observed and identified, and for reference, there's roughly 150 species of butterflies in Illinois.
[11:28] The two longest monitor preserves are Waterfall Glen for 29 years, and what Chicago Prairie for 28 years.
[11:36] The most commonly observed species for most years is the cabbage white butterfly pictured here, which is a species introduced from Europe in the 1800s.
[11:47] To highlight some butterflies of note throughout the district's butterfly monitoring program,
[11:51] 13 special status species have been recorded. These rare species usually rely on high-quality
[11:57] remnant habitats, often where specific host plants exist. These at-risk butterfly species are listed
[12:03] as either state threatened, a species in greatest need of conservation, or part of the
[12:09] Illinois Wildlife Action Plan. Two species in greatest need of conservation in Illinois
[12:15] have been consistently observed throughout the years of the program.
[12:19] Those are the Dion Skipper and the Broadway Skipper, which are both pictured here.
[12:28] Next, I'll highlight some general observations of butterfly populations in the DuPage County Preserves.
[12:33] This graph shows the top 10 surveyed preserves with a highest number of butterfly species observed throughout the entire program.
[12:40] The top three preserves with the most species observed are waterfall blend with 76 species.
[12:46] West Chicago Prairie was 62 species, and Prasplan Woods with 54 species.
[12:55] On average, we see about 55 species of butterflies observed each year, and this is from
[13:01] data from 2001 through 2025, and this is called species richness.
[13:11] This graph shows the amount of survey effort each year and the diversity of butterfly species
[13:15] observed.
[13:16] So, the purple upright bars, so the average number of butterfly surveys per preserve completed
[13:21] each year. The minimum survey is per preserved should be six per the protocol that I mentioned earlier.
[13:28] Some years of higher survey efforts than others. The dark line running across the top of the
[13:34] graph estimates the diversity of butterfly species observed each year. As shown on the right
[13:40] side of the graph is the measure of the average biodiversity index. The value is less than 1.5
[13:47] consistently. And this calculated value indicates a low diversity of species. So that means that
[13:53] the community of butterflies observed within the preserves is dominated by a few common species
[13:59] with many individual butterflies and some rare species with a smaller number of individual
[14:04] butterflies observed for those rare species. However, this index value also tells us that there
[14:10] are high quality or specialized habitats protected within force preserves where those rare
[14:15] species can exist and be observed, even if they are in smaller quantities.
[14:22] Beyond the value to the district in the state, the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network
[14:26] data was part of a large 2025 publication by Colin Edwards at all, in science, one of
[14:32] the world's premier academic journals.
[14:34] This breakthrough study was the first to analyze butterfly monitoring data on a national
[14:39] scale, rather than a limited geographic region or a state.
[14:43] From analyzing 12.6 million butterfly observations in over 76,000 surveys, from 35 monitoring programs across the
[14:53] Contiguous United States, including data collected by our district volunteers and staff, the authors of the paper.
[15:00] We found that the total butterfly abundance across the country decreased by 22%, between the years 2000 and 2020.
[15:08] So, in 20 years almost a quarter of butterfly populations haven't declined.
[15:13] There are 13 times more individual butterfly species declining than increasing in populations.
[15:20] And these declines are occurring in all regions of the United States.
[15:23] This important large-scale study reiterates the massive losses of invertebrate species currently occurring globally
[15:30] dubbed the insect apocalypse.
[15:33] Enter highlights the critical need to protect butterflies and other beneficial insects.
[15:37] The district actively engages in butterfly conservation by maintaining and restoring healthy habitats.
[15:47] Why does the decline of butterflies matter?
[15:50] The loss of many vertebrate and plant species is well documented,
[15:53] But insects and other invertebrates are understudied despite their ecological and economic importance.
[16:00] At least 75% of flowering plants rely on pollinator species.
[16:04] And vertebrates decompose organic matter, recycling nutrients back into natural systems.
[16:10] Beneficial insects keep other pests species in check.
[16:14] And insects and invertebrates are critical food sources for other wildlife, especially birds.
[16:19] Therefore, monitoring the state of butterfly populations is one measurable way to understand
[16:24] the state of many other important invertebrate species.
[16:29] So, the current trajectory for the butterflies across the United States is alarming.
[16:34] At the Collins at all 2025 paper, along with other research shows that butterfly populations
[16:39] have the potential for quickly rebounding with the right conditions.
[16:44] Therefore, the work of the district is vital to providing those conditions.
[16:48] We will continue the butterfly monitoring program to build along on the long-term information we already have.
[16:56] About butterfly population trends to inform our conservation planning and actions.
[17:03] The district actively preserves and restores native habitats.
[17:07] Protecting habitat is one of the most critical actions outlined in that Hollins 2025 paper,
[17:13] not only butterflies but a wide range of native species.
[17:16] Targeted habitat management can successfully lower or reverse the decline of at risk species.
[17:23] A district staff have shared information about our land management strategies,
[17:27] with an author involved in this 2025 butterfly study, previously mentioned.
[17:32] I believe it was a particular in response to our Baltimore Tech or Spot Butterfly population that we have.
[17:38] The district also engages due page communities to take action and restoring native landscapes beyond the preserves
[17:44] through public programming and native plant sales.
[17:47] So even small spaces such as roadside and backyard
[17:50] can increase the amount of suitable habitat
[17:52] for butterflies and other insects.
[17:57] To conclude, I want to thank the many efforts involved
[17:59] in the butterfly monitoring program,
[18:01] especially district volunteers,
[18:02] who have collectively put in many years of surveys.
[18:05] Natural resources staff, Kathy Leck,
[18:07] and Cindy Hedges, along with the volunteer services department,
[18:11] coordinate the butterfly monitoring volunteers.
