12 TsHe i Aj Ur DiUc B OSN Sabre lel ails la 
One Man’s Viewpoint: 
THE BATTLE FOR BELLEAU WOODS— 
A BIG LESSON IN THE ‘LOCAL ISSUE’ 
By RAYMOND MOSTEK 
ONCE A PART of the Cantigny 
estate of the late Col. Robert R. 
McCormick, Belleau Woods is a 
7l-acre tract of land which lies 
along Roosevelt Road in Wheaton 
in DuPage County. For more than 
a year now, it has been the battle- 
ground between conservation forc- 
es, seeking to save not only this 
forest, but the integrity of the 
DuPage forest preserve system and 
the DuPage Board of Supervisors, 
led by Chairman Robert Raymond 
of the roads committee. 
THE BOARD sought to push an 
extension of County Farm Road 
southwards through the woods. 
Conservationists urged that the 
road go around the forest. Among 
some of the trees found in the 
large tract are Black Cherry, Haw- 
thorn, and Ash, with some Hickory 
and Oak. The largest tree meas- 
ured was a Burr Oak 41.2” in 
diameter. 
SINCE FOREST PRESERVE dis- 
trict law and the terms of the gift 
of the land to the people gave 
seemingly strong protection to the 
area, it was necessary to persuade 
the state legislature to pass special 
legislation “to amend a 1965 act 
conveying land to DuPage County 
Forest Preserve District to permit 
the board to convey road rights-of- 
way if it deems such roads to be 
necessary for the public welfare.” 
HB 1390 was introduced March 30, 
1971, by State Representatives 
Philip Dyer, G. L. Hoffman, and 
A. Schoeberlein. 
ee ee fF 
THE ROADSIDE COMMITTEE 
of Illinois Audubon Society had 
protested this move as early as 
Feb. 23, 1971, but the matter was 
not substantially pursued until the 
DuPage Audubon Society carried 
a long article in “The Honker’”, its 
monthly newsletter, detailing the 
serious damage to the forest if the 
road were constructed. 
Several delegates from local con- 
servation clubs later met with Mr. 
Raymond but no agreement was 
reached to save the woods. HB 
1390 was subsequently passed by 
both houses of the legislature and 
signed into law by Gov. Richard 
Ogilvie. All seemed lost when a 
number of the Milton Township 
administration called several con- 
servationists and indicated there 
