Meet Your Neighbors

Jason Pettit: Acquiring Mind

Jason Pettit has to work fast. As the director of the Kendall County Forest Preserve District, he’s charged with saving as much natural open space as he can in the second-fastest growing county in the Unites States.

In this still largely rural area southwest of Chicago, rapid population growth and its attendant real estate development represent some of the district’s greatest challenges. The Conservation Foundation estimates that an average of 2,000 acres of Kendall County open space are developed each year. But that growth is also fueling conservation.

“It is hard to see some areas not preserved,” says Pettit of the open parcels he’s seen disappear,  “but having more people does encourage more development for the forest preserves.” With each land acquisition, says Pettit, who has been director for a decade, the small district’s vitality and influence increase. “The Kendall County Forest Preserves will have a pivotal role in the Chicago Wilderness as we continue to grow.”

When Kendall voters approved a $45 million bond for open space preservation in April 2007, Pettit wasted no time putting the new funds to work. The district has already begun acquiring six new properties totaling more than 855 acres, a first move toward their short-term goal of doubling their current 1,200 acres. Despite his massive workload of land surveys, assessments, and grant proposals, Pettit smiles and says, “I have a good feeling. The preserves will be open to the public with many opportunities.”

Pettit works with The Conservation Foundation on Protect Kendall Now!, a project to increase the pace of land conservation in Kendall County. As a member of the steering committee, he helped develop plans to connect and enhance resource conservation efforts. “This project is about more than creating a map,” he says. “It is a collaboration to create a vision for the county.”

Nature has long been a part of Pettit’s life. He grew up on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Hampton, Illinois, and enjoyed spending time outside exploring the woods in his front yard or poking around in the pond. He describes his childhood as “having a pretty big impact” on his career choice.

While studying geography and natural environmental systems at Northern Illinois University, Pettit was assigned to a project that required contacting a local government agency. He phoned the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and veteran ecologist Wayne Lampa picked up. “Wayne really stimulated my interest,” Pettit explains. Pettit immediately asked if they had any summer jobs and ended up spending the rest of his college summers working for the Forest Preserve District.

After graduating, Pettit spent the next five years working with DuPage County as a natural resource technician. His career took off under Dan Thompson, Cindy Hedges, and Herman Jensen. “They taught me about trees and animals,” says Pettit, “more than I could learn from any book.”

Today, working out of the Kendall County Historic Courthouse in downtown Yorkville, Pettit and his small but versatile staff (five full-time and four part-time employees) are opening up new opportunities for the public within the preserves. Outdoor education is high on the priority list. “Education is good for the county and the whole region,” explains Pettit. The Forest Preserve District currently offers canoe trips on the Fox River, an annual Native American Heritage Day, summer camps, family programs, and restoration work parties. In addition, a full-time naturalist runs a nature center out of the courthouse.

As the population continues to grow, Kendall County residents are looking to the Forest Preserve District to provide more open space for nature and recreation. Though the county may be rapidly transforming, the future of its wilderness seems to be in good hands.

— Thomas Bentley