ein tees b © Ne Realy ale aeN 7 
Fate of Allerton Park & Oakley Reservoir 
Reaches the Agenda of the 
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission 
EDITOR’S NOTE 
The 18th meeting of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission—held appropriately, 
as it turned out, in Allerton House of Robert Allerton Park in December— 
included in its business a considerable discussion on the matter of Allerton 
Park and the Oakley Reservoir. It is that portion from the minutes of that INPC 
meeting which is printed below. Speakers are identified as Ill. Rep. George P. 
Johns, Decatur, and Dr. S. Charles Kendeigh and George B. Fell, Commission 
members. Presiding was Elton Fawks, vice chairman of the Illinois Nature 
Preserves Commission. 
“Chairman Fawks called on Representative George P. Johns of Decatur, 
who had requested the opportunity to speak to the Commission on the 
matter of Allerton Park and Oakley Reservoir. 
“Representative Johns said he was concerned about the Commission’s 
request for a study of the possibility of modifying the Oakley Reservoir 
project to eliminate flooding of the Allerton Park bottomland forest. He 
felt that reopening the project for study would be a threat to the entire 
project and that the Commission should give careful consideration to the 
serious possible consequences of its action. The Commission, as an official 
body, should work with other agencies of Government for the greatest 
public good despite its personal interests. The Oakley project, he said, was 
the result of 20 years of study and effort by many persons. He felt that 
it has the support of a number of officials and agencies at various levels 
ot Government and that it is an important project which affects the economy 
and welfare of a large area of central Illinois and a potential future popu- 
lation of 500,000 people who will need 22,000,000 gallons of water daily. 
“The project, in the opinion of Mr. Johns, will enhance Allerton Park 
rather than detract from it. The floodplain downstream from the concrete 
bridge in Allerton Park will be permanently underwater. The area which 
will be subject to periodic exposure of mud flats from drawdown will be 
upstream from the Park, between the concrete bridge ard Monticello. Only 
the bottomland in the Park will be flooded, not the house and gardens. 
Representative Johns introduced Mr. Alex Vance, a landscape architect 
from Monticello, who described a proposal to place a second dam at the 
downstream edge of Allerton Park with the intention of having a non- 
fluctuating pool above that point. 
“There followed a general discussion of the Oakley Reservoir project 
and its effect on Allerton Park: Dr. Kendeigh and Mr. Fell explained that 
the bottomland forest was the unique feature of Allerton Park from the 
biological standpoint and that the Commission’s concern was for its preser- 
vation. Dr. Kendeigh said the Commission felt that before the Allerton 
