Naperville Park District

Management activities will be directed towards enhancing and maintaining the environmental quality of aquatic areas for storm water control. Activities include: litter/debris control, erosion control, management of shoreline and aquatic vegetation, pest control, enforcement of public safety guidelines, and maintenance of the water in a free flowing condition. In instances where public and private lands adjoin waterways managed by the Naperville Park District, riparian rights will be observed with the Park District maintaining to the property centerline of such areas. Activities include all labor, materials, supplies, and services to maintain the environmental quality of aquatic areas.

• Pond Maintenance
• Shoreline management
  Minimum of a 10 foot no-mow buffer natural area that is mowed or burned annually
  Shoreline will be made up of no more than 30% trees
  Shoreline will contain no more than 25% cattails
• Shoreline erosion
  Evaluated on a yearly basis
• Debris removal
  Debris removal along the shoreline and above/below normal water levels will be done monthly April thru October. Debris that impedes free flowing water will be removed as soon as it is observed.
• Algae Control
  Algae levels will be monitored periodically, if it is determined that control is necessary, it will be managed by chemical means.

• Prairie Maintenance
  Prairie areas consist of park land that has been designed for restoration or has been planted to prairie plants. These areas will receive a controlled burn to rid the area of unwanted vegetation, especially wood species. If weather conditions prohibit a controlled burn, the area will be mowed in April to a height of 6 inches. This will help keep the brush from forming thickets. Seeding is done on a limited basis using a low grow seed mix of mainly native plants.
• The mix will consist of some non-native, short lived annuals like Plains Coreopsis, Bachelor Buttons for color.
• Controlled Burns
  Controlled burns are a management tool used to maintain natural areas.
• It is recommended to conduct burns every other year. Areas we cannot burn will be mowed annually in the spring to a height of 6 inches.

• Arboriculture / Tree Maintenance
  Activities include corrective pruning, thinning, shaping, staking and guying, mulching, and fertilizing.
• Tree pruning is performed according to accepted arboricultural practices and standards to provide and encourage a natural healthy growth for each tree variety. High use and trafficked parks are visited every 5-7 years. Maintenance activities include pruning and removal of dead wood, suckers, water-sprouts, cross-branching, and low hanging branches. Corrective pruning such as thinning the crown for increased air movement and shaping are done as needed.
• The bases of the trees are mulched in a 4 feet diameter ring, 3.5 inches thick at the outside of the mulch bed and 1 1/2" maximum next to the tree trunk, with recycled wood chips that are available from NPD chipping or donated. Larger rings or mulched grouping are constructed to reduce trim mowing activities and increase health of the individual trees as needed. All tree rings and beds have a depressed edge no deeper than 3 inches surrounding the tree.
• Gypsy Moth Control
  In cooperation with the City of Naperville and Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Park District is vested partner in the monitoring and eradication of this tree pest. For more information contact http://www.extension.uiuc.edu
• Emerald Ash Borers
  In cooperation with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Park District is assisting in the monitoring of this tree pest. For more information contact:
  http://www.extension.uiuc.edu
  http://www.emeraldashborer.info

The Park District is committed to developing and implementing recycling programs, such programs are as follows:

• Recycling of paper and cardboard...at all facilities
• Recycling of aluminum and plastic bottles...at all facilities, maintenance garages, sports complexes and community parks.
• Recycling of electrical ballasts and mercury containing lamps district wide.
• Recycling of NiCad batteries, rechargeable batteries (non-NiCad and single use batteries). Collection containers are at the 219 Mill Street, 421 West Martin and 3415 Book Rd. Maintenance shops.
• Recycling of scrap metals
• Recycling of old rubber tires
• Recycling of motor vehicle fluids such as motor oils and anti-freeze.
• Recycling in our Parks to be expanded
• In our Sports Complexes, Centennial Beach, and coming soon to the Riverwalk and Community parks. There will be recycling barrels available for the collection of aluminum and plastic beverage containers.

• Nuisance Pest Control
  - Geese
  - Beavers
  - Deer
  - Poison Ivy
• Goose Control
  Canadian geese populations have grown beyond the ability of the Park Districts lakes to accommodate them. The Park District has taken a three step approach to this issue.
  1. Control the population - this is done through a procedure called egg depredation which prevents the eggs from hatching. This is a humane approach for which the Park District must be licensed.
  2. Exclude - in some areas we are using trained Border Collies to move the geese out of an area.
  3. Educate - the general public not to feed the wildlife.
  
• Beaver Control
  Occasionally a beaver will move into a park area and begin to damage nearby trees as it erects its home.
  On these occasions the Park District will hire a licensed trapper to trap the beaver and have it removed.
• Deer Control
  The Park District has not developed a deer management program. In most incidences of bothersome deer, our park is adjacent to a Forest Preserve which have deer management programs. When contacted by these agencies the Park District cooperates with their management programs.
• Poison Ivy Control
  Poison Ivy has become a more wide spread concern. When this plant presents a problem along a trail or play area, the Park District will eradicate it from that location.