[18:13] Lewis Hacom, resource data analyst and natural resources.
[18:16] Manages, analyzes, and reports yearly summaries of the monitoring data.
[18:22] Doug, parent and Alan Lawrence oversee the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Survey, and thank
[18:27] you to the Butterflies themselves for the ecosystem services they provide for our collective
[18:32] well-being.
[18:33] So before I skidaddle back to the field today, I would invite any questions you might have.
[18:42] So I have a quick one.
[18:43] With the numbers that we're saying decreasing over the last 10 years, are there any preserves
[18:48] where we've done restoration work that we've seen increases or any other reserves that we've
[18:53] have seen increases in the last number of years because it looked like the trend was going down.
[18:59] Yeah, in general the trend of butterfly species is growing down. I don't think we've looked
[19:07] closely at the data to measure if they've gone up or down before and after restoration.
[19:12] However, that is something that colleges department is working on now.
[19:16] pinpointing specific preserves where restoration projects are
[19:19] flated to happen and then getting like a big overall picture of what's happening before
[19:24] and then after restoration over like several years so that we can have a better understanding
[19:29] that would be great how that impacts line before and species. Thank you.
[19:34] Thank you for a great presentation and I'm excited about to
[19:38] page Monarch for Ajay that we participate in as a partner and I would think that would be a good
[19:43] way to promote a pool of volunteers to keep the field work going, and so all this is exciting
[19:50] because I think it really resonates for the public, and if we can get more habitat and people
[19:55] backyards that will help.
[19:57] There's another community science project going up.
[20:00] On in the community, in this nation wide and up in the Canada, it has to do with rainfall data, and I participate in that. So I understand that I'll just go with this and explode and you have thousands and thousands of readings every day and it's included to page county. So there's tons of rainfall data that citizens are collecting as we speak. And that, because you mentioned that weather can affect populations. I just wondering if I can just forward that database, whoever wants to see it, to see if there's any.
[20:30] value in that data, because if you have a rare butterfly that disappears when you're,
[20:35] then it comes back, could that be weather-related? I guess that's, I don't know if you have
[20:38] ever looked at weather and, because the habitat might be there, but the weather's not quite
[20:43] pretty, you know. Right, yeah, monitoring the Baltimore checker spot, butterflies this year,
[20:47] we saw a lower population, which is outside of the Illinois butterfly monitoring network,
[20:52] another project in the ecology project. But yes, we suspect that, you know, the extra amount of
[20:59] and whether this year played an impact at least on our ability to observe those
[21:03] butterflies. It would definitely be useful to look at whether data
[21:08] compared to that. It was just yesterday. There were tons of rain in certain parts of
[21:12] the county and then central to page had hardly any rain. You can really drill down
[21:17] with the data if you wanted to. Yeah, thank you. Welcome that.
[21:21] Um, do you utilize that information when you're working on, um, um,
[21:28] reinforcing a different, uh, preserves, uh, that you may want to do specific plants,
[21:35] especially the plants that butterflies, or some species of butterfly only rely on the one plant?
[21:42] Right. Yes. So depending on which species are where there are certain butterflies that only specifically use one plant,
[21:49] as their host plant for laying eggs or the caterpillars developing, or a suite of plants.
[21:55] So monitoring butterflies is one piece of the picture along with the other species that we do
[22:01] monitor with plants and other wildlife and pippians and reptiles. So putting all of those pieces
[22:08] together we can work with the folks that are doing the restoration to try to
[22:13] whatever we can do to make the restoration the best that it can be for the greatest amount of species.
[22:19] And not to be a downer,
[22:23] but this agency and other conservation agencies are doing all they can to preserve them, but still the numbers seem to be going down.
[22:33] Is this a losing battle or?
[22:36] That's a big question.
[22:40] I think there's a lot of things going on in the environment currently.
[22:44] And so whatever we can do to mitigate and make ecosystems more resilient to some of the especially weather patterns that are changing or as temperatures are changing, you know, keeping up on what other organizations and agencies are doing as well and trying to fit the best restoration parameters that we can to do the best that we can to keep the population's going as long as we can.
[23:13] I thought I heard that the man who was put on the endangered species list. Did you hear that?
[23:21] It's on hold currently.
[23:24] As far as officially being reading anything.
[23:27] What would it take? And what does it mean? Do you know if they get on the endangered species list?
[23:34] How does that affect them or affect anything? What does it do?
[23:38] For an endangered species to be a federally-elisted species, there are certain parameters that
[23:44] like the federal level government has to follow as far as protecting that species,
[23:49] or where development can happen, things like that. So each species has its own plan for recovery.
[23:55] The Rusty Patch Bumblebee, for example, is a U.S. federally-elisted species.
[23:59] So there are our best practices in certain things that need to be followed in order to
[24:06] learn more about the species you know specifically about the minor. I don't know
[24:16] specifically.
[24:21] I know that we've got a great partner in the DuPage
[24:25] you know monitoring program and of course we've got a great partner in saving
[24:30] monarchs and so I think as we see you know changing weather patterns and
[24:34] extreme weather increase and recognize the devastation of climate change
[24:38] hopefully more community groups and certainly governments will take action.
[24:43] So thank you for this update and we're all pulling for the butterflies.
[24:46] I can tell you that.
[24:48] Appreciate it, Jennifer.
[24:49] Thank you.
[24:50] Move to adjourn.
[24:51] Back in.
[24:53] Motion in the second to adjourn.
[24:54] Roll call please.
[24:57] Painter.
[24:58] Tyson Dunn.
[25:00] Aye, eezer, aye, eee, bryard, aye, Murphy, o' mira, aye, aye, aye, Mr. President.