Belleau Woods, located at the intersection of Roosevelt and County Farm Roads, is a prime DuPage County Forest Preserve. It has been designated a Class IV Preserve, the highest designation on a scale developed by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. This designation indicates “highest quality natural resources.” Keeping this land protected and in its natural state was a condition of the purchase agreement when the Forest Preserve District acquired the land south of Roosevelt Road in 1965. Acquisition of the land north of Roosevelt Road began in 2000.
Forest Preserve land in Illinois is governed by the Downstate Forest Preserve Act. Once land becomes part of the Forest Preserve District, it cannot be sold as a building site for residential or business use.
A portion of Belleau Woods is located west of St. Francis High School, in Wheaton. The school does not have enough on-site parking for all students and faculty. Currently, St. Francis has an agreement with Target by which students may park along the south side of Target’s parking lot. This means that students must cross Roosevelt Road to get to the school. St. Francis also wants to build an athletic stadium, but the school does not have sufficient land to do so.
For several years, St. Francis High School has been requesting that the Forest Preserve District sell or donate a portion of Belleau Woods to the school for the purpose of constructing a parking lot and a stadium. The Forest Preserve Board has declined to consider such an agreement, for three reasons:
- The Downstate Forest Preserve Act does not allow sale of the land,
- The acquisition agreement for Belleau Woods dictates that the land be held in a natural state, and
- It is not the policy of the Forest Preserve District to sell or donate parcels of land once land has been acquired.
It would take an act of the State Legislature in order for Belleau Woods to be turned over to St. Francis.
The Forest Preserve District attempted to add a layer of protection for the area by designating Belleau Woods as an Illinois Nature Preserve. Unfortunately, Belleau Woods is too small to be designated a Nature Preserve.
West-Win is monitoring this issue.