File photo
File photo
The orange, official-looking signs that warned visitors to Bemis Woods and Salt Creek forest preserves were not put up by individuals with the power to actually shut down access to the forest preserves, despite the claim that they were shut down “in the pursuit of public health.”
According to a report on Patch.com,. the village presidents of La Grange, La Grange Park, and Western Springs did not post these notices and would not have the power to shut down the preserves even if they wanted to.
There are clues that the signs weren’t official – perhaps the most obvious being that the capitalization was not standard as La Grange was misspelled as “Lagrange.”
The flyers noted that the preserves would be closed, and that police would issue $500 fines to individuals who were found using the park.
Officials and law enforcement agencies in the villages confirmed that Cook County Forest Preserve District had not posted the signs either. Western Springs police are looking into the issue.
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