Delivering Exceptional, Financially Sustainable Services 
Lake County works to improve the quality of life in Lake County and provide services that benefit more than 700,000 Lake County residents. Our mission is to deliver exceptional, financially-sustainable services that promote a safe and healthy community while enhancing economic vitality. Our core values of fiscal responsibility, exceptional service, operational excellence, leadership and environmental stewardship influence everything we do. Watch this video to see how we are delivering on our mission and values every day! 

Thanksgiving is time to think about all that we’re thankful for and enjoying a home-cooked meal with family and friends. But sometimes the meal can contain unhealthy amounts of calories and fat. You can enjoy the holiday season and be healthy too! Here’s some tips from Elizabeth, a dietitian from the Lake County Health Department.

• Find recipes which are carbohydrate controlled, low sugar, low sodium, and low fat.
• Eat a light snack, such as raw vegetables or a piece of fruit, and consume adequate water to help prevent overindulging at parties and family gatherings.
• Find fun ways to incorporate physical activity with the family both indoors and out. Go on a walk together, try lunges and chair exercises, or play charades with the family.
• Go to the health department’s Healthy Eating Active Living page to find more tips to eat healthy and stay active all year long.

Here’s some healthy holiday recipes that you can make for your Thanksgiving table.

New Medicare Cards to Be Sent Next Year. Protect Your Identity
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service will be sending out new Medicare cards to individuals with Medicare benefits beginning in April 2018 without Social Security numbers. But scammers are taking advantage of this change, especially at the start of Medicare open enrollment. Medicare will never email or call asking for your personal information, and the new cards will be free. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website to learn more.

Forest Preserves News

Our Favorite Fall Preserves
There’s still time to view fall color in Lake County. While all of our forest preserves are beautiful and unique, we asked staff to share their favorites.

Ken Klick, Restoration Ecologist
Favorite Preserve: Captain Daniel Wright Woods, Mettawa
Great Plant: “Sugar maple.”

Nan Buckardt, Director of Education
Favorite Preserve: Van Patten Woods, Wadsworth
Great Plant: “The colors on oak leaves are so saturated and rich.”
Fun Fall Fact: “Colors are brightest when the fall frost strikes early.”

Allison Frederick, Assistant Public Affairs Manager
Favorite Preserve: Rollins Savanna, Grayslake
Great Plant: “Virginia Creeper! This vine slowly morphs from green to deep burgundy–and every color in between.”

April Vaos, Environmental Educator
Favorite Preserve: McDonald Woods, Lindenhurst
Great Plants: “Maple trees, Virginia creeper, and little bluestem.”

2018 Summer Camps
Registration for our 2018 camp season opens Dec. 1. Early bird discounts are available through February 15, 2018. 

Programs fill quickly so enroll early. Register online or call 847-968-3321. 

2018 Annual Permits
Annual permits for dog parks, horse trails and more go on sale at 8 a.m. on Dec. 4. Find information and purchase permits online or call 847–367–6640. 

Give the Gift of Golf
Golf gift cards are the perfect gift for the golfer on your list, good for green fees, carts, and pro shop items at any of our three courses. Buy online or call 847-968-3102, anytime. Or visit our General Offices in Libertyville between Nov. 27 and Feb. 28. 

Holiday Bonus: Receive a $10 bonus voucher for every $100 in gift cards purchased between Nov. 24 and Dec. 31. 

Engaging Volunteers for Nature
Walking through Greenbelt Forest Preserve in North Chicago this fall, you can’t miss the changes. Where there was once a dense wall of buckthorn, you can now look out across a rare combination of prairie, interspersed with native shrubs and small trees. This unique scrubland habitat draws migrating birds such as eastern kingbird, northern flicker, and brown thrasher.

People are flocking to enjoy Greenbelt and to help with restoration efforts. In 2016, a $100,000 grant from the Illinois Coastal Management Program supported this restoration work and funded project partner, Audubon Great Lakes, to engage the community. From April 2016 to April 2017, nearly 400 volunteers logged more than 1,000 hours cutting and burning brush, weeding, shrub and seed planting, and seed collecting. On one workday, 30 students from Abbott Middle School donned work gloves loppers, and saws to cut buckthorn. Become a volunteer

Annual Fund Spotlight
Engaging Volunteers at Greenbelt is exactly the kind of project the Preservation Foundation Annual Fund was created to support. With limited staff, the District cannot reach into every Lake County community to engage volunteers we need to help care for our preserves. With a grant in 2016, Audubon Great Lakes got off to a great start in North Chicago. To build on that success, the Foundation Board awarded a $20,000 grant so the District can continue working with Audubon Great Lakes. The goal is to build a self-sustaining volunteer corps to support our ongoing work at Greenbelt. 

Documenting Species in Lake County
Following an exciting photo confirmation of a river otter along the Fox River in Lake County, we asked our wildlife biologist Andrew Rutter for the scoop. He told us many species have a difficult time dispersing into forest preserves throughout Lake County. Occasionally transient individuals may roam through from the north. However, species that are relatively abundant throughout Illinois do not seem to penetrate the urban landscape, likely due to human disturbance, habitat loss and fragmentation.

In order to document the richness and diversity of species present in the Lake County Forest Preserves, our wildlife biologists began a formal wildlife monitoring program. Since the late 2000s, the biologists—with the help of trained wildlife technicians—have monitored the presence and abundance of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. They have already collected more than 200,000 wildlife records. Data collection methods target each animal group to inform natural resource management decisions. Visit our blog to learn more!

SBA Offers Disaster Loan Assistance and Opens Outreach Center
Homeowners and business owners impacted by the July 2017 flooding in Lake County may be eligible for loan assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). A Disaster Loan Outreach Center will be open through 4 p.m. today (Nov. 21) at the Lake County Emergency Operations Center, 1303 Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville where SBA customer service representatives will issue loan applications, answer questions and help individuals complete applications. Find out more by viewing this SBA news release. 

Tax Credit Bill to Help Property Owners Affected by July Floods
Lake County property owners, along with those in 17 other Illinois counties who were affected by the July 2017 floods, may be eligible for a $750 tax credit under a new law recently approved by the Illinois Legislature and signed by the governor. If eligible, the natural disaster credit may be applied to the resident’s 2017 Illinois income taxes. More information about how property owners can apply for this credit will be forthcoming. Read news release.

FEMA Denies Governor’s Request for Federal Disaster Declaration
In September, Governor Bruce Rauner sent a request to the president of the United States asking that he approve federal assistance to help people in the northern Illinois region, including Lake County, recover from record flooding and severe storms in July. Lake County has been notified that FEMA has denied this request. For information on the July 2017 flood, including a breakdown of the Disaster Declaration Process, visit the county’s flood information page.

Unincorporated Residents Eligible for Flood Insurance Premium Discounts
Property owners residing in unincorporated Lake County may be eligible to save an average of $271 a year on their flood insurance policies. Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System program, residents who meet certain requirements are eligible for up to 20 percent savings on flood insurance premiums. Property owners should contact their flood insurance agent to obtain individual savings information. Visit the FEMA Flood Smart website as well as the county’s flood information website to find more resources.

As the holidays approach, a great way to relax and unwind is to go to one of Lake County’s tree lightings and other special holiday events. Check out Visit Lake County’s listing of tree lightings and special holiday events to enjoy time with family and friends.

Enjoy these upcoming community festivities:

• Deerfield's downtown tree lighting ceremony will take place from 4 to  5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22 in the Deerfield Village Centre Plaza. The Deerfield High School band will perform.
• Village of Grayslake's tree lighting festival will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. See a full list of events.
• MainStreet Libertyville will hold its Small Business Saturday holiday shopping tour on Saturday, Nov. 25. Learn more
• Lincolnshire will hold its holiday tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Village Green
• Enjoy MainStreet Libertyville's Dickens of a Holiday festivities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 2 and 9.
• The Grayslake Historical Society will host its annual holiday open house from 1 to 4  p.m. Dec. 10. Learn more

Lake County Road Safety
Making sure that Lake County roads, bridges and bike paths are safe for the traveling public is the top priority of the Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT), local government agencies and police departments. Together, we have formed a multi-jurisdictional Safety Task Force to look for opportunities to enhance safety for Lake County residents. 

We can study the crash data and look for engineering improvements or enforcement strategies to make roads safer, but we need your help. As a road user, there are decisions you make and actions you take that have an impact on the safety of everyone around you. Many serious injury or fatal crashes are the result of driver behavior and can be prevented. Watch this video to learn ways you can help make our roads safer.

The Lake County Division of Transportation wants your input too! Take this survey to share your concerns about road safety. 

Telephone Scam
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is receiving reports of Lake County residents getting fraudulent telephone calls from individuals representing themselves to be from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Learn more

Join Town Hall Meeting
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will discuss issues such as the opioid crisis, “A Way Out” program and other programs offered by the Sheriff’s Office at a town hall meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Woodland Elementary School West cafeteria, 17371 W Gages Lake Road, Grayslake. The event is free and open to the public. For information, send an email to RepSamYingling@gmail.com or call 847-231-6262.

To better address veteran homelessness and veterans in need and in crisis, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the Veterans Assistance Commission and other county resources to ensure nobody is left behind.   

To address the challenge and ensure crisis services are available after hours, select Sheriff’s Office employees received training on issues of veteran homelessness and veterans “in crisis” as well as transport, shelter, and referral options for immediate assistance. Watch this video to learn more about the Veteran Ambassador Program.

In Lake County, we appreciate the dedication and commitment of the men and women who have served in the United States Military. To honor their service, we offer resources to help veterans and their families. To learn more, visit the Veterans Assistance Commission website, and sign up for their monthly newsletter.

Recorder of Deeds Office Offers Information to Our Veterans
The Lake County Recorder of Deeds Office offers various services to our veterans and their families. This includes being the official keeper of veteran’s military records, or DD214. The Recorder’s Office is happy to provide veterans a free copy of this form upon the completion of a request for discharge record.

Electronics and textile recycling
Electronic and textile recycling is available at the Grayslake Public Works Facility, 585 Berry Ave.

Additional textile recycling locations in District 21 include:  Bannockburn School, Lake Forest Recycling Center (Lake Forest residents only), the Lake County Government campus off Winchester Road in Libertyville, and the West Deerfield Township Center. 

Learn more about the textile recycling program, including what items are accepted.

Check out all SWALCO's convenient services 
The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County provides a variety of convenient services for Lake County residents including electronics recycling, household chemical waste collections, paint disposal, prescription drug drop-off boxes, Reuse-A-Shoe program, and composting options. 

To increase efficiency and make the Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office more accessible to the public, the office will now accept payments online for certain criminal and traffic cases. Individuals who owe outstanding fines and court costs may pay online by visiting the Circuit Clerk’s website. The website offers instructions in over 50 languages, and the service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more

Lead and Copper Testing 
When it comes to safe drinking water, public bodies are required to test for lead and copper. Our water systems are typically tested for lead and copper every three years. Lake County Public Works has no lead water lines, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) even reduced our lead monitoring requirements as a result of no sampling violations. However, systems that change water sources, such as switching from wells to Lake Michigan water, are tested more frequently after the cross over. This year eight systems were tested and found to be within standards. 

• Systems tested in 2017: Vernon Hills, Wildwood, Brooks Farm, Pekara, Hawthorn Woods, Arden Shores, Grandwood Park, Forest Lake 
• Systems to be tested in 2018: Countryside Lake, Fox Lake Hills, Highland Lake, Knollwood, Arden Shores, Grandwood Park, Forest Lake

Watch this video to learn how Lake County Public Works is working to keep the county’s drinking water safe. 

Youth Gain Valuable Work Experience
The 2017 Lake County Summer Youth Employment Program recently wrapped up another exciting summer as more than 200 youth gained meaningful work experience while earning a paycheck. Funded by the Lake County Board, the program matches youth with local worksites that offer a paid, part-time work experience. Learn more about the Summer Youth Employment Program.