Libertyville Township Open Space District
In 1985, Libertyville Township made a bold and progressive move by establishing the first Township Open Space District in Illinois. This innovative land protection program was funded by a 22.6 million-dollar bond referendum approved by the residents of Libertyville Township. The Open Space Bond was retired fully paid in October, 2003. Since land acquisition began in 1986, over 1,500 acres of irreplaceable open space have been protected with these funds. Two of these sites, Oak Openings and Liberty Prairie, are so ecologically significant that they have received the state’s highest protection status as Illinois Nature Preserves.

Libertyville Township is actively managing this open space to provide the following benefits to the public:

• Protection of our rural landscape within the township
• Sites for active recreation (soccer, baseball, etc.)
• Opportunities for passive recreation (bird watching, hiking, biking, etc.)
• 6.4 miles of constructed recreation trails
• Ecological restoration projects enhancing biodiversity

Active Recreation

The Winchester Road Soccer Complex site was leased by the Township to the Libertyville Township Soccer Complex, Inc. in 1992 for a period of fifty years in an effort to provide more active recreational opportunities for Township residents, in addition to the passive recreational opportunities and ecological restoration taking place elsewhere. The soccer complex is home to a number of different soccer clubs, including the Greater Libertyville Soccer Association, the Mundelein American Youth Soccer Association, and games played by Libertyville High School. In all, the complex serves as the home field for almost 4,000 area youth soccer players. The complex is also used by a variety of adult competitive and recreational players both on a regular basis and for special events.

The Township owns and maintains property south of Countryside Manor known as Lindholm Park, which was acquired in 1984 from the Village of Libertyville. It is maintained by the Township for active and passive recreation, and is used as a practice location for local baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Due to increased use, the Township has implemented a scheduling system for sport use of the fields.  Please call the Township offices for further information.

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You can view the online version of the Township's Open Space Inventory here. The full version is available as a hardcopy at both the Township Office and the Cook Memorial Public Library.

Libertyville Township is committed to preserving and responsibly managing these special places we call open space. As part of this management, we have partnered with  Conserve Lake County to provide a volunteer program to help manage our Illinois Nature Preserves. We would welcome your help in this volunteer effort. Click here for more volunteer information.

For questions or more information about the Open Space District, please call the Township at (847) 816-6800, or (847) 362-9760.