DuPage County Forest Preserve President
The Forest Preserve District is governed by a seven-member board of commissioners, which translates the open-space needs of county residents into ordinances designed to protect and enhance natural areas and support general operations.DuPage County contains six districts. Voters elect one commissioner from the district in which they live. The seventh member—the President—is elected by the county at large by popular vote. [Source: https://www.dupageforest.org/about-us/our-board]Salary: $75,000, President (report rev. Jan 23, 2025)[Source: Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Elected Officials Compensation]
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Daniel Hebreard
(Dem)
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Carl Schultz
(Rep)
What are your qualifications for Forest Preserve District President?
What are the most pressing issues of this office? How do you propose to address them?
How will you ensure that long-term strategic initiatives are completed in a fiscally responsible manner?
What effects, if any, do you expect climate change to have on our forest preserves and their long-term management?
What is your favorite forest preserve and why?
Campaign Phone
6308491505
As a lifelong DuPage resident I have a deep connection to our open spaces. I have degrees in Parks and Recreation Management and a Masters in Business Administration, I started my career in Park Districts but got a Park Ranger job at the Forest Preserve District in DuPage in 2005. I was promoted to Senior Ranger in 2007 and enjoyed my time working, getting to know and evaluating our 60 preserves over my 13 year tenure. I ran for President in 2018 on a platform that we should be doing more and not deferring projects. We passed a Master Plan in 2019 that I'm proud to say we have over 2/3 complete! I'm hopeful to complete that and continue adding more solar and trail connections over the next 4 years.
Like many agencies we have an important fiscal responsibility to our public. I'm proud to say we are AAA rated and bonded. The referendum passed has allowed us to continue our trajectory of completing critical projects throughout DuPage. We are also committed to buying 250 acres and continuing our commitment to sustainability. We have over 2 Mega Watts of solar projects in the works as I believe everyone should be helping fight the climate crisis. As such, it is also imperative to complete as much natural resource restoration as our team can handle. We have removed 7 dams (or Impoundments) in DuPage rivers and streams and will continue to remeander and improve our water locally. We are also improving woodlands, wetlands and prairies.
I strongly believe that we are already accomplishing this. Our residents supported our referendum tax increase by 63% in 2024. As we continue to complete the 32 projects and 15 initiatives in the 2019 Master Plan we will have complete transparency to the public. We have open checkbook and each board meeting is shown live and kept on the website for later viewing. We have done a fantastic job of getting partner money from the state, federal paths and private donors. The best example of this is at the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center (DWCC) at Willowbrook. That approximately $30 million dollar project included $8.5 million in partner money to help complete. We will continue to apply for grants & ensure we stay AAA rated.
Climate change will continue to alter our habitats and ecosystems tremendously. As stewards we need to continue to adjust to the changing weather conditions and apply the best science to improve our natural resources. We manage the Urban Stream Research Center where we primarily propagate and grow fresh water mussels in our local waterways. We have released tens of thousands of mussels in the Chicagoland area. We also work on two endangered species programs, the Hines Emerald Dragonfly and Blanding's Turtles. We have had great success with all these programs and with large scale restorations (up to 500 acres). We have also added several solar arrays to show sustainability leadership.
Oldfield Oaks Forest Preserve in southeastern DuPage. It is my favorite but it shows that even a smaller preserve (100 acres) can have thriving ecosystems and habitats. It also offers nearly 2 miles in trails and an off leash dog area.
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