Will County, IL – Officials marked a milestone Friday in the largest restoration effort in Forest Preserve District history, celebrating 20 years of habitat renewal funded by the O’Hare Airport expansion’s wetland mitigation program.
According to the Forest Preserve District of Will County, the O’Hare Modernization Mitigation Account (OMMA) was created in 2005 with $26 million from the City of Chicago to offset the loss of 280 acres of wetlands from an $8 billion airport expansion. The Forest Preserve District received $6 million for work at Hadley Valley and Messenger Woods Nature Preserve in Homer Glen.
Over two decades, OMMA funds overseen by conservation nonprofit Openlands have restored 530 acres of wetlands—nearly twice what was lost at O’Hare—and protected 1,620 acres of natural space across five sites, including Hadley Valley, Messenger Woods, two Cook County preserves, and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Restoration and maintenance concluded in January.
“This isn’t just a celebration of land, it’s a celebration of what’s possible when we come together with a shared purpose,” Forest Preserve Board President Destinee Ortiz said during the event at Hadley Valley – Gougar Road Access.
Hadley Valley’s restoration included 193 acres, with 60 acres of wetlands. Openlands President and CEO Michael Davidson called the OMMA-funded sites “gold standard landscapes,” noting their benefits for wildlife, water quality, and flood reduction.
Forest Preserve Executive Director Tracy Chapman said a $50 million bond approved in 2024 will launch new preservation and restoration projects countywide.
More than 1,000 people contributed to the Hadley Valley project, transforming farmland into prairie and wetland. “It’s here, it’s open, and it’s available for all of us to enjoy,” said Juli Mason, the district’s director of conservation.
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