Part of the charm of living in Highland Park and our neighboring suburbs is being outside, enjoying the beautiful parks, green spaces, walking trails, and, of course, the beaches along Lake Michigan. The Park District of Highland Park is responsible for maintaining over 750 acres, including the park lands, playgrounds, ballfields, open spaces, beaches, and the majestic bluffs that add to the quality of life for our residents and visitors. It’s a responsibility our dedicated team in the Parks Department takes very seriously, and the results of their efforts are on display every day, week after week, season after season, all year round. While you might not notice them, the impact of what they provide for the District and the community is undeniable. In a previous story, we told you a bit about the people who create the plans and projects. Now, we’d like to introduce the people who make sure that wherever you go in the Park District, you and your family have a great time in the great outdoors.

The team is led by our Director of Parks, Dan Voss, who has been in the business of keeping things green and growing for 28 years. “Essentially, we’re responsible for the maintenance of anything outdoors at the Park District,” said Dan. “I’ve always loved working outside, and what we all do here is fulfilling because it benefits the whole community.” You’ll hear that a lot when you talk to Parks & Recreation professionals. It’s a big part of why pros like Dan and the members of his team have been with this District for so many years.

The team includes Parks Operations Manager Brian Dumas, Parks Landscape Manager Glenn Nance, and Natural Areas Manager Liz Ricketts. They are all quite modest about their roles, but when you dig in a little deeper the extent of what each of their jobs entails keeps expanding.

Glenn says, “I oversee grass, trees and plants.” Sounds simple enough until you look around and realize how many trees he’s actually talking about. For example, included in the renovation project that’s being completed at the Recreation Center there are 81 new trees. Plus 470 new shrubs. Glenn, Liz, and Dan worked with the projects department to come up with a plan that would be beautiful year-round. “Even though it’s next to The Preserve, using a lot of prairie plants just wasn’t feasible because those plants won’t present well year round that close to a road,” said Dan.

Glenn is also responsible for the large fleet of park district vehicles and all of the landscape-specific equipment, from mowers to trimmers. He’s been in Parks & Rec for 25 years, and his expertise is helping to create the future of how our park spaces will be maintained. “We’re planning for more electric vehicles, and that also means planning for charging stations across the District,” said Glenn.

Along with Brian and Liz, Glenn manages a support staff of 26 people with the myriad skills required to handle every job, large and small, from keeping water fountains flowing to keeping healthy trees growing.

Proper restoration techniques are a fundamental part of natural areas management in the Park District. Liz Ricketts gave us an overview. “The natural areas program manages  350 acres across the district. Of course, we have large and small parcels, more significantly at Heller Nature Center and The Preserve of Highland Park. There’s a wide variety of habitat types within that acreage as well, and our management of those areas strives to establish and maintain high-quality ecosystems that support our native vegetation, which in turn supports the animals and pollinators that rely on them. We’re fortunate to have support and help from volunteers in the community, from school age kids and teens to adults, families, and local organizations including Eagle Scouts.”

If you want to find out more and be a part of managing and maintaining the health of your parks and green spaces, talk with Liz. All are welcome!

At Heller, Highmoor Nature Preserve, and The Preserve, the Natural Areas staff and volunteers also monitor bluebirds and rare plant species like the dog violet (Viola conspersa). What makes a plant rare is often the habitat that it’s found in, so a more conservative habitat is required for those plants.” There’s also monitoring of the plants and animals that are specific to the lakefront. “As part of a long-running project with the Shedd Aquarium, every spring we monitor the migration of a native fish, the white sucker, from the lake into the ravine streams.” Restoration of the bluffs overlooking Millard Beach is another long-term project the team has been working on.

Controlled burns in spring and fall—between 10 and 20 acres across the district—lead to the growing season. “We seed after a burn because those are the best conditions for seed-to-soil contact,” said Liz. “And we have two large projects this season: refreshing the entryway plantings at Heller Nature Center and expanding a rain garden at Deer Creek Racquet Club. After removing invasive species like Buckthorn and other woody plants during the winter months, throughout the growing season we focus on the management of herbaceous invasive species like garlic mustard, phragmites, and reed canary grass.

Playgrounds and ball fields are likely the places you are more aware of as you enjoy the parks, and Brian Dumas oversees making sure those are not only beautiful to look at, but safe to play on as well.

With more than 25 years in the business, and holding a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) Certification from the National Recreation and Park Association, Brian is another one of those quiet experts who also manages the Parks Department staff. He’s responsible for opening up all of our seasonal facilities. “Ball fields, tennis courts, pickleball courts, satellite bathrooms, the lakefront, to make sure that everything is ready to go at the start of those seasons.” Perfectly groomed ballfield? Slides and swings and rocket ships all working? Bathrooms clean? Boardwalks and beachfront stairs repaired and safe? Thank Brian for all of those. “We have 22 playgrounds across the District, and ballfields in 14 parks,” he said. “It’s always so nice to hear from residents that they appreciate what we do.”

From dog violets in the wild to white suckers swimming upstream, from manicured baseball diamonds to the woods and walking trails that wind through your favorite place to relax, there’s always so much more going on here than meets the eye. And now you know a little about the people who work year-round—mostly behind the scenes—to make sure that everyone in our Highland Park community can enjoy being outdoors at their Park District.

Have a question about a park, playground, a ballfield, a beach or a bluff? The answer is likely on our website.

Until next time… See you around the parks!