Coronavirus: Forest Preserve Closes Dog Parks, Parking Lots

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County boasts 15 trails on its website. Those all remain open. However, as of 5 p.m. Saturday, when Governor JB Pritzker's coronavirus stay at home order went into effect, the district closed the county's dog parks and all parking lots.

"It would have been impossible to close all of our 122-plus acres of trails," Cindy Cain, public information officer for the Forest Preserve District of Will County, said. "By closing the parking lots, we are preventing people from congregating in parking lots.

"More and more parks across the nation are closing because people are all rushing to these areas, and they are not following social distancing recommendations."

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Social distancing means people out in public should maintain a distance of at least 6 feet. Trails in most of the forest preserves are 10 feet wide.

Cain referenced the announcement on Tuesday that Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park have closed their gates.

For some residents, though, closing the parking lots means access to trails is impossible. Pat Downs lives in an area of Joliet without sidewalks. She is a caregiver and friend to a woman who uses a wheelchair. Normally, she will go out onto the trails a couple times a week.

"We go out to the preserves and she is in a wheelchair," Downs said. "The chair has to be in a car and I can’t park the car to take it out."

Downs said she and her friend most often use Rock Run Rookery Preserve and the trails around Four Rivers Environmental Education Center. Both areas have paved trails and neither are adjacent to residential areas.

"They are shutting it off to people who just want to go there and get some breathing space. I just don’t understand the thinking," Downs said.

Cain said that many of the trails owned by the Forest Preserve District of Will County are adjacent to residential areas and that residents are welcome to use the trails closest to their homes.

"People who live along the Old Plank Road trail though, for instance, will still be able to access the trail," Cain said.

But Cain stressed that the governor's order is a stay at home order and that it is intended for you to enjoy nature close to your home.

"The governor said you can go hiking," Cain said. "He did not say you can get in your car, travel and access the same trail as everyone else."

The exact language issued by Pritzker is as follows: "For outdoor activity: walking, hiking, running or biking — including going to public parks and open outdoor recreation areas, except for playgrounds."

More information on what the stay at home order means for residents can be found here.

Cain said despite the closure of parking lots, the district is still encouraging people to get out into nature, but just to do so near their homes. To that end, she said the district is launching a stay-at-home backyard photo contest.

She said she understands that not every resident in the Forest Preserve District of Will County has a backyard or sidewalks in their subdivision, but that the most important thing right now is to keep people healthy.

"It isn’t good or fair," she said. "People are dying.

"Everyone wants to flatten the curve so the more people that stay home right now, the more health care will be able to keep up."

She highlighted that the decision to close parking lots and dog parks is active until April 7.

Shoreline fishing is allowed, as long as participants practice social distancing. Boating season begins April 1, but kayaks and boats are not currently allowed and will not be until preserve access areas reopen. Shorelines for fishing also must be accessed by walking or bicycle.

"We know this is difficult. This is hard for us," Cain said. "We also are protecting our staff.

"If we had dog parks and parking lots open, our police officers would have to interact more with people."

An incorrect date in the story has been corrected